Homework/Study Skills
Make test taking more successful with organization
Talk to your middle schooler about "organization" and he probably thinks about keeping his room neat. But organization is also a building block for his academic success.
It will be hard for him to do well on a test if he doesn't know when the test is, what to study or the materials he needs.
In middle school, your child will have to keep track of all this information, multiplied by the number of classes he is taking. Few people can do this in their heads. He needs to create a checklist and refer to it often.
For upcoming tests, your child should write down the answers to these questions:
- What is the class?
- When is the test?
- What are the topics?
- What are the relevant pages in the textbook?
- What materials do I need to study -- textbook, notes, study guide?
Your child can also create a study schedule. He should consider:
- How many days in advance to begin studying.
- How much time to devote to studying each night.
- How well he knows each topic -- will it take heavy studying or will a review do it?
- What (if anything) to do besides reading -- take notes from the book or make flash cards.
Reprinted with permission from the March 2008 issue of Parents Still make the difference! (Middle School Edition) newsletter. Copyright ©2008 The Parent Institute, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Ron Fry, Get Organized, ISBN: 1-56414-233-7 (Career Press, 1-800-227-3371, www.careerpress.com).