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SHARPEN YOUR STUDY SKILLS
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DEC 1 2 19 95
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MAR 5 1996
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JAN 2 3 1998
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JAN ? 1999
HAR-2 6 1999
PRINl El l
IN U.S.A.
New York
By Sigmund Kalina
12 3 4 5 79 78 77 76 75
Kalina, Sigmund.
How to sharpen your study skills.
Contents
sand at the water's edge: the deeper you dig, the more
the sand caves in. There seems to be no end.
Would you like to know how to get your work done WHAT YOU
in less time, do it better, pass with good grades, and CAN DO
have more time for yourself? Keep reading this book.
It is packed with hints on how to study, do better on
11
tests, and take the work out of homework. It will show
you how to manage your time and make your school-
work less of a drag.
Do you wonder where your time goes? It seems to
play tricks on you. Whenever you are busy with some-
thing that you enjoy, the time steals away without
your knowing it. However, when you are impatiently
waiting for the school day to end, time seems to stand
still.
12
Jot down how long it takes you to get home from
school. Do you stop for pizza or a soda? Do you visit
13
Although you are setting aside more time for your
study, you still have time for the fun things.
As you get into the habit of applying yourself to
your schoolwork, your hours used in study begin to
pay off in many ways. A good feeling of accomplish-
ment wells up inside you. Your schoolwork becomes
more interesting and less boring.
SCHEDULE Try reminding yourself to keep your schoolwork ap-
YOUR TIME pointments with yourself by keeping a schedule with:
into place, first things first. You know what you want
to do and you do it. It is not how long you force your-
14
way to the temptation of watching television. Remem-
ber, you have a schedule; stick to it.
15
KEEP YOUR The important thing is to arrange to have your study
STUDY THINGS materials together and as near you as possible. This
HANDY will help you to keep your mind on your work, since
it will not be necessary to interrupt your thinking
whenever you might need something. Being so organ-
ized is a great time saver, not just for schoolwork,
but for any activity in which you might be engaged,
from hobbies to odd chores at home.
To obtain the most from your studying, you should
choose a straight chair. Then there will be no chance
of slumping, no slouching, no leaning backward, and
no drowsing off to sidetrack you from your study
course. A good light will help focus your attention.
The place you choose to do your homework should
be a location where no one will bother you. It should
be an area where you can occupy yourself with plan-
ning and carrying out your school matters. It will be
your own quiet nook where you can read, collect your
thoughts, and study.
16
No work is easy, but knowing what to do, how to do
it, and when to do it, makes your work much easier,
less frustrating, and more interesting.
As you acquire the habit of doing your schoolwork
as part of your daily routine, you will be surprised to
find that you are consuming less time and using less
17
Reading
Is
a Study Tool
IS MORE THAN reading. They think that all one must do is simply
READING read the number of pages assigned. However, studying
ismore than reading. It is understanding and re-
membering the material that you are reading. You
know that you are studying when the words you read
linger in your mind. Do not make the mistake of con-
tinuing to read sentence after sentence while your
mind wanders. That truly is a waste of time!
ALL READING You might regard reading as an essential study tool,
IS NOT and as with any tool, you must learn to use it. All
THE SAME reading is not alike. Some passages you can easily
skim and still understand: that is, you can read quickly
and grasp the main ideas without slowing down for
details. This method of reading is very effective when
you are looking for background information from
magazines, booklets, or newspapers. It is a good time-
saving device.
There are other times when you achieve good results
if you read sections of your study assignments out loud.
18
ftp
19
recognize the style of reading which works best, the
type of reading which puts you right on your study
target. This requires practice.
Try your skill with the following paragraphs. What
kind of reading would work best to study the selection
below?
20
:S^>
21
and get the over-all feeling of the importance of the
weather in our everyday living.
22
Here is a suggestion which will help you study and
remember more about what you are reading. Make a
list words you think are important. Write
of those
them down. Look at them. Study them. Think about
them. Doing this will impress those terms on your
mind so they cannot escape you.
