Global Studies: Organizational Skills and Strategies
Welcome to high school! You will now be receiving more paper than you thought humanly possible! You will also be attending classes in different rooms in different buildings all over our campus. So, now is a good time to talk about organization skills and strategies!
What are "Organizational Skills?"
Basically, they are the skills to help you know where things are at all times. Having notes, class work, homework, and other class materials in folders or binders will save you a lot of time and trouble.
Why these Skills?
Students sometimes have excuses for not being prepared, and it is because they are disorganized! Have you used/heard these excuses? Excuse "I left it at home." Reality Either the student forgot to organize backpack for next day and is losing credit for not having assignment, or it is a convenient cover for not doing the assignment. Student failed to organize work, and check to see that he/she has all materials with him/her. Or, a friend is copying the work and did not get it back to you. And, no, you may not go get it. Student has so much disorganized stuff that he/she cannot find it, and is choosing to throw organized teacher under the bus. Not cool. Unless you were sick, you got one. Student may have done it, but is so disorganized that he/she is losing credit for work done. See Reality for "I left it at home."
"It is in my other class. Can I go get it?"
"You did not give me one of those yesterday."
"I did it, but I can't find it." / "It's somewhere in my backpack." "I don't know."
Sadly, yes, because you are disorganized! Thanks for paying attention.
How Will Disorganization Affect Me in High School?
1. In high school, it’s your problem: teachers don’t have the time to do it for you. 2. Work might not be collected daily. It might be a couple of days or even weeks. You need to keep it safe until it is collected! 3. You may receive reduced- or no credit for late work. Don’t hurt your grade with disorganization! 4. You will be constantly getting more and more things. So, don't fall behind on organizing it you'll find yourself buried! 5. You will be checked for overall organization every Monday in this class. Resistance is futile!
I Don’t Want to be Disorganized: What Can I Do?
There are many things you can do, and they are simple! Beginning of Year/Semester: 1. Get a good foundation: Get a three-ring binder and binder tabs or a set of folders for your classes. a. Make a tab/folder for each class. b. Have a supply of notebook paper in there. c. Make it a goal to keep the front and back pocket as EMPTY as possible! d. Keep a second tabbed binder/set of folders at home for each class to archive old stuff! Beginning and End of Class: 1. Make sure that you have class-appropriate materials out in class. Don’t work on English during Math, or Math during Global Studies. It leads to mixing of papers. 2. If the paper has holes in it, physically put it in the appropriate section of the binder! If it does not, then put it in the front pocket and hole-punch it later! 3. Keep most recent/active assignments at the top of the section, and older stuff farther back. 4. DO NOT simply throw stuff into the binder where it can fall out! 5. Write homework assignments / due dates in planner, including special instructions! Daily – At Home: 1. Do your homework, and make sure it is as complete as possible! Mark questions/problems that you don’t understand, so that you remember to ask in class. 2. Pull out things you no longer need, and keep in your storage folder/binder. 3. When done with schoolwork for the night, get your binder/backpack ready to go. Make sure papers are inside, you have your planner, pencil and pen. Make it so that you need only pick it up to be ready to leave! End of Unit/Chapter in Class; 1. When you have completed a unit (usually with some sort of test), take those specific materials out of your binder, and keep in a safe place at home. Important Things to Consider: 1. Final exams will have a little bit of everything you have studied for the semester. DO NOT throw away study guides, notes, etc. Keeping them in a safe storage area will make it easier to study. 2. Keep track of your grade, and know how you are graded. If you notice a difference, ask your teacher. Sometimes, mistakes are made. Your marked papers are needed to ensure that any mistakes get fixed. No evidence = you’re out of luck! 3. If you need help, ask! Even the “strictest” and “meanest” of teachers here cares. And, if you take the time to ask for help or clarification, you will most likely get what you need. If you don’t let your teacher know what you need help with, your teacher can’t really help you!
Global Studies: Test-Taking 101
Tests are things that can make you feel nervous, aren’t they?! They are something to take seriously, but remember that their purpose is to measure how well you are understanding the material that you are being taught. Many times, students start preparing for their test in the day or two before it happens. It causes a lot of students to overly worry and cram information in their heads. This is the biggest mistake that students make! This guide will help you prepare for tests in this class, but the lessons will certainly apply to your other classes, too!
