Study Skills
STUDY SKILLS:
-pay ATTENTION in class
-take GOOD notes
-keep an ORGANIZED notebook for each subject
-know the PURPOSE of each assignment
-ask questions IN class
-REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW...it can help you retain 80% of the information
-plan a DEFINITE time and place for studying each day
-study for awhile and take short breaks
-DON'T CRAM for hours the night before a test
-study a LITTLE EACH DAY!!
-Think Positive...Do Your Best
Test Taking Tips:
-read all DIRECTIONS carefully
-read all the QUESTIONS carefully
-be sure you KNOW what is being asked
-look at all your CHOICES before you answer
-ELIMINATE answers you know are wrong
-PARAPHRASE the questions
-THINK carefully
-CHECK your work
-Think Positive...Do Your Best
Note Taking Terms:
Key words - the most important written or spoken words in a sentence, paragraph, or text
Main idea - the central thought or idea of information that is written or spoken
Organization - putting things into clear order
Note Taking Tips:
1. Always keep paper and a pencil/pen handy
2. Before you take notes, think about what you want to learn and how you will use the information
3. Listen or read for key words. These words should answer the questions WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN, and HOW. They
should also give you the main idea of what you are reading
4. Notes should be short. They should have the fewest possible words and a lot of meaning
5. Do not worry about writing complete sentences or using punctuation correctly
6. Review your notes as needed - once a day for school notes is a good idea
Study Skills System:
M.U.R.D.E.R.
MOOD
Set a positive mood for yourself to study in.
Select the appropriate time, place, and attitude
UNDERSTAND
Mark any information you don't understand in a particular unit
Keep a focus on one unit or a manageable group of exercises
RECALL
After studying the unit, stop and put what you have learned into your own words
DIGEST
Go back to what you did not understand and reconsider the information
EXPAND
In this step, ask three kinds of questions concerning the studied material
1. If I could speak to the author, what questions would I ask or what criticism would I offer?
2. How could I apply this material to what I am interested in?
3. How could I make this information interesting and understandable to other students?
REVIEW
Go over the material you've covered
Review what strategies helped you understand and/or retain information in the past and apply these to
your current studies
SQ3R
SURVEY - gather the information necessary to focus and formulate goals
1. Read the title - help your mind prepare to receive the subject at hand
2. Read the introduction and /or summary -orient yourself to how this chapter fits the author's purposes, and
focus on the author's statement of most important points
3. Notice each boldface heading and subheading - organize your mind before you begin to read - build a structure
for the thoughts and details to come
4. Notice any graphics - charts, maps, diagrams, etc...are there to make a point - don't miss them
5. Notice reading aids - italics, bold face print, chapter objectives, and end-of-chapter questions are all included to
help you sort, comprehend, and remember
QUESTION - help your mind engage and concentrate
One section at a time, turn the boldface heading into as many questions as you think will be answered in that
section. The better the question, the better your comprehension is likely to be. You may always add further
questions as you proceed. When your mind is actively searching for answers to questions it becomes engaged in
learning.
READ - fill in the information around the mental structures you've been building
Read each section (one at a time) with your questions in mind. Look for the answers, and notice if you need to
make up some new questions.
RECITE - retrain your mind to concentrate and learn as it reads
After each section - stop, recall your questions, and see if you can answer them from memory. If not, look back
again (as often as necessary) but don't go on to the next section until you can recite.
REVIEW - refine your mental organization and begin building memory
Once you've finished the entire chapter using the preceding steps, go back over all the questions from all the
headings. See if you can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your memory, then continue.
Reading Comprehension Strategy:
REDW STRATEGY - for finding main ideas
READ
Read the entire paragraph to get an idea of what the paragraph is about. You may find it helpful to whisper the
words as you read or to form a picture in your mind of what you are reading. Once you have a general idea of
what the paragraph is about, go on the the next step.
EXAMINE
Examine each sentence in the paragraph to identify the important words that tell what the sentence is about.
Ignore the words that are not needed to tell what the sentence is about. If you are allowed to, draw a line through
the words to be ignored. For each sentence, write on a sheet of paper the words that tell what the sentence is
about.
DECIDE
Reread the words you wrote for each sentence in the paragraph. Decide which sentence contains the words you
wrote that best describe the main idea of the paragraph. These words are the main idea of the paragraph. The
sentence that contains these words is the topic sentence. The other words you wrote are the supporting details for
the main idea.
WRITE
Write the main idea for each paragraph in your notebook. This will provide you with a written record of the most
important ideas you learned. This written record will be helpful if you have to take a test that covers the reading
assignment.