Here are more ways to sharpen your reading skill: SHARPEN
Practice getting ideas from groups of words, rather
YOUR READING
SKILL
than reading single words for their own meanings.
Don't move your lips when reading. It slows you
down. Read faster. It will help.
Relax while you read and you will find that the READING
more you read, the more you will like to read, and IS FUN
the more you like to read, the more you will want to
read. When you enjoy reading, you will become
more interested in reading for many purposes for
the rest of your life, not just for school. Reading will
open many worlds to you.
23
directions for carrying out science experiments
directions for fitting parts together, as in con-
structing models
directions for following recipes for making any-
thing from food to paper-mache.
24
On Monday, review your notes for that same day. REVIEW
On Tuesday, go over the notes for Monday and Tues- YOUR DAILY
day. On Wednesday, study Monday's, Tuesday's, and CLASS NOTES
Wednesday's notes. Continue doing this with the notes
taken Thursday and Friday. Each time you repeat this,
25
How to
Develop
a Good Memory
REPETITION Repetition is another good study tool, if you know how
HELPS to put it to its best use. Specialists in learning tell us
that you should have repeated study sessions spread
26
you bored and tired. Before you are aware of it, fatigue
overtakes you and meaningful learning ceases. When TAKE AN
you begin to feel this way, it is wise to take a short EXERCISE
break. Get up and walk about, stretch your legs, or BREAK
perhaps do some calisthenics. The point is, do some-
thing different that will give your mind a rest. How-
ever, do not make the mistake of using these breaks as
27
This method of learning is known to produce good
results when you begin a new topic of study, when the
material is difficult to understand, or when there is a
great amount of subject matter to remember.
USE Suppose you are having difficulty learning the lan-
FLASH guage of the metric system. You might use flash cards
CARDS to help you.
28
vocabulary lists
29
Your searching is bound to help you learn, and the
more you learn, the more rewarding your studies will
be.
30
Here are some suggestions for building associations
or "memory hooks." When you have many things to
remember such as lists, names, or things to do, try
putting them into small groups according to:
31
-^4
The
Techniques
of Note-taking
32
It is as though you were to listen to your favorite rock
group on stereo with only one speaker, turned up half
way. Most people do not listen as much as they can.
33
Or do they suddenly make a detour so that you lose
word you hear. Wait and listen for the familiar ones,
ing.
THESE CLUES He or she will clue you in. Catch such expressions as:
GET READY Get to know your teacher. You will begin to recog-
FOR THEM nize a pattern of words he or she uses. Be on the look-
out for such words as "therefore," "in summary,"
"thus," "as follows," and many others. They are all
good note catchers.
Train your ears for these word signals. Your teacher
will spend more time on those ideas which he wants
you to know and remember. He will repeat them from
time to time. His voice will accent them. Listen for
such cues. They are important!
Listen to the pitch of the speaker's voice when it
34
tying up a message into a neat package. Being aware
of such signals is a good sign that you are paying at-
tention.
Have your notebook open and hold onto your pen YOUR PENCIL
or pencil, ready for action. In this way, you will be IS A GOOD
constantly reminded to catch the important phrases NOTE
coming your way. Just as a baseball player at bat con- CATCHER
on one thing, hitting the ball, you too direct
centrates
your attention to one purpose, taking good notes.
You might try this next activity. It will give you prac- TRAIN YOUR
tice in listening. Have a friend or a member of your EARS TO
family read a selection from one of your textbooks out LISTEN
loud while you take notes. Once you have taken your
notes, set them aside. Then have the passage read a
second time. In this reading, instruct the person to
accentuate those words they think important. Take
notes again. Remember to have your pencil ready and
listen for the clues.
35
Compare both readings. Is there any difference in
your notes between the two readings? Are the accentu-
ated words of the speaker recorded in your notes?
