I want to make sure we’re all on the same page regarding study guides.
We do a lot of work in our science notebooks. We have all the vocabulary, lab results, notes and other resources packed into that little composition notebook.
Except under rare circumstances, I don’t allow you to take your science notebooks out of the classroom. (Let’s face it - many middle-schoolers are not great at hanging on to things and our science notebooks are extremely important.)
Because you can’t take your science notebook home, and that’s where all your notes are, I create study guides before any quiz or test.
I usually give you one class to complete the study guide.
This is where it’s critical that you use your time wisely. Forty-five minutes is plenty of time to complete a ten-question study guide, but I often see scholars who are chatting with friends, goofing around or doing other things instead of completing the study guide. This is not their best use of time.
Now, we come to the most important part of the whole study-guide process. You need to bring the study guide home and….(you won’t believe what’s next)….STUDY.
Completing the study guide and leaving it behind in class, or in your locker, or never taking it out of your homework folder at home is not very helpful. The whole point is to get ready for the assessment.
The final step is to turn-in the study guide before the assessment. This year, I’ve been adding up to ten points to the assessment score if the student completes and turns in the study guide.
As it turns out, the students who scored the lowest on the most recent quiz, did not turn in a completed study guide. I believe there is a simple cause-and-effect thing going on here:
Do the study guide + studying = a better quiz score.
Don’t do the study guide + not studying = a poor quiz score.
Folks, this is not rocket science or brain surgery. Do your work. Study for assessments. Turn-in your completed work. If you can master these simple steps, perhaps one day you will be doing rocket science or brain surgery.
