How To Study Science
Success in school requires organization, self discipline, a will to never give up and an effective approach to studying. There are numerous ways to study. This is one possible approach.
If you have to memorize, flash cards are effective. Saying the words out loud several times can reinforce your memory. Assignments that require you to know vocabulary terms and their meanings can be memorized using flash cards. If you have to remember a list of words, a mnemonic device can help. But, if you have to study to understand a concept or a general idea, you have to go beyond memorizing and these methods are not the correct approach.
Before you begin, have a location to study that is well lit. It should be a place with minimal distractions. All of the material you need should be available.
For Life Science, you should plan on studying one section for 20 minutes to one half hour each night. Include reviewing the content you have studied from previous nights.
1. Read the title of the notes and the title of the section. This will improve your reading comprehension to help you understand what is important as you read.
2. Read the section. Pay close attention to pertinent information. How do you know what is important? Anything that provides information about the subject. Words or phrases in boldface or italics indicate new vocabulary associated with the material you are studying.
3. Highlight or underline - Read the section a second time - When you read the section a second time, highlight or underline the most important information. Avoid highlighting or underlining whole sentences. Focus in on phrases or words and their meanings.
4. Paraphrase - In the margin or on a piece of paper, write out what is important in your own words.
5. Make visuals when possible. Make diagrams, pictures or flowcharts. Use any visuals that have been provided.
6. Study what you underlined, highlighted or paraphrased.
7. Explain what you know about the content to somebody as if you were teaching them about it. Ask them to read the section and ask questions about anything that you did not explain.
8. Make up questions about the section. Write them in the margin of the notes or on a piece of paper. You can use these to review on other nights.
9. Self Assess - In other words, find out if you remember what you studied. You can do this by doing a quiz that might be posted on my homework website or by playing a game on my homework website. Review what you get wrong and seek extra help if necessary.
10. Review each night - Use the questions you made up to see if you can answer them. Look at the title of the section and think about what you remember.
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