Pretty Study Notes

Just a lil prompt to get me studying Emi-chan//8th grader//year nine Preparing for GCSEs

[teendotcom]

14 Life-Changing Studying Hacks & Tips that’ll Make this School Year the Best Yet

[stressandstudying]

Can’t start studying?

Get up and go for a 5-minute walk

Have a glass of water and a snack

Write a short to-do list

Get out all the supplies you need.

Sit down

Tell a friend you’re going to start studying. (If you don’t have a friend nearby, text them. Or tell yourself. Or tell a wall. Just say it.)

Turn off your phone and close any non-essential internet tabs

Do the very first step of what you need to do. If you have to write an essay, write the first sentence. If you have to read a chapter, read the first sentence. If you have to do a multi-choice quiz, answer the first question. 

Congratulations! You have started studying!

Now do the second step. Write the second sentence. Read the first sentence. Answer the second question.

Now do the third step.

Keep repeating. 

Now you’ve done more than just start studying! Keep going and soon your to-do list will be all finished.

[a-girl-has-noo-books]

How to study a foreign language

Some people don’t know how to study a foreing language, and is important to learn languages in all degrees/majors because it opens you more doors in your life.

Study a language is more easy if you divided it into five parts:

Vocabulary and Grammar

Memorize the vocabulary of each lesson. A good way is writing in a card the word on one side with its equivalent on the other, then you have to try going over them at least once a day and keep the number of words you are working with small. When you have learned the word on a card remove that card from the others.

A way of learning more vocabulary is trying to learn the names of things around you in your everyday life. 

Also, a way to learn more vocabulary is reading books in the language you choose.

About the grammar you have to learn very well the rules and practise a lot.

Writing

To write in a language you have to learn vocabulary, linkers and know very well verb tenses. In this way, everything will be coherent and have cohesion. Also, while you are writing, you have to pay attention to spelling, form, irregularities, and word order.

Reading

You have to know grammar terms. Keep a dictionary handy to help you.

When you read, focus on the total meaning of a sentence or passage and avoid looking up unknown words but, rather, try to determine their meanings based on the context of the sentence.

Try to translate the sentence or passage which you are reading. The way is to read it initially, without translating, in order to get a feel for the language and how the words fit together. Then you have to read it a second time and translate the sentence or passage. And finally reread it a third time to know the meaning.

Listening

You have to become familiar with the pronunciation of the words in the language and learn what to listen for when the language is spoken.

Improve listening to the language from people, records, tapes, or movies. 

Focus on the meaning of what is being spoken.

Speaking and pronunciation

You have to practise constantly the speaking.

When you read the language, try to read it aloud.

Converse with people who know the language to improve.

Learn sentence structure. It is one thing to know the meanings of foreign words and quite another to be able to put them together correctly to form a meaningful sentence.

Record yourself to practise sounds until you feel comfortable with them.

The  most useful applications for learning a language which I have found are:

Busuu. It is a virtual community to learn different languages like English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese and German, among others. It is available for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Wilingua. It is a English course ideal for beginners and available for iPhone, iPad and Android.

Duolingo. This learning system allows you to combine learning two languages at once. You can learn English, French, Italian, Portuguese and German.

Voxy. This method involves personal lessons based on our level of English, interests or goals as getting the TOEFL.

Mosalingua. It is an app for learning English, French, Italian, German and Portuguese. It is available on iPhone, iPod, iPad and Android.

[skeletonstudy]

{how to maintain good notes}

1. Come to class with a legal pad, a pencil or pen, and a highlighter.

use only these materials to jot down lecture notes

don’t worry about formatting or how neat it looks

your notes only need to be legible and somewhat organized

you can mess up on graphs/charts/diagrams

Why? The legal pad is as simple as notebooks get. You can rip out pages, you can write upside down. One pencil and one highlighter means you won’t spend any time trying to make your notes look pretty. That doesn’t matter now. The only thing you need to focus on during a lecture is writing down the important information.

2. After class, revisit your notes and copy it into your notebook.

you have as much time as you need to format your notes exactly how you want

writing something down twice helps you remember it later

seeing the same thing a second time makes you ask questions about the material

helps you study now so that you have less review to do at exams

Why? I know many of you are perfectionists, so when you make a mistake on a diagram, you feel compelled to rip out the page or quit all together. Copying it into a nice notebook forces you to find the best way to format your notes and digest the lecture materials. You will have an organized notebook to refer back to when studying for exams and finals.

3. Create a table of contents and number the pages.

4. Print charts/graphs/diagrams and paste them into your notes.

excellent precision and accuracy

on scratch paper (or your legal pad!) try to recreate the diagrams as best as possible – use this to study

I hope these tips will help you keep your notebook neat and organized!