The Big Rules of Tests:
1. Learning is an on-going thing. Just because you did it last week does not mean that you shouldn’t brush up on it! Study a little every day, especially when there is no assigned HW. 2. Tests are based on what you are doing in class. So, ask questions if you don’t “get it!” You’ll be expected to know it! 3. Be constantly prepared. If you are not doing your homework day-to-day, and are not taking notes in class, you are doing a lot of work to be unprepared for a test. You’re only hurting yourself! You’re still taking the test, so give yourself a chance! 4. Study in small bits. It’s much easier and less stressful to spend 10-15 minutes a day over 3 weeks on material as you are studying it rather than cramming in 120-180 minutes the night before. In fact, studying more frequently in small amounts of time will give you more study time, and you will get more “bang for your buck!” 5. Teachers really want you to do well! It is the teacher’s dream that you all do well, and any good teacher makes sure that he/she is teaching you what will be tested. 6. NEVER CRAM! DON’T DO IT! IT’S NOT WORTH IT!
“What Should I Do?”
1. Pay attention in class! How often does the teacher seem to go over the same thing? Does he/she seem to always come back to a particular point or idea? Probably a good thing to see on a test! 2. Vocabulary: If you blindly copy words, you are probably not learning. Maybe make some flashcards, or be able to apply the vocabulary term to some use. Put that word into action: it will mean more to you and help you on tests. Have a friend or relative quiz you! 3. Class activities have a point! Your teachers hate busy work. It’s more work for them, too. So, what skills are you learning? How are you being asked to apply your knowledge? That’s the testable stuff! 4. Review your study guides or “Things to Know for a Quiz/Test.” Good money says that these are probably your test questions, or else they would not use this language! 5. Ensure that your work is done and corrected! Having blank and incorrect work is really impossible if you attempt to try. Giving your teacher puppy-dog eyes about forgetting to do it doesn’t mean that you still don’t need to do or know the work! 6. Take Good Note of the Questions You Get Wrong on Other Tests! Use that information to learn how to more effectively prepare!
Taking On the Test:
1. Skim through the test. Get an idea of what you’re being asked to do. 2. Answer what you know. If you don’t know, skip it and come back. Don’t get hung up on any one question. 3. Use your test to your advantage. You might see the same concept or idea asked in different ways. Refer back to an earlier question to see if it can help you out! The multiple choice questions might also have some golden nuggets that can help you answer shortanswer questions! 4. Don’t Over-think It! If you find yourself really debating or overly justifying something, you’re probably over-thinking it! Keep it simple and answer what the question is asking! 5. If You Don’t Know, Use Process of Elimination! If you see something that is definitely wrong, cross it off! If you have 4 choices, you have 25% chance of getting it right. Paring it down to two choices at least gives you a 50/50 chance if you have no clue! At this point, see what you might have to work with in matching sections or other questions! 6. Attitude is Everything! If you walk into something expecting to fail, you probably will. If you walk in with the attitude that you probably know it, and are willing to give the test a good fight, you’ll do better for yourself! 7. If In Doubt, Trust Your Instinct! Unless you have a great moment of brilliance or good evidence from other questions, your first choice is likely your best. It goes back to “Don’t Over-think It!”
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. If the question is very wordy, eliminate the extra words that clutter the paper. Get to the point! 2. If the question is hard to understand, then re-write it in your own words. Again, what are you being asked? 3. Use process of elimination to get rid of things that are definitely wrong. 4. Use the matching section or other test questions to help you through if you don’t quite know. 5. Be careful around the “All of the Above” or “None of the Above.” Is there something in the group that does not quite match the others? 6. If in doubt, come back to it later. Don’t get hung up on it!
Matching Questions:
1. Go with what you know. Answer the questions you know first, then come back to the others 2. Use multiple choice questions to help you out! 3. Use process of elimination.
Short-Answer / Open-Ended Responses:
1. Think about what you were doing in class! It probably connects to some class activity! 2. In the margin, write down some key thoughts, ideas that you might want to cover before you start writing your answer. 3. Refer to other questions in the test to help you out, if you are in a bind.