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Test-Taking Tips
Keep a positive attitude. Plan to do well. Have confidence in your ability. Look forward to showing how much you know.
· Skim the test to see what kinds of questions are asked. Read each set of directions carefully to be sure you understand how you are expected to answer.
· Take a minute to plan how you will answer the questions. Answer all the questions you know first. Then go back to the more difficult ones. If any questions are worth more than others, try to get to these early, too.
· When answering essay questions start by analyzing the question to see what is being asked. Next do a simple outline of your answer. This will help you organize your thoughts and save you time in the end. Begin writing your answer with a statement of the main idea. As you write, stick to the topic and follow your outline. If you don't know the whole answer, write only about what you do know. Adding length to try to cover for lack of knowledge does not usually work. More does not mean better. The highest-scoring essays are the best-organized and best-written, not the longest. When you've finished, proofread your essay carefully.
· When answering true/false questions, watch for certain key words, such as always, every, and only, that can help you choose the right answer. Never leave a true/false question blank, even if you don't know the answer. There's a 50 percent chance you'll guess correctly.
· When tackling multiple choice questions, read the question first, cover up the answers, try to think of the answer, and then uncover the answers to see if your answer or something close to it is there. If not, narrow down the choices by eliminating answers you know are incorrect.
· Review your answers at the end of the test if you have time. Sometimes one question on a test gives information that can help you answer another you may have skipped.
After the test
When a test is over, praise your child for how she did, especially if she prepared for the test and tried her hardest. This is more important than the grade. When she gets the corrected test back, encourage your child to look at her mistakes and try to understand what she did wrong. Encourage her to talk about the test with her classmates and the teacher. Those mistakes offer a valuable opportunity for learning, and a review will help your child prepare for future tests.
Writing Papers, Projects, and Reports
Throughout middle school and high school your child will be expected to write papers, projects, and reports. For many students, this is a daunting task. But the more practice your child has writing and working on reports, the easier the task becomes.
Narrowing the topic
All good research begins with finding a focus. This makes the whole project easier. Encourage your child to use these tips:
· Narrow your topic. The topic energy sources, for example, is probably too broad. You might do better to choose one kind of energy source, such as nuclear power. To get ideas for a narrower choice, read an article or encyclopedia entry about your topic.
· Make a list of key words and subtopics that you will want to find out more about. For example, you might want to look up words such as uranium, nuclear reactor, radiation, or such subtopics as nuclear waste and nuclear power plants.
· Make a list of key points about the subject from your initial reading, or questions that you would like to answer in the paper. Then begin to decide how you might organize the information. Some sample questions about nuclear power might include:
· What is it?
· What is it used for?
· Why did we decide to use it?
· How does it work?
· What are some benefits?
· What are some problems?
The largest crossword puzzle ever contained 82,951 squares. It had 12,489 clues across, and 13,125 down. It was created by Robert Turcot, from Quebec
Teachers open the door... You enter by yourself.
Chinese Proverb