[studylou]

how to start studying after school

clean up your desk: it’s hard to concentrate when there’s a pile of rubbish on your desk. the chance of you fiddling with things is also higher! you’ll get more done by cleaning your desk! if you’re looking for an easy way to organise your desk, check out these handy organisers!

get your books: get out all the books you need to study that particular subject. if it’s geography, an atlas might be handy.

get a notebook: if you’re in uni or college it’s a good idea to re-write all your notes for your classes that day. make them look clean and tidy. if you’re in secondary school and you’re studying for a test, summarize everything you have learned. in any case, it’s best to have a few notebooks on your desk too. here’s a 4 pack of spiral notebooks for $7.04!

grab some pens: seems self explanatory! i recommend you having an ordinary pen, a highlighter and a pencil on hand. (a.k.a. the basics!) here are some super cute gel pens!

turn off your phone: by turning off your phone, you will get less distracted by social media. sure, people won’t be able to reach you but you’ll get some peace and quiet. obviously leave it on if you’re expecting an important call!

look for a study playlist: if you easily get distracted by your laptop too, skip this step. i personally find it harder to get distracted by my laptop than my phone, so i leave it on and look for some music to study to. here’s a masterpost of some good playlists to listen to!

get a glass of water: you really need your h2o, everyone. grab a large glass or fill up a water bottle. some super cute ones: i ii iii

get a healthy snack: if you’re like me and you love snacking on things while your studying, the best thing to do is to grab something healthy. cut up some apples and sprinkle some cinnamon on them (try it. it’s amazing.), grab some hummus and some celery or carrots or cucumber to dip in it, fill a little bowl with nuts, treat yourself to a square of dark chocolate! if you’re studying during dinner time or lunch time, make yourself a nourishment bowl to nibble on. for more study snack ideas, go to pinterest and snoop around the study snack tag for a while. try out my favourite smoothie bowl too!

take a deep breath: i know from personal experience that sometimes the workload can be really scary and freak you out. the most important thing to do is to take a deep breath and to tell yourself you can get through all your work. you can do anything if you try hard enough!

get cracking: now that you’ve done steps 1-9, you can actually start studying! good luck!

[mindofamedstudent]

Tutorial: how to make a study schedule.

Make a reference sheet with separate lists for each subject. This reference sheet is used to orient your daily studying.

List the material you need to study for each subject. Be more specific than you would be on a study schedule and make sure you put down everything you need to go over.

On your schedule, highlight the exam dates and deadlines and put down any relevant information. (Get the template here)

Using your reference sheet, assign certain material to go through each day.

Scheduling tips

If you haven’t been working on study material throughout the semester; schedule days before your study leave to work on study sheets for revision, flash cards, summaries, whatever you use to study. 

Take a day to gather your study material before your study leave begins. Like the weekend classes end or so. This will save you a lot of time when you sit down to study every day.

Schedule your studying so that you start studying for the last final first, and the first final last. Make sure you start this early enough to give yourself time to revise for the subjects you need to.

If you have a day between each of your finals, take the night of the final off and revise for the next exam the day after. If not, take the couple of hours after your exam off then revise for the next one.

Schedule the harder/heavier material in a subject first, so that you work on that material when you have more energy.

If you’re taking subjects that you have difficulty with, or subjects with a heavy workload; schedule catch up days. However, don’t let that encourage you to slack off. Try to stick to your schedule and only rely on the catch up days if you really need to, and if you don’t; then it’s a day off!

Also, schedule days off… a day or if you can’t afford it, half a day. I can’t stress how important it is to take time for yourself, it’ll help you avoid burnout. 

Disclaimer: this is the way I’ve been making study schedules since I started college. By no means am I claiming it’s perfect or that everybody should follow it.

I’m sorry I’m posting this by the end of the year when a lot of people are already done with exams, but perhaps it’ll be helpful for people taking summer courses now? And also for next year :)

[howtomusicmajor]

What to Do When School Gets Hard (for the first time)

Total honesty time: I was a slacker in high school. I don’t mean that in the sense that I got bad grades, or that I didn’t do extracurriculars. I mean that in the sense that I was the kid who got good grades without having to try, so I never did. Try, that is. This meant that when I got to college, I got a surprise: professors want you to actually study! Like, with the textbook and everything! Needless to say, I had a rough time figuring out how to do this “studying” thing, and I know I’m probably not alone in this boat. The good thing is, I’ve figured this out, for the most part, so now you can learn from my mistakes.

Assume every class is going to be your hardest, going in. The day you don’t assume you’re going to have to put in five hours minimum studying for the first real test in a class is the day you will really regret. Until you get a feel for a certain professor, treat it like it’s super hard.

Schedule in studying time and STICK WITH IT. DO THIS. Or else you will end up like me, making friends with the other lone person who inhabits the study lounge at 1 am. Don’t be me, guys.

Never underestimate the power of teaching others. Seriously, I definitely have kinda taken advantage of my classmates, because I’m the person who tries to explain stuff and writes out the impromptu study guides. By teaching them, though, I’m actually prepping MYSELF to wreck the curve. Basically, once you know it well enough to explain it to others, you’re golden.

Do ALL the readings. The professor that assigns the most readings is also the professor who expects you to have learned the most from them, in my experience. Also, don’t just highlight stuff: write important points that you would want to highlight in your notes. Highlighting is just coloring for grownups - it’s fine, but it’s not going to help you learn. It’s just going to catch your eye later.

