REMINDERS

Don´t forget to look at the links. There is a good study skills and revision link that provides revision planners and advice. Also the BBC Schools site gives you lots of subject revision links (scroll down pass the poll questions, the links are underneath).

Also please have a go at the poll to the left.

Study advice from Year 11

General Advice:

Ask your teacher for help when you don´t know how to do something because she can explain it to you so you understand.

Keep your notes really neat so you can read over them in Year 11.

If you are behind in theory catch up in lunch

Go to bed before midnight

Go to bed early so that you can focus during lessons

(Loads of students commented on this issue, recommending getting lots of sleep).

Cut down on your social life a few weeks before the exam.

Make your own notes which you can glance back at before the day of your exams, to refresh your memory.

Make sure that notes are written down during lessons, as that lesson may never come again.

Keep sports and studying in balance.

Make sure that all your coursework, especially ICT, is handed in on time.

If you don’t complete the coursework by the deadlines then you miss your lunchtimes.

Organize your notes.

Take away major distractions such as World of Warcraft.

DO NOT Play WOW: it is one of thr most highly addictive games you can play.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle e.g. fitness.

Have a 5 minute break every 40 minutes.

Stay hydrated as dehydration causes lack of concentration.

Set units of time throughout your week ie. 1 unit = 30mins, so do 3 units each day spread out.

DO NOT let your social life take over your academic studies.

Do your best during lessons, listen to the teacher. That way when you revise you’ll realize you know the stuff and you can focus on things you don’t know.

Make a timetable.

Don’t be shy in class when asking questions.

If you have a laptop remove the internet connection before doing homework.

Make sure your activities after school aren’t too much and that you have time for your homework.

If you don’t understand something in the subject then make sure you go and ask the teachernto properly explain it to you, don’t leave it to the last minute.

Don’t take too many sick days off school or you will get really behind.

Make sure your coursework is to a high quality don’t be lazy with it. You can walk into your GCSE’s with up to 60% of your work done (100% if you do drama).

And worthy of repeating:

Take control of your computer addictions

And from one student…..

“Quit yo jibba-jabba during the class foo’” (in a Mr T voice)

Study advice from Year 11

Homework:

Don´t leave your homework and studying till the last minute.

Don´t start at 9pm.

Get your homework done as soon as possible

After you have done a lesson read through your notes at home.

Try to hand in work before the deadlines.

Do work on the day it is set.

Don’t watch TV when doing homework.

Try to not spend all your time on homework and leave some time for revision.

Don’t leave all your homework for the week end, otherwise you will not have much time for relaxing, which is important.

Study advice from Year 11

Revision:

Create a revision timetable

Have little 10 minute breaks every hour.

Make conclusions after each paragraph

Just LISTEN in class and think to yourself “do you understand it”

Use Cue cards for definitions and test yourself until you can remember the answers with ease.

Get off Facebook/MSN/ichat etc. (loads of students suggest this)-TURN YOUR COMPUTER OFF.

Get Sleep!

Read through your textbook.

Concentrate when you are reading, don´t be thinking about other things.

Make yourself a little revision test on each topic and test yourself.

Keep your books and notes fromYear 10.

Try and have an area where you do your revision which doesn’t have any things to distract you.

Always revise the stuff you don’t like first.

Don’t just copy notes from a book.

If you have an exam coming u split the subject into topics and learn each topic per night.

Revise how you want to: drawing pictures could help you to understand.

Create shortened versions of your information that you are studying, which includes all the main points.

Study advice from Year 11

Year 11 have listed their key study tips, mainly geared at Year 10 but much of what they have written is relevant to everyone. Hope some of the advice above helps.
Many comments have been listed regarding sleep, computer use and managing a "work/life " balance. To look into these issues I have added some polls on the left to see how big an issue each one is, please take the time to answer them.
Mrs Gardner

USA ELECTION 2008

Phew!!!

Well I am exhausted because I stayed up all night to watch the election results being called.
Barack Obama has won, by a huge margin.

I suggest that you click on the link to the BBC News website for more news and detailed analysis of what everyone is quoting to be an historic event. The electoral college system is explained and also details are given for the voting for the Senate and House of Representatives.

Obama will be inaugurated as President of the United States of America on January 20th 2009.

Thank you to all of Year 9 who prepared amazing posters. The display caused quite a buzz around campus. Students and Teachers all were talking about the implications and issues surrounding the election. Teachers from Year 2 up to Year 13 came up to me to tell me of the discussions they have had in classes with their students. Many people attempted to vote in our own mini-election but had problems, thank you for trying though and my apologies for the early closing of the voting. Of those that managed we had 28 votes in total: 4 for McCain and 24 for Obama.

The 2 winning posters are still displayed and 5 house points go to each group in charge of the posters.

I strongly recommend you watch the clips, available from BBC News, of Obama's winning speech and also McCain's concession speech. Both are examples of how to be magnanimous in victory and defeat. I suspect Obama´s speech will be remembered for a long time. It is 17 minutes long but do be patient and listen passed the thank you section as it has a resounding finish.

The important lesson to learn from this event in school is that every vote counts, every person counts and everyone should get involved with the issues both locally, nationally and globally that affect us all.

Once again THANK YOU YEAR 9!!!

Mrs Gardner

Watch the elections

Follow the election:

SKY NEWS: ELECTION 2008

VOTING TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VOTE TODAY

PLEASE NOTE: You can only vote from a terminal once so please vote from your home computers.

Due to a technical error 12 votes for Obama have been wiped from the total.
Sorry!
These votes will be taken into account when the voting finishes (Honest!).

HAPPY VOTING!!!

Mrs Gardner