-pay ATTENTION in class
-take GOOD notes
-keep an ORGANIZED notebook for each subject
-know the PURPOSE of each assignment
-ask questions IN class
-REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW...it can help you retain 80% of the information
-plan a DEFINITE time and place for studying each day
-study for awhile and take short breaks
-DON'T CRAM for hours the night before a test
-study a LITTLE EACH DAY!!
-Think Positive...Do Your Best
Test Taking Tips:
-read all DIRECTIONS carefully
-read all the QUESTIONS carefully
-be sure you KNOW what is being asked
-look at all your CHOICES before you answer
-ELIMINATE answers you know are wrong
-PARAPHRASE the questions
-THINK carefully
-CHECK your work
-Think Positive...Do Your Best
Note Taking Terms:
Key words - the most important written or spoken words in a sentence, paragraph, or text
Main idea - the central thought or idea of information that is written or spoken
Organization - putting things into clear order
Note Taking Tips:
1. Always keep paper and a pencil/pen handy
2. Before you take notes, think about what you want to learn and how you will use the information
3. Listen or read for key words. These words should answer the questions WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN, and HOW. They
should also give you the main idea of what you are reading
4. Notes should be short. They should have the fewest possible words and a lot of meaning
5. Do not worry about writing complete sentences or using punctuation correctly
6. Review your notes as needed - once a day for school notes is a good idea
Study Skills System:
M.U.R.D.E.R.
MOOD
Set a positive mood for yourself to study in.
Select the appropriate time, place, and attitude
UNDERSTAND
Mark any information you don't understand in a particular unit
Keep a focus on one unit or a manageable group of exercises
RECALL
After studying the unit, stop and put what you have learned into your own words
DIGEST
Go back to what you did not understand and reconsider the information
EXPAND
In this step, ask three kinds of questions concerning the studied material
1. If I could speak to the author, what questions would I ask or what criticism would I offer?
2. How could I apply this material to what I am interested in?
3. How could I make this information interesting and understandable to other students?
REVIEW
Go over the material you've covered
Review what strategies helped you understand and/or retain information in the past and apply these to
your current studies
SQ3R
SURVEY - gather the information necessary to focus and formulate goals
1. Read the title - help your mind prepare to receive the subject at hand
2. Read the introduction and /or summary -orient yourself to how this chapter fits the author's purposes, and
focus on the author's statement of most important points
3. Notice each boldface heading and subheading - organize your mind before you begin to read - build a structure
for the thoughts and details to come
4. Notice any graphics - charts, maps, diagrams, etc...are there to make a point - don't miss them
5. Notice reading aids - italics, bold face print, chapter objectives, and end-of-chapter questions are all included to
help you sort, comprehend, and remember
QUESTION - help your mind engage and concentrate
One section at a time, turn the boldface heading into as many questions as you think will be answered in that
section. The better the question, the better your comprehension is likely to be. You may always add further
questions as you proceed. When your mind is actively searching for answers to questions it becomes engaged in
learning.
READ - fill in the information around the mental structures you've been building
Read each section (one at a time) with your questions in mind. Look for the answers, and notice if you need to
make up some new questions.
RECITE - retrain your mind to concentrate and learn as it reads
After each section - stop, recall your questions, and see if you can answer them from memory. If not, look back
again (as often as necessary) but don't go on to the next section until you can recite.
REVIEW - refine your mental organization and begin building memory
Once you've finished the entire chapter using the preceding steps, go back over all the questions from all the
headings. See if you can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your memory, then continue.
Reading Comprehension Strategy:
REDW STRATEGY - for finding main ideas
READ
Read the entire paragraph to get an idea of what the paragraph is about. You may find it helpful to whisper the
words as you read or to form a picture in your mind of what you are reading. Once you have a general idea of
what the paragraph is about, go on the the next step.
EXAMINE
Examine each sentence in the paragraph to identify the important words that tell what the sentence is about.
Ignore the words that are not needed to tell what the sentence is about. If you are allowed to, draw a line through
the words to be ignored. For each sentence, write on a sheet of paper the words that tell what the sentence is
about.
DECIDE
Reread the words you wrote for each sentence in the paragraph. Decide which sentence contains the words you
wrote that best describe the main idea of the paragraph. These words are the main idea of the paragraph. The
sentence that contains these words is the topic sentence. The other words you wrote are the supporting details for
the main idea.
WRITE
Write the main idea for each paragraph in your notebook. This will provide you with a written record of the most
important ideas you learned. This written record will be helpful if you have to take a test that covers the reading
assignment.