PRACTICE If you have a tape recorder, you can use it to practice
36
own shorthand system of taking notes. A skillful method WORK OUT
will beat it all the time. It pays to work at it. Better YOUR OWN
grades will be yours. SHORTHAND
You might regard your note-making system as send- SYSTEM
ing clear, sharp messages to yourself. Good notes are
eye-catching. Use as many signs and symbols as you
can. They will prove very helpful, since they are good
note markers and time savers.
One of these is parentheses. Use them to enclose USE
equivalents and to group related words together. PARENTHESES
Many students have found out that they can borrow BORROW SIGNS
a number of signs from mathematics and science. FROM MATH
These signs take the place of word phrases and at the AND SCIENCE
same time spotlight their meanings.
The symbols for the terms "number," "greater,"
and "lesser" can often speed up your note-taking.
# = number
> = greater SIGNS THAT
< = lesser COMPARE
37
USE ARROWS Another time and space saver is the arrow, which
can be pictured in several ways to show direction.
CHAPTERS
t
PARAGRAPHS
SENTENCES
t
WORDS
t
LETTERS
PLUS AND When
you add or subtract, you use a plus or minus
MINUS SIGNS Sometimes those signs can take the place of words.
sign.
38
to add to or onto something
to increase in size
to increase in quantity
to increase in age
to gain
to take away
to decrease in size
to decrease in amount
to get what is left
to lose
Just as you can make use of the plus and minus THE EQUALS
signs, you will discover the equals (=) sign a good SIGN
space saver.Such words as "similar," "identical,"
"alike" and many others usually can all be indicated
with the equals sign.
Often, it will save time to substitute this sign for
phrases like these:
39
TRY ROMAN Do you recall learning Roman numerals? How often
NUMBERS do you work with them? Most students outline their
topical notes with I, II, III, and so on. Include them
in note-taking. They are especially useful in showing
numbers ending in zeros. It is a good idea to consider
employing some of these basic symbols. Here are a few:
X = 10 M = 1000
C = 100 MM = 2000
D = 500 V = 5000
40
ation for more than one word as this can be very con-
fusing.
Another hint in taking good notes is not to crowd SPACE OUT
one sentence after another as though you were writing YOUR NOTES
Leave plenty of space between each
a personal letter.
line so you can easily read back whatever you are
writing.
Once you have your notes, do not lock them up in STORE THEM
your notebook and forget them. Review them; store INYOUR
them in your memory so you can get to them whenever MEMORY
they are needed.
It is essential to have clear meaningful notes to en-
able you to take sharp pictures of them with your
"mind's eye." Producing good notes helps take the
work out of homework and pays off with satisfying and
rewarding dividends: better grades and, even more
important, a better understanding of your subjects.
Do you remember how you first learned to ride a
bicycle? You practiced over and over again, and before
long, bicycle riding came easily as walking. Note-taking
is no different: practice and learning go together.
41
notes, to be certain that each page is labeled and num-
bered in the same order they are withdrawn from your
book. That way you will avoid having your notes
mixed up and out of place. Section after section will
follow along in proper sequence and you will always
know where to find them. Carry this out with all your
subjects.
42
Get to Know
Your Textbook
Another worthwhile study tool is your textbook; learn
to cultivate its use. When a textbook is put together,
chapter after chapter is carefully planned so you can
easily follow and understand the subject matter.
43
READ THE lists the chapters or sections in the book. Rather than
TABLE OF glance through the pages in a hit-or-miss fashion, turn
CONTENTS to the table of contents. You might also see other chap-
'MB>&%1
When consulting the index, you will often find "see
also" after the term in question. That indicates where
you will find more information on the subject. Librar-
44
ians call this system of helpful clues "cross reference."
Sincemany words have more than one meaning, it EXPLORE THE
is important that you understand how the author is GLOSSARY
using a particular term. Does it have a special meaning
in the topic where it appears? To help you with your
reading, many books include a glossary a listing of
words with their explanations as they are used in the
text. But do not confuse a dictionary with a glossary.
