Homework / Study Tips: February 2012

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Colored Index Cards

I love inexpensive school supplies that are versatile and effective. Colored index cards are a great example of a low-cost item that can really enhance learning. They're especially great for visual learners.

The colors are important because they can add another dimension to the learning experience. For example, when you study new foreign language vocabulary, you can make categorized flashcards by putting nouns on blue cards, verbs on green cards, and adjectives on yellow cards.

See how the colors can serve as a ready-made mnemonic device? The color may prompt you to recall information about the vocabulary word and give you the extra advantage at test time.

I've put together a list of 5 ways to use colored index cards. Please let me know if you can think of other ways to use them!

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Causal Essay Topics

A causal essay is much like a cause and effect essay, but there is a subtle difference in the minds of some instructors.

The causal essay might address more complex topics, while the cause and effect essay may address smaller or more straightforward topics. Your goal in a causal essay assignment is simple: you must come up with a list of events or factors (causes) that bring about a certain outcome (effect).

You must make a clear connection between each cause and the ultimate effect.

The most common problem students face in writing the causal essay is running out of "causes" to talk about! Be certain to sketch out an outline before you begin writing the first draft of your outline.

Your essay should include a strong introduction, good transition statements, and a well-crafted conclusion.

You can use a topic from this list, or use the list as inspiration for your own idea.

What conditions and events led to the Great Depression?
What prompts a change in fashion trends?
Why do some people fear darkness?
How did some dinosaurs leave footprints?
What causes criminal behavior?
What causes people to rebel against authority?
What conditions lead to a powerful hurricane?
What developments led to regional accents in the United States?
Why do good students become truant?
What causes war?
What factors can lead to birth defects?
How are insurance rates determined?
What factors can lead to obesity?
What can cause evolution to occur?
Why does unemployment rise?
Why do some people develop multiple personalities?
How does the structure of the earth change?
What factors can cause bulimia nervosa?
What makes a marriage fail?
What developments and conditions led to the Declaration of Independence?
What led to the decline of the automobile industry?
What factors led to the decline of the Roman Empire?
How did the Grand Canyon form?
Why did slavery replace indentured servitude in the American colonies?
How has popular music been affected by technology?
How has racial tolerance changed over time?
What led to the Dot Com bubble burst?
What causes the stock market to fall?
How does scarring occur?
How does soap work?
What causes a surge in nationalism?
Why do some bridges collapse?
Why was Abraham Lincoln assassinated?
How did we get the various versions of the Bible?
What factors led to unionization?
How does a tsunami form?
What events and factors led to women's suffrage?
Why did electric cars fail initially?
How do animals become extinct?
Why are some tornadoes more destructive than others?
What factors led to the end of feudalism?
What led to the "Martian Panic" in the 1930s?
How did medicine change in the nineteenth century?
How does gene therapy work?
What factors can lead to famine?
What factors led to the rise of democratic governments in the 18th century?
How did baseball become a national pastime in the United States?
What was the impact of Jim Crow laws on black citizens in the United States?
What factors led to the growth of imperialism?
Why did the Salem Witch Trials take place?
How did Adolf Hitler come to power?
What can cause damage to your credit?
How did the conservationism start?
How did World War I start?
How do germs spread and cause illness?
How do we lose weight?
How does road salt prevent accidents?
What makes some tires grip better than others?
What makes a computer run slowly?
How does a car work?
How has the news industry changed over time?
What created Beatlemania?
How did organized crime develop?
What caused the obesity epidemic?
How did grammar rules develop in the English language?
Where do political parties come from?
How did the Civil Rights movement begin?

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Learning Style Quiz Results

The Results Are In!You can use these results to help you identify the best ways for you to study effectively. Be sure to find more ways to evaluate your own personality and learning style. It will pay off!

It's a tie!

You do not have one specific dominant learning style. This is a good thing! You can learn by reading, hearing, and experiencing new things. In a class you probably like to experience a variety of teaching methods; for instance, you enjoy learning by listening to lectures, watching videos, or taking part in labs and role playing games. You might get bored if the teacher uses only one method in the classroom. You enjoy reading but you're also active. You may have a large collection of music or something else that interests you. Your interests are broad.

