Download - Year 8 Learning@Loreto
General Learning Skill Development Across the Year
During Year 8 teachers will be developing our students’ skills in the following areas: Note Taking Collaboration Critical Thinking/Analysis Judicious use of the internet as a
research tool Scan and Skim Reading Analysing Errors Examining perspectives Bibliography and Referencing Deconstructing Questions/Problems
The 4 C’s of 21st Century Learning
Collaboration
Communication, using 21st century
tools
Creativity
Critical Thinking
Some Key Terms your daughter will encounter this year
Compare Show how things are similar or different
Evaluate Make a judgement based on criteria; determine the value of
Investigate Plan, inquire into and draw conclusions about
Justify Support an argument or conclusion
The full glossary appears on page 41 of the Student Handbook
Homework
2 or 2½ hours a night, five times a week Develop a routine No such thing as “I don’t have any homework”
RevisingMemorising (still necessary)Preparing SummariesReading different text types (not just
novels) Mark and correct errors in Maths Watch the news Good thinking is not necessarily pretty – real
learning is often messy
Learning Tips for Students in Year 8
Ask thoughtful questions and listen to the answers
Read widely, including non-fiction (the news!) Request help early, not last minute In assignments and tests, keep checking that
you are answering the question, not just filling space
Efficiently manage time – ask your Advisor for tips
Use the marking guideline, it works Concentrate on the concept, not the marks Get some good learning friends, who motivate
one another
How can a parent help ?
Assist your daughter to organise herself to meet deadlines
Model curiosity and a thirst for learning Encourage her to accept offers of help from her
teacher Discourage plagiarism and procrastination Read drafts to help identify problems but don’t
solve them Discuss world events, suggest alternate
viewpoints Encourage your daughter to tell her teacher
about difficulties Send her to bed if she is over-tired, write a note
in her diary