Each one has its use. A dictionary first shows the most
frequently used meaning of a word, whereas a glossary
lists that particular meaning or sense which fits the
subject matter in the text.
45
paragraph, in the middle of a sentence, or anyplace
where there are key words that you should impress upon
your memory.
ITALICS Boldface is not the only type designed to draw your
attention to certain key words. As you read sentence
after sentence, your eyes follow the words along the
printed lines. Suddenly the text is interrupted with
print that looks different, like script rather than print-
ing. This style of type is known as italics. It is an indica-
tion that the word or sentence is important. It is a hint
for you to pay particular attention to the meaning.
Look for words printed in italics. Observe that they are
used sparingly; otherwise they would lose their pur-
pose and go unnoticed.
CHARTS Throughout most textbooks, you usually find a vari-
AND TABLES ety of charts and tables. Do not pass over them. They
present, in a vivid, graphic manner, important data
from which conclusions can be drawn. They form a
meaningful picture showing how facts and ideas are
related to one another.
At first glance, these charts and tables may appear
complicated. Take time to study them and you will be
amazed at how simple they really are.
In Summary
Checking up
Main Ideas to Think About
Words to Remember
These are all designed to dissect out the important
facts from the various paragraphs. They help get at the
47
No matter what the words, they direct your attention
to the key points covered by a particular chapter. You
will also find, at the end of each chapter, questions
about those key concepts. The questions are there not
to catch you, but to let you determine how much of the
CHECK UP chapter's content you really know. It is a way for you
ON YOURSELF to check up on yourself under such headings as:
49
Learning
Mathematics
Think it through!
Suppose the lesson for the day is learning how to
figure averages. As your teacher explains the method
of arriving at averages, an example is worked out on
the board for you. This is a signal for you to get it
down in your notes.
50
Write each step as it appears on the board, and at
the same time, concentrate on what you are doing. It
AVERAGING
TEST MARKS 74
77
70
Pages
ra kk (1) Add numbers + 71
book. Thus, if your notes are not clear, you can quickly
51
check your math book where a sample problem is
52
you add fractions, you must first decide whether you PRACTICE
are working with like or unlike fractions. Like frac- WORKING
tions all have the same denominator. In adding like WITH
fractions, only the numerators are added. The denomi- FRACTIONS
nators are not added. Remember this. It will keep you
from making foolish mistakes.
You cannot add unlike fractions unless they are
changed to like fractions. First change each fraction
into a like fraction, then add all the denominators, as:
JL, = JL + i_ .- il
3 4 12 12 12
53
insert the decimal point in the answer space. Follow
this rule and you will make fewer mistakes!
Remember that the order in which numbers are
added makes no difference. First add the numbers
downward and then upward. If you arrive at the same
sums, your answer is correct. This is a handy way to
check your addition.
MULTI- When you multiply, you are actually doing addi-
PLICATION tion. When four is multiplied by five, it is the same
as adding the number 4 five times, or adding the num-
ber 5 four times.
As in addition, the order of the numbers makes no
difference when multiplying. The products or answers
are the same whether you multiply the top number by
the bottom or the bottom number by the top. You
could use this idea as a quick method to check your
multiplication.
Forming mental images of ideas in mathematics is
54
12 is 4 times greater than 3
means 12 divided by 4 = 3
Many students become confused about the meaning
of the division sign. The mathematical symbol is -r-
21 21/7 7 I 21
55
Wherever possible, picture the problem with a
diagram.
Work out more than one example. Do not merely
change the numbers.
Work out your homework problems on scrap
paper before copying them into your notebook.
Make it a practice to do your homework long be-
fore coming to class.
Do your homework assignments every day.
56
Learning
Science
58
clearer picture of how they work together or in op- DIAGRAMS
posite directions, whichever the case may be. SHOW
Very often science lessons include a variety of dia- RELATIONSHIPS
grams which are important in understanding a par-
ticular lecture, experiment, or classroom activity.
A diagram is part of the lesson and you are expected
to know it. To many students, the puzzling thing
about a diagram is, how does one go about studying it?