Fill in the Blank

Of all the test questions types, fill-in questions may be the most feared. But this type of question doesn't have to give you an immediate brain drain. There is an effective strategy for preparing for this type of test question.

In most cases, the best tool for test preparation is great class notes. When you take good notes from your teacher's lecture, you usually have about 85% of the material you'll need to prepare right on hand. Most teachers create tests straight from their lecture notes.

When preparing for a fill-in test, your class notes are even more important than ever. If you have been able to record your teacher's notes word for word, you may have some fill-in phrases for the test right in front of you already.

So what do you do with this knowledge? Follow these steps:

Read over your class notes and underline new terms, important dates, noteworthy phrases, and the names of key people.
Put parentheses around the sentence that contains your key word or phrase.
Copy each sentence onto a clean sheet of paper, leaving out the key word or phrase.
Leave a blank space where they key word or phrase should go.
At the bottom of the paper containing your sentence, make a list of the key words and phrases.
Read over your sentences and attempt to fill in the blanks with correct answers in very light pencil. Consult your notes when necessary.
Erase your work and continue this process until you can answer all your fill-in questions with ease.
For insurance, read through the relevant chapters in your text to find any words or phrases you didn't find in your notes.
Go through the same process of copying sentences and filling in the answers until they all come easily.
The great thing about this method is that it actually prepares you for all types of questions. You'll find that this method makes it easy to answer most any essay question, as well as the fill-ins.

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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Using Microsoft Word

It may be necessary to stop your text in the middle of a page and start fresh on a new page. This happens when you end one chapter and begin another, for instance.

To do this, you will create a page break.

Select INSERT, BREAK
Select PAGE BREAK, OKAY

The cursor will jump to the next page. To insert page numbers in your paper:

Select INSERT, PAGE NUMBERS
A box will appear to offer choices as to placement. Select your choice (top of page or bottom, etc.).

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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Writing a Film Review

Instructors like to get creative in the classroom sometimes to avoid falling into the doldrums and getting stuck into a routine. Like anybody else, students need some variety in order to stay alert. This is why you see a mix of assignments and projects.

Once in a while you might be asked to watch a feature film or a documentary in class and then write a film review. The structure of this type of assignment should be a little different from ordinary essay assignments, since you'll need to comment on artistic components as well as explaining how the material is relevant to the subject you're studying.

I've put together a list of tips for writing a film review. Now, maybe you can suggest a good film for your history class!

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Books for College Prep

College-bound students are often looking for the best books to read in preparation. It's wise to read as many classics as possible, but few students are able to read all the recommended books. This list offers a few of the most interesting college must-reads.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain

Animal Farm, George Orwell

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Figzgerald

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Lord of the Flies, William Golding

Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert

Moby Dick, Herman Melville

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, Frederick Douglas

Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens

Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James.

The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane

The Root Cellar, Janet Lunn

The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut

The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemmingway

Tender Is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Tess of the D'Ubervilles, by Thomas Hardy.

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle.

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Friday, February 10, 2012

Write a Letter to the Editor

Are you concerned about global climate change? Excited about the upcoming election? Angry at the paparazzi for stalking your favorite celebrity?

One way to involve yourself in a community of readers is to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine. You can voice your opinion and gain great writing experience for college at the same time!

It's easy to get started on your letter. First, find a topic that really matters to you. Then select a newspaper or magazine that addresses your topic. Read the instructions for writing to the editor and then get started on your first draft. Once your first letter is published, you'll be hooked!

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How to "Wow" Your Audience

It's that time of the school year when instructors turn the podium over to the students for classroom presentations. Class presentations and speeches are a little intimidating, but they are great experience for students. You'll be expected to speak in front of an audience many times in the future, as a college student or as a supervisor in the working world, so you can use this practice to prepare for a successful future.

One of the most exciting presentations tools I've seen is called Prezi. This is a cloud-based tool (online) that you can access and use for free. It's easy to put together a professional-looking slide show with this online software, and the result will be a fabulous show that will look much more impressive than the PowerPoint shows we're all so familiar with.

The shows feature a "zooming" effect along a path that is made of your own slides. If that's confusing, you can gain a better understanding by looking at a few sample presentations.

As fabulous as your presentation looks, you have to make sure you are prepared for the delivery. Make sure you have considered everything that can go wrong with the room and the technology before you get started.

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