Study Guide for Final Exam

What Smart Students

Know

What’s my purpose for reading this?

You know WHY you are reading

You know what you are looking for

What do I already know about this topic? Starts the process of generating questions Makes you aware of what you know and don’t

know Puts you on the look-out for new information Provides practice in resourceful thinking It acts as a review It makes you the authority

What’s the Big Picture? Find the following

Main ideas and themes Important terms and concepts Overall organization

What’s the Author Going to Say Next?

This helps you interact with the text

It helps you anticipate what is coming…makes it a game…

What are the Expert Questions? What is this made of? How can this be identified? What process causes this? Where is this usually found? What can I tell about the history of this?

Orientation Questions… What is the definition of this? What is an example of this? What are the different types of this? What is this related to? What can this be compared with?

What Questions Does This Raise For Me?

Be aware of the questions that come into your mind.

Who, what, when, where, why and how… (journalist questions)

What Information is Important Here?

80/20 rule…

AKA Pareto’s Principle In reading…

Beginning and end Anything emphasized graphically The gist of a chart or a diagram The chapter summary

In a lecture… Beginning and end Anything that goes on the board Anything your teacher repeats, emphasizes,

stresses Your teachers use of language How your teacher responds to ?s or comments

from the class Your thoughts, reactions, questions Anything said after a pause, takes a long time to

say, is hard to explain

Anything your teacher covers that is not in the book (or disagrees with)

Whether she concentrates on details or the big picture

If she refers to previously covered material Questions your teacher raises but does not

answer Anything in handouts

How Can I Paraphrase and Summarize This Information?

Use your own words Use few words Main ideas Important details Anything in pictures/colored ink

How Can I Organize This Information

Group and regroup Similarities and differences What items depend on each other How do they compare in terms of

orientation and expert questions

How Can I Picture This Information

Use techniques to emphasize relationships Be creative but not too creative Don’t use traditional outlines Don’t rely on book’s or teacher’s pictures---

CREATE YOUR OWN You can’t make everything visual…try

anyway

What’s My Hook for Remembering this Information?

Hooks (mnemonics) Pictures Patterns Rhymes Stories

Keys Understand it Create a “hook” Link it Don’t bite off more than you can chew Get emotionally involved Engage as many senses as possible Smell the roses Sleep on it Use it or lose it Quiz yourself periodically

How Does This Information Fit with What I Already Know?

Connect this information with something you already know

Condense your notes, handouts into a one page summary sheet

Test Rehearsal Size up the exam…what

Where are the questions from Is it cumulative Main ideas, themes, details?? Factual or analytical Choice of questions? What level of expertise is required Essay or multiple choice

How… Ask your teacher Review previous exams Ask someone who has already taken the

class Look at lecture notes Attend any review sessions Skim over anything your teacher has

written

Get overview Review previous exams Look at your original notes Answer expert and orientation questions Condense your summary sheet Reconstruct the summary sheet from

memory

Test Taking Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you get

stuck Take the questions at face value-do not try

to look for hidden meaning Read all choices on M.C. exams, don’t just

pick the first one you see that might be right.

Essay-1st Paragraph = most important 2nd Paragraph=2nd most important

On an essay exam…if your are REALLY stuck…replace the question with one you CAN answer…just don’t try this very often!!

NEVER, NEVER leave a question blank!

Tips To Help You Next Week

Put the question into your own words…this might jog your memory

If you get stuck…move on…your subconcious will continue to work on it while you work on other questions

Try to visualize where in the book (or in your notes) the info is

Write something-ANYTHING-other ideas may spring to mind

Think of a related question Examine the wording for clues… If you don’t know the exact answer, put

down an approximation If you don’t know what something IS, try

writing what it ISN’T If you run short on time…Write “SHORT

ON TIME” and answer in an outline

M.C. and T/F Look for words like all, not, always, some,

often few, never Do not read between the lines Read the ?-anticipate the answer-then find

it in the choices you have Use process of elimination Read every choice Skip it but come back if you do

Good Luck On Finals!!

Turn in your book before you leave today…

Bring your study guide/outline to the final!!