Back To School Tips and Advice

Social Studies

Hi guys! This chapter is all about tips and hacks for the classroom! I'll be doing a series of chapters to help out with basic classes like English, Social Studies (AKA Humanities), Maths, and Sciences. There will also be a few surprise chapters that have to do with add/drop classes, like art, music, and workshop related things. 

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Something that I learned a long time ago was that even if you don't enjoy something it will always give you something valuable. If you absolutely hate learning about American History you will still learn things that make you more knowledgeable. Anyways, there are a few things that I always do during my history classes, here they are: 

Tip One: ANNOTATION. 

Annotating things are a constant for me. I'm always adding small notes and vocabulary in for myself to remember later. 

It helps a lot because you can add small things in that your teacher says, or ideas you have about something so incase you do forget it, it's there when you need it. 

If you're worried about how to annotate, or if you want some more pointers, look at the website below: 

https://www.waterford.org/resources/strategies-for-teaching-students-how-to-annotate/

Tip Two: MOVIES AND T.V. 

I hated sitting down and reading books and annotating everything. I felt like it just wasn't enough for me to fully understand something. So, when I got older, I realized   that sometimes you could skip reading and watch some T.V. things get better.

I'm not saying don't do you homework, I'm saying find a savvy way to get it done! If you're learning about Lincoln, watch Lincoln directed by M. Night Shyamalan. If you're learning about the history of the original American Colonies, watch John Adams directed by Tom Hooper. Find a way to relax and learn at the same time. 

What I do while I movie watch is I take a little bit of notes. Over things that may seem insignificant, just to make sure. 

Tip Three: STUDYING

I hate studying, and fortunately I don't usually have to. I have an ideal memory, and it's quick to grab things, but I find that if I feel particularly unsure about a test, or a quiz I throw together a Quizlet. I find that Quizlet is the fixer of all. 

It offers a few different ways to test your knowledge, and it really helps because the games don't feel like you're studying. 

Studying is important too because it helps your brain actually retain what you learned. (And that's really important because in college it'll come back to haunt you)!

 Tip Four: READING AND DRAWING. 

So, when you read sometimes you skim through stuff and it just doesn't stick all the way.  So, what I do with particularly irritating or hard concepts is to draw them. 

If doesn't have to anything good by any means whatsoever. You can scribble a stick figure and give it a scene, and you'll already understand something better. 

Finding a way to show that you understand something is a great way to show how well you understand something. 

Another thing you can do, is to write a short paragraph about what you learned: but target towards someone else like you're trying to teach them about what you just learned. 

Tip Five: STUDY GROUPS

I've never done a study group. I know that it's a great option, because I've sat in the Dunkin donuts while someone else was holding them. It was really cool because they all had snacks and coffee and were asking each other questions about things they needed to know. 

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Okay, sorry, that's all for today. I wrote this today during my last block study hall and I literally scribbled it out. Thank you all for reading! It means a lot! 

Don't forget to vote or comment! 

~Makayla