Student Ninja Study Skills
Ninja
Study
Skills
Overview
Best Practices
Students: Want to read more quickly? Want to remember what you’ve read? Want to study like James Madison (pictured above) then go about having a life (unlike James Madison)? We’ve got tips and tricks for that (um…. not the life part). We’ve curated articles and resources on reading efficiently, growth mindset, multitasking (err.. not), and the best ways to learn and study.
Teachers: Do you have an extra 15 minutes at the end of your class? Consider giving students one of the following articles, videos, or activities. If you have more time, you could put each assignment in a station and let students move between them. Another option is to give different students different articles and let them explain what they’ve read to each other, either in small groups or as a class.
Here at the Anti-Textbook, we want students to hone their reading skills. We want them to read the news and history, discuss and grapple with those things, and become informed citizens and knowledgeable voters. But for now, how about some light reading to build practical skills?
Active Learning
Activities
Remember What You Read
Having trouble remembering what you read?
Even though it sounds gross, "chunking" is the act of dividing a reading into smaller parts (by paragraph, page, or heading, for example) and then jotting down a short note putting each section into your own words (or better yet, draw a picture?).
Click George Washington's head (above) to learn more about "Chunking" at Facing History and Ourselves. Practice chunking on any of the recommended readings below and compare results within groups or as a class.
1A
Class Bonding
How do you get to know your class without any lame name games?
Discussing your commonalities just might bring your class (or a partnership or group) closer together.
Here are some example questions to get the discussion started: "Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you're going to say?" "What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?"
Click Benjamin Franklin's head (above) to link to a New York Times article with questions guaranteed to bring scholarly love (or at least understanding) to your classroom.
1B
Reading Assignments
(news, primary Sources, and textbook sections)
Read Faster
Want to read faster?
Do you need to read every word of your lengthy history reading assignment?
Probably not. You’re welcome. But wait... there's more.
Click John Adams head (above) to link to a Mental Floss article called "7 Tips for How to Read Faster (and Still Understand What You Read)".
1C
Take Notes
Article/Podcast/Video
Should you take Notes? Yes!
But how should you take notes?
Click Franklin Roosevelt's head (above) to link to "Note-taking: A Research Roundup" from educator and podcaster Jennifer Gonzalez at The Cult of Pedagogy
1D
Don't Multitask
Think you can do your homework just as well while texting, eating a snack, and listening to music?
You might want to rethink that.
Click on Thomas Jefferson's head (above) to link to "Here's Why You Shouldn't Multitask, According to an MIT Neuroscientist" from Southern Living.
1E
Study for the Test
Do you have a lot of studying to do?
Click on the head of one of our most studious presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, (above) to link to "7 Memory Skills That Will Make you Smarter,"
an article about getting information to stick in your head from Business Insider.
1F
Any Perfectionists in the House?
Think perfectionism makes you better
at what you do?
Not necessarily.
Click on Alexander Hamilton's head (above) or the following link to read about "How Perfectionists Can Get Out of Their Own Way"
from Harvard Business Review.
1G
Games
Factitious
Game
Can you pick which news articles are fake and which are real?
Play Factitious the game by clicking the beautiful face of Abraham Lincoln (above)
Hint: Be sure to check sources!
1H
Build Your Own Review Games
Build a review game to share with your class. Choose froms:
Chakalaka (a game like Candy Crush), Jeopardy, Matching, and many more.
You 'll have to sign up for an account first (make sure not to install anything). Just click JFK's face (above), or click on the following link: Wisc-Online OER.
1I
Build Your Own Crossword Puzzle
Build a crossword puzzle to share with your class at The Teacher's Corner. You type in the questions and terms, and let it do the rest. You can even download, save, and change your crossword puzzles.
Click Dwight D. Eisenhower's face (above) to get started.
1J
Videos and Clips
Growth Mindset Video (9 min)
Can you improve or are there some things that you’re just not good at? Of course you can improve but only if you have the right mindset. Carol Dweck, renowned Stanford Psychologist, describes how.Link: Mindsets Worksheet
1I
Grit Video (6 min)
What’s the best predictor of success?
Hint: It’s not IQ.
Angela Lee Duckworth, University of Pennsylvania Psychologist, pinpoints the characteristic that will make you most likely to succeed at anything.
1J
Questions, Discussions,
and Conversations
- What is the purpose of education? To get a job? To become a well-rounded person? To cultivate a passion? To learn how to learn and think? To please your mom?
- Why do we study history?
- Do you need to read every word in the assigned reading? If not, which words do you read? Can you read without saying the words to yourself in your head?
- How do you remember what you’ve read? Should you highlight or annotate? If so, how often? Should you close your eyes and try to remember what you’ve just read? Should you explain the reading to your dog, sister, dad?
- Can we be free of bias on a given issue?
Our Favorite Student Projects
Please send your favorite student projects to [email protected] so that we may feature them here.
Images