59
DIAGRAMS reproduce a diagram from memory or recognize and
60
in the lesson, and mail it off into your memory. Doing
it way, you take the work out of homework.
this
Many
students have difficulty in science because they
simply do not see science as a network of related ideas.
A good attitude to adopt when studying science is to
imagine yourself as a detective trying to solve a mys-
tery. Just as one clue leads to another, to bring about
the solution to the mystery, each lesson is another link
which helps you form a strong chain of understanding
science.
Studying science is new language. All
like learning a LEARN THE
through your lessons you will meet new words, and LANGUAGE
others that take on a different shade of meaning a more OF SCIENCE
specialized meaning than the common one with which
you are familiar. You are not expected to memorize
these terms; it is more important to understand their
scientific usage.
As with any language, the more words you know, MAKE YOUR
the easier it is to read and understand it. One way to OWN SCIENCE
build your science vocabulary is to put together your DICTIONARY
own science dictionary.
You could build a 3 by 5 card system. On each card
print a science term. Next to it write its scientific defi-
nition. If you wish, you can have an example of its
scientific usage on the reverse side. Your cards can be
61
(Reverse side) EXAMPLES
A wet towel dries in the sun,
Puddles of water disappear
into the air.
62
ulary, the easier it will be for you to think in scientific
terms and understand science.
Here are some good rules to help with your science
studies:
63
vr8
English
64
Have a mental image of words before you write SPELLING IS
them. Pay close attention to their spelling. This is very IMPORTANT
important because the words you put on paper indicate
the kind of person you appear to be. A misspelled
word shows people that you do not know the spelling,
you are careless, or you do not think spelling is im-
portant.
The best way to be certain of the spelling of a word USE THE
is to consult a dictionary. Since you are not sure of its DICTIONARY
spelling, looking it up might present a problem, but
the first two or three letters will probably be enough
for you to find the word in the dictionary. Then use it!
Here are some spelling tips. Try them they work. SPELLING
HINTS
Know the meaning of each word you use.
Know how to pronounce the word. Hearing it
65
Make a list of all the words you have difficulty
book.
Study the rules of spelling. Practice them.
Don't be careless when writing your vowels. Make
them look like as, es, i's, o's, and u's, and not like
one another.
Get into the habit of proofreading, so you can spot
a misspelled word.
Keep up to date with your spelling and vocabulary
words.
66
words in newspapers, magazines, and even in com-
mercial signs and slogans.
Search for little words inside big ones.
Acquire a feeling for the exact meaning of words.
Make a habit of using the dictionary to add more
words to your vocabulary bank.
67
and I quickly ran to the phone.
Try it this way:
The man came to the door and asked for help.
I quickly ran to the phone.
Notice that one long, boring sentence suddenly be-
comes two sentences bristling with action.
Another word which traps you and the reader is
monotonous writing.
Another technique you can try to create more va-
riety in your sentences is changing the word order.
68
reasonable amount of time for its preparation before
the due date. This plan should include the following
steps:
69
Social
Studies
over?
SEARCH FOR Social studies is much more than that. It must be
HIDDEN IDEAS studied with a searching mind, so you can understand
how events and ideas are related. You must learn to
70
tie in the facts about which you are reading to those
ideas that you already know. Let the questions how
and why guide your reasoning when reading social
studies.
71
Terms such as social, political, economic, and geo-
graphical are key words that appear over and over
again. It is important that you know how they are used
soyou can understand the lesson. It is hard to think of
one of these key words without the others. Each idea
in social studies has an effect on the others.
72
Finally, read summary headings at the end of the
chapter. "Words to know," "See for yourself," "Check-
ing up," or "Review these ideas." They will show you
what you really know and how much you do not know.
In searching for answers to your questions, you LEARN TO
should keep in mind that your textbook is to be used COLLECT
as a guide. Unlike your textbook for science or mathe- FACTS
matics, it does not teach everything about the subject.
