TEACHER’S GUI DE
TEACHER’S GUI DE
Suggested Internet Resources
Periodically Internet Resource are updated on out web site at
www.LibraryVideo.com
• www.mccsc.edu/~tkelley/studyskills/studyskills.htm
This comprehensive web site, intended for middle school students, contains information on learning styles, concentration, time management, the
study environment and much more.
• www.mtsu.edu/~studskl/mem.html
An interesting web site with information on the principles of memory and
useful strategies on how to improve your memory.
• www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html
This site from Virginia Tech is packed with information on improving
reading comprehension and time management, and includes a study skills
inventory test to help learners identify problems areas within their study
routine.
Study Skills
Print Resources
• Boghosian Arden, John. Improving Your Memory. John Wiley & Sons
Incorporated, Hoboken, NJ; 2002.
Grades 7–12
• Rozakis, Laurie. Super Study Skills. Scholastic, Incorporated, New York,
NY; 2002.
• Shay Schumm, Jeanne. School Power: Study Skill Strategies for Succeeding
in School. Free Spirit Publishing, Incorporated, Minneapolis, MN; 2001.
TEACHER’S GUIDE CONSULTANT
Laurie Rozakis, Ph.D.
Professor, Farmingdale State University
TITLES
• ANSWERING TEST QUESTIONS
• TAKING ESSAY TESTS
• EFFECTIVE NOTE-TAKING
• TAKING MATH TESTS
• STUDY SKILLS
• TEST ANXIETY
• TAKING READING COMPREHENSION TESTS
Teacher’s Guides Included
and Available Online at:
800-843-3620
Teacher’s Guide and Program Copyright 2005 by Schlessinger Media,
a division of Library Video Company
P.O. Box 580,Wynnewood, PA 19096 • 800-843-3620
Executive Producer:Andrew Schlessinger
Programs produced and directed by Center City Film & Video
All rights reserved.
B6618
V6063
est-taking has always been a part of eve ry student’s life .
From the time young elementary students bound thro u g h
the doors of their fi rst grade classrooms, till the time they
g l e e f u l ly toss their high school graduation caps in the air, it is
likely that students will have taken over one thousand tests! For
m a ny students, test-taking can be:A) frightening, B) confusing,
C) nerve - w ra cking or D) all of the ab ove. While there has
frequently been controversy over the real value of tests, there is
ve ry little debate re g a rding best test-taking pra c t i c e s . In
Test-Taking Strategies for Students, v i ewers will be introduced
to the most effe c t i ve ways in which to pre p a re for and take all
diffe rent types of tests. Vi ewers will also learn some
s t ra i g h t fo r wa rd techniques for ove rcoming test anxiety. N ow,
m o re than ever, with the emphasis on teacher accountability
and measurable student perfo rm a n c e , these pro grams will arm
students with the strategies they need in order to fully
demonstrate what they have learned.
T
Program Overview
All schools test their students — whether the tests are narrow ly - focused on
math facts or state capitals or widely - focused on a full semester’s learning.
Educational tests range from low-stakes classroom pop-quizzes to high-stakes
state and national assessments. H oweve r, re g a rdless of its content or fo rm,
eve ry test re q u i res mastery of subject materi a l . And that takes studying.As a
result, study skills have become even more important.
2.What benefits can knowing how to study have throughout someone’s
entire lifetime? Give some specific examples.
3. How can clarifying, connecting, and reinforcing help you to study more
effectively?
4.Why does it matter where you study? What locations are best and why?
5. How can you organize your study materials to make the most of your
study time?
Vocabulary
6. List three distractions that can make it more difficult to study. Explain how
to eliminate these distractions.
acronym — A group of letters where each letter stands for a word
7. How should someone prepare to study?
(i.e., NASA).
8.What is cramming? Why isn’t it an effective study method?
assessment — Another word for “test.”
concentration — A person’s ability to direct their thinking; to focus their
9.What is SQR3? How can it help you get more from your reading?
attention on one particular thing and block out distractions.
10.What do the initials F.O.C.U.S. stand for? How can this method help you
to study better?
cramming — Attempting to learn a great deal of material in a short period
of time.
distractions — People, places, or things that divert someone’s attention
from the matter at hand.
F.O.C.U.S. — A study method.The letters stand for: Find a good place to
study, Organize, Concentrate, Use mnemonic devices, and SQR3.
high-stakes tests — Important tests used to evaluate students and hold
educators accountable.
incentive — A reward for accomplishing something.
K.A.R.S. — A study method.The letters stand for: Know,Accomplish,
Routine, and Start.
memorize — To learn by heart; to commit something to memory so that
you will always know it.
mnemonic devices — Tricks that help someone remember and retrieve
information.Acronyms and rhymes are examples of mnemonic devices.
reinforce — To go over the information to aid learning and retention.
rhymes — The repeated use of identical or nearly identical sounds. End
rhyme occurs when words at the end of lines have the same sound. People
can create rhymes to help them remember information.
SQR3 — A study method.The letters stand for: Survey, Question, Read,
Recite, and Review. SQR3 is especially useful for studying written material,
such as notes.
study — A focused attempt to understand and remember information.
thinking aloud — A study method.Thinking aloud involves reciting material to help memorize it.
Focus Questions
1.Why is it important to learn how to study now, while you are still in
school?
(Continued)
Discussion Topics
• Discuss the definition of studying. Have students explain what it means to
them to study and why they do it.
• Discuss why some people often have trouble studying.What are some of
the roadblocks that can prevent effective studying?
• Discuss whether or not students believe that everyone needs to study, no
matter how smart a person might be.
• Debate the idea that there is or is not one “best” way to study.
Follow-Up Activities
• Break students into small groups of 3-4 students. Give each group the same
new information on one of the subjects they are studying in class. Have
each group design a study skills methods based on what they learned on
the video.Then have students use their methods to learn the information
you gave them.At the end of the activity, give the class a test to see how
well they mastered the material.As a class, discuss which techniques
worked especially well and why.
• Partner students to summarize the information they learned from this
program.Then have each team briefly “teach” the information to the class.
Encourage students to make posters and other visuals to use as they
discuss how to study.
• Have each student create a mnemonic for a topic being studied in class.
Compile the mnemonics in a class book, organized by subjects (math,
science, language arts, history, etc.) Have students add new mnemonics to
the appropriate section of the book during the year.
• Invite students to keep a study journal. In their journals, students should
record when they studied, for how long, under what conditions, and the
outcome.Then have students analyze their entries: which study
techniques proved most effective for them and why?