Don’t judge a professor’s tests by their lecture style. Imagine: a sweet little 5 foot nothing professor, dressed to the nines every day and super kind to everyone. My professor who fits this description causes about a third of her students to retake her classes every year. Bigshot business guy with a ridiculously high consulting rate and a weird robe he always wears? 98% pass his classes. Focus on the material, not the prof.

Save your homework assignments. It turns out that in college, homework is 95% of the times something that you can actually study from. Do it, do it well, then hang on to it.

Know your preferred study habitats. Do you like to study around a lot of people or by yourself? Are windows a distraction or a necessity? Is the library great or just too far away to bother with? Keep an eye on when you study best and then try to replicate it later.

Get rid of unnecessary distractions. Turn off your phone. Notifications are Bad for concentration. Close your email unless you absolutely need it. Have a drink and someone to nibble on if you use that as an excuse to avoid studying. Maybe avoid studying with that one person if you are distracted by existing near them.

Plan out regular breaks. Tell yourself every half hour you can go on Facebook, or wander down the hall and talk to someone, or read a chapter of that thing you’ve been working on. Just have something planned out that you can actively work towards. Not just having an abyss of time to fill with studying can be really useful.

As for studying itself:

Notecards, re-writing notes in a different format, having someone quiz you, making study guides, and writing practice essays about stuff have all been super useful for me in some respect or another.

Other studying help:

Seven 

Study

Moods 

Rain generator

Coffee shop chatter

How to Study

How to Study pt. II

Bullet journal guide

You’ve got this. We can study together.

[asianstudent]

Take the risk or lose the chance.

(via asianstudent)

[cherribalm-deactivated20140609]

site that you can type in the definition of a word and get the word

site for when you can only remember part of a word/its definition 

site that gives you words that rhyme with a word

site that gives you synonyms and antonyms

[bumblebeebabie]

THAT FIRST SITE IS EVERY WRITER’S DREAM DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I’VE TRIED WRITING SOMETHING AND THOUGHT GOD DAMN IS THERE A SPECIFIC WORD FOR WHAT I’M USING TWO SENTENCES TO DESCRIBE AND JUST GETTING A BUNCH OF SHIT GOOGLE RESULTS

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

Good Habits to Develop

1. Set yourself some daily goals. Keep them realistic and achievable. That will give direction – so you don’t fritter your time.

2. Read inspirational books and blogs; hang around people who are positive.

3. Stay in touch with what’s happening in the world. We’re not just islands – we are part of one another.

4. Make the effort to stay in touch. Just a “like” on facebook, or a brief text message, conveys to that person that they matter to you.

5. Invest some time in your appearance and health. We’re more confident when we look and feel our best.

6. Pay attention to your priorities. Do what’s most important, and not most urgent, first. (Note: If you never learn to prioritise then everything seems urgent – and that’s what runs your life!)

7. Smile. It makes people feel more positive towards you – and it tends to lift our mood, and enhance our feelings, too.

8. Tidy as you go. It’s easier to work, and you’ll feel a lot less stressed, if you’re working somewhere that’s devoid of clutter. Also, if you tidy as you go then it feels less overwhelming.

9. Include some margin in your life so you don’t feel so stressed, as unexpected things always eat away our time. Expect that to happen – and leave some extra time.

10. Take time for yourself as you need to relax, unwind, recover, and recharge your batteries.

[study-habit]

[67study]

I got a bad grade - What do I do?

Ways to Prevent Crying

pinching yourself (try the inside of your elbow or the skin between your fingers)

distract yourself (draw, sing a song in your head)

focus on your breathing

Wait a few days (2-3) before contacting 

Talking to Your Teacher

Set up an appointment, don’t just ask them in passing period. You don’t want to feel rushed. 

‘I was wondering if we could set up an appointment to discuss ___.’

‘I was wondering if you can talk to me about where I am going wrong.’ 

‘Can you tell me which things I should focus on most of all?’ 

Don’t be accusatory, but don’t be a suck-up either.

Ask if there’s a possibility to re-write or re-take the test/assignment. 

If your grade does not change, remember that getting a bad grade isn’t the end of the world. This will only prevent you from achieving your dreams IF YOU LET IT. So even if it’s fake, smile. 

Learn from your failures, but don’t let them stop you. 

[stationeryandstudies]

Digital Notes Template – Google Doc

I made this template for taking notes on my laptop, feel free to use it! It doesn’t format well on mobile though, so avoid using tablets and smartphones with this.

Instructions:  1. Click on link 2. Go to file > make a copy 3. You can now edit them, take notes, etc. 4. Double click Notes Title, Banner, Name, Sticky note, and Sub Title 1 to edit text, color, etc.

Example use: 

[studyingtheblr-blog]

Since it's French day on the studying timetable, I decided to make a French comic featuring Marinette from Miraculous Ladybug! ❤️🐞 Translation: Marinette: "Let me introduce my friend," "Her name is Emily" "And she's fourteen!" Emily: "Hi! How's it going?" Anon: "She's really short." Marinette: "SHUT UP."

[studyingtheblr-blog]

Lundi- C'est Francais jour!