You must acquire the habit of getting more informa-
tion, to supplement what your textbook gives you.
73
10
Using
the Library
THE LIBRARY A library is much more than just a storage place for
ISA books. A library is a reservoir of ideas. Think of it as
RESEARCH a research center filled with a variety of useful mate-
CENTER rials other than books. A vast amount of information
is contained in special maps and charts, all types of
magazines, newspaper clippings, filmstrips, microfilms,
photographs, recordings, pamphlets of special informa-
tion. Indeed, you will find the library a gold mine of
information of all kinds.
GO TO THE The first thing to do is locate that part of the library
CARD where you can find books about your topic. To do this,
CATALOG you should consult the card catalog, which contains
the titles of all the books in the library.
The card catalog lists books by subject, title, and
author. Thus there are three kinds of cards from which
you can obtain the listing of a particular book. Each
card contains the same information: the title of the
book, the call number, the name of the author, and
the publication date of the book.
Notice that each card is printed with a number in
the upper left-hand corner. This is the call number,
74
which will guide you to the precise location of the
book, unless some other person has taken it out. This
number is important in another way: it can help you
discover other books dealing with the same subject.
All books on the same subject are shelved together.
All libraries use a system of grouping most non- BECOME
fiction books according to subject. A set of numbers ACQUAINTED
identifies each group according to the Dewey decimal WITH DEWEY
system, named after a famous librarian, Melvil Dewey. DECIMAL
These numbers are coded into the call number of
NUMBERS
each book. Understanding call numbers will prove to
be very useful in doing library research, whether it is
you.
CHECK THE A on many subjects is
great deal of information
VERTICAL printed in pamphlets, newspapers, and magazines
FILE which are kept separately in what is called a "vertical
file." Ask the librarian to direct you to it.
cal order.
76
search very specialized and exact information. You
might have to report about the national debt, the
exact amount of money owed, from the time of the
thirteen colonies to the present fifty states. At another
time, a mission to the library helps you find the exact
number of members in the President's cabinet.
In both instances, the best reference to check is the
World Almanac. This is a book of facts. In its pages
you can discover an enormous amount of information
from the past to the present.
Not all information appears in books. Magazines, or
periodicals, often contain articles that can be most
helpful with many of your projects. Most libraries
77
As you consult the encyclopedia, the "World Alma-
nac, The Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, you
will find it convenient and time saving to gather your
facts on a set of file cards. Make it a point to print a
78
11*-*
Attack
on Tests
Can you imagine a football game, tennis match, or
bowling tournament with no one keeping score? Any
sporting event without scores would be dull, and point-
less in more ways than one. There would be no in-
centive to win and no goal to reach. There must be
some method of scoring.
Just as sports and keeping score go together, so do
school and taking tests. Tests are not designed to trap
and confuse you into making mistakes. A test is not a
battle of wits between you and the teacher. There is
no winner and no loser.
Testing is one method of keeping score of your WHY TAKE
schoolwork. It is a much fairer way to grade you than TESTS?
guessing. The teacher uses tests to determine the pro-
gress you are making in a particular subject. Students
79
work progress, which both you and the teacher can
read. Think of them this way: tests are for you.
A. Essay Questions
The term "essay" should not be a signal for you HOW TO TAKE
to write hundreds of sentences; that does not mean ESSAY TESTS
that one sentence is all you need for an answer. Essay
questions require that you discuss ideas. No matter
what kind of essay question is put before you, you
must plan and think out your answer. Here are some
tips that will arm you with your attack when con-
81
READ, PLAN, the different kinds of questions included in the test.
82
Try to say the most in the fewest words. Your answer
should be clear and to the point. However, be careful
to write enough to answer the question fully.
83
Be sure that thenumbers of your answers corre-
spond to the numbers of the questions.
Don't cross out words with scribbling; instead
block them out neatly. Anyone can make a mistake,
but being sloppy is another matter. You can avoid
this by thinking before writing. Jot down those ideas
B. Short-answer Tests
objective examinations.
