Top Ten Tips for Success

10.  Create a dedicated study space at home

 Set up a space in your home where you can complete homework assignments or projects.  Store items in your space you will need so that you can spend more time on your assignment instead of looking for the tools you will need.  Some items to consider for your study space are: A French dictionary, pencils, pens, highlighters, paper.  When you are finished your studies for the day make sure to pack your backpack and be ready for school the next day.  Try to make productive use of your study space on a daily basis and it will soon become a good habit.   

 9.  Manage your time well

 Many students these days have activities outside of school.  It is important to learn time management skills from a young age.  Sometimes you need to prioritize your activities.  If you play on a team then you may not have as much free time.  

8.  Take care of your stuff

 Take good care of your materials, school supplies and textbooks.  It is important to keep track of your pencils, papers and books.  Your parents and the school spend a lot of money on these items.  You can show respect by taking care of your things.   For example when you come in from recess make sure to hang your coat on the hooks.  If it falls down pick it up, if you accidentally knock your classmate’s coat off the hook, pick it up.  

7.  Help your classmates

 Sometimes school work can be tough.  Do not hesitate to help your classmate with a difficult assignment.  For example if your classmate is doing a research assignment on penguins and you come across an interesting magazine article on penguins so you give your classmate the article.  

6.  Get along with your classmates

Sometimes it is easy for the social aspect of school to get in the way of learning.  Squabbles among your classmates can get in the way of your learning.  Try to find a way to minimize this.  Socializing is an important part of school and a lot of learning takes place from it however you have to stay in control of your emotions and feelings.  

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4. Do well on assignments, quizzes and tests

 It may seem obvious but the results of your quizzes, tests and assignments make up a good portion of your report card marks.  It is these marks that decide whether you get an A, B, C or D.   For most people it is pretty safe to say that if you do your best work your efforts will be rewarded.  That does not just mean completing the assignment, it could also mean using your class time wisely, and it could mean offering help to your class mates.

3. Read in French

 Spend 15 minutes reading (and understanding) a French book each day.   Ideally this would be a chapter book but it could also be small picture books, comic strips or magazines.  You may not notice a difference right away in your French ability but trust me; if you work at French you will learn it.  It is important to maximize your French learning at your age.  Elementary school is the time in your life when you are best able to learn another language.

2. Speak French

 In our school you are expected to speak French all the time.  You should be speaking in French to your classmates.   You should always speak to teachers in French.  You should even speak French to Mr. Scott.  I watch for this in class and I make comments on your report card about how much you speak French.  Speaking French in class has an impact on your report card.

 1. Use class time wisely.

 Use lulls in class time to be productive.  This could mean reading a book, catching up on assignments, writing a story, playing educational games on the computer, or researching something.  I generally give lots of class time to do assignments.  Sometimes it is easy to get distracted and procrastinate.  Remember, never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.