COMPLETION Let us consider the completion or fill-in kind, which
TESTS most often calls for one- or two-word answers. You can
easily recognize this type of question by the directions:
84
w mm
number of blanks and be sure to supply a word for
each one:
The southern border of Texas is on the
of
This is answered by writing "Gulf" in the first
statement it completes.
Here are some useful tips:
be correct.
Don't be tricked into selecting a sentence which
has a false phrase, yet reads as though it were true.
85
Eliminate those statements that you immediately
know are not correct. This usually leaves two
choices.
Now use reasoning and carefully think out the
correct answer.
COLUMN A COLUMN B
.1. migrating birds A. plant
.2. floating seaweed B. mineral
.3. marble chips C. animal
.4. ripened fruit
86
C. Matching Tips TIPSFOR
Read the directions carefully.
MATCHING
QUESTIONS
Read both columns. Notice that column A has 4
87
GUESSING At one time or another every student wonders, is
GOOD OR BAD? guessing good or bad? It all depends on the directions
and how your teacher marks tests. In most cases, you
are expected to answer all the questions. If you do not
know the answer, it will do no harm to chance a guess,
and perhaps your hunch will be lucky.
TEST TIPS Here are some final suggestions:
THAT BRING Be there. Don't give in to any excuse.
SUCCESS
Bring all your equipment (pen, pencil, eraser,
etc.).
Pay close attention to all oral instructions.
Be sure you understand the test directions.
Keep track of your test time.
Don't dwell on the things you don't know.
Relax and think of what you do know.
Change your position from time to time. It pre-
vents fatigue and could give you a new point of view.
Do your best!
89
A New
Point of View
You are now nearing the end and still reading this
book. This is a good sign. You are determined to
sharpen your study skills so you can improve. Perhaps
by this time you are adopting a new point of view
toward your school work.
THE The classroom is a place to learn many things, in-
CLASSROOM cluding what you will want to do on the outside. You
IS FOR YOU might think of all your classes as working together to
help you find out who you are and what you hope to
become. The classroom is for you. The time you spend
there can be a drag or it can be exciting. The secret is
90
and notebook, and possibly your textbook. You never
know when you might use them.
Don't shrug your shoulders when you are called upon TAKE PART
for an answer. Say something. This shows the teacher IN THE
you are thinking. LESSON
91
master a subject, the teacher expects yok to do your
part in learning the subject.
PICK UP Listen to all your teachers and you will gather bits
STUDY CLUES of study aids from each one. These will guide you to-
FROM YOUR ward your goal. Tie them together and fit them into
TEACHERS your way of doing things.
Have you ever heard of a self-sharpening tool? It
becomes sharper each time you use it. Think of your
study tools in the same way. Get into the habit of
putting them to work and,
your school work will no longer pile up,
your groaning and sighing will disappear,
you will get at your work without any fuss,
92
Index
93
history, 71, 76 your own system of, 37-40
homework, 11-15, 32, 36, 41,
47, 48, 52, 56, 61, 64 portable study kit, 15
94
tests, 79-89 vocabulary, 64-67
completion, 84-85 active, 64
essay, 80-83 improving your, 66-67
guessing on, 88 lists, 29
matching, 86-87 science, 61-62
multiple choice, 85-86
preparing for, 81 word patterns, 34
short-answer, 83-87 word phrases, 37
suggestions for taking, 88- word problems, 55
89 word traps, 87
textbook, 43-48 words, 33, 64-68
chapter-end cues in, 47-48 and signs, 38
time, 12-15 as building blocks, 64-65
keeping track of, 12-13 as language tools, 64
schedule, 14, 15 misspelled, 65
new, 61-62, 66-67
writing, 66-69, 83
underlining, 36, 83
improving your, 29, 67-68
skills, 67
vertical file, 76 written assignments, 15, 17, 91
95
/
About
the Author
ISBN 0-688-41718-3
0-688-51718-8 (lib. bdg.)
ISBN
NEW YORK