Student Worksheet
STUDY SKILLS FOR SPANISH CLASSES
2009-2010
· Learn a new topic daily.
· Review one topic weekly.
· Repeated periodically throughout the school year.
In the space provided, record the date and description of 2 strategies in each category as are put to use in Spanish:
Basic Rules of Effective Study for Foreign Language
1. Date
Description
2. Date
Description
Reading Effectively in a Foreign Language
1. Date
Description
2. Date
Description
Listening Skills for Foreign Languages
1. Date
Description
2. Date
Description
Note-taking in the Foreign Language Classroom
1. Date
Description
2. Date
Description
Time Management for Foreign Language Study
1. Date
Description
2. Date
Description
Oral Practice while using a Foreign Language
1. Date
Description
2. Date
Description
Organization & Study Habits for a Foreign Language Class
1. Date
Description
2. Date
Description
Test Anxiety and Effective Study Strategies for Foreign Language
1. Date
Description
2. Date
Description
Basic Rules of Effective Study for learning Spanish
- Be present for every class meeting.
- Makeup all work (class work & homework) that you missed (whether or not you get credit for it)
- Get help the 1st time something is not understood.
- Use study hall time effectively.
- Write down homework in a specific assignment book.
- Check for materials before leaving school & before commencing study.
- Have tools (handouts, texts, workbooks, paper, writing implements) at hand before you start studying.
- Break study time into 20 minute segments (set timer if necessary).
Small chunks of material many times are better than 1 long study session.
- Sit away from distractions.
- Work carefully and often.
It takes 21 times or more before something becomes a habit.
- Be creative--use as many of the senses as possible (listen, look, write, move, touch, and, in some instances, taste & smell).
- Study out loud.
- Repeat many times (“9 x 9”).
Repeat everything 9 times. Do something else for 9 minutes.
Go through forms/information 9 times. Repeat pattern over &
over until done 9 times.
- Listen to what one is saying.
- Make use of peer learning groups.
- Use each day’s available hours wisely. [Untitled Handout on scheduling]
Reading Effectively in a Foreign Language
- Highlight new or unknown words.
- Identify:
- key words at beginning & end of sentences
- phrases or sequences of thought
- word groups (link by using “arch” technique)
- Comprehend the passage.
- Read the comprehension questions first.
- Read the passage itself.
- Review the passage for specific answers to the questions.
- Write down, mark, or highlight where the answers are found.
- Write out answers in full complete sentences using the wording from the questions (e.g., Q—On what day did B & C meet?
A—B & C met on Tuesday.)
- Re-read passage a 2nd (or even a 3rd) time if it is not understood the first time through.
- Understand passage 1st, then translate.
- Read for basic understanding of how the sentence works &/or what it means.
- Then (only if necessary) translate to find out what the grammar tells about the sentence.
- Use aids:
- SQ4R (also known as SQ3R)—Survey, Question, Read, [Record,] Recite, & Review
- Write out a summary of the passage
- Explain the passage’s content
- Visualize the information through drawings, charts, graphics
- Look for lists, italicized/boldfaced words/headings, ideas emphasized in class
- Make own notes (study sheets) as assignment is worked on.
- Write notes in margin.
Listening Skills for Foreign Languages
LISTENING in class * [Listening Skills Handout]
- Look at the speaker.
- Concentrate on what is being said.
- Answer the question “What did the teacher just say?”
- Tune in to the speaker’s pattern.
- Identify sounds specific to the target language (e.g., in Latin--“v” sounds like “w,” in French—é sounds like English’s long “a”).
- Be aware of key words, lists, categories, contradictions, guiding words (such as 1st, 2nd, etc.).
LISTENING practice outside of class
- Use media resources which the teacher has identified as good (e.g., in Spanish-- Univision/Telemundo, in German—Deutsche Welle).
- Record self reading passage or saying vocabulary aloud with the best accent possible. Then play it back.
- Locate target language conversations, soundfiles, videos on the Internet or at library.
- Read aloud assignments or written target language compositions.
- Participate in conversational groups with classmates & others learning the target language.
Note-taking in the Foreign Language Classroom
- Use composition book/spiral notebook/section of binder just for note-taking.
- Write down what the teacher
o writes on board.
o emphasizes more than once.
o says “This is important.”
- Select a format to follow:
- outline
- Cornell notes
- bulleted items
- summary statements
- Pay attention * [Note-taking Handout] and [Note-taking Acrostic Handout]
- Use abbreviations.
- Clarify confusing/unclear points with instructor before leaving the lecture.
- Read notes after lecture and rewrite as necessary.
Time Management for Foreign Language Study
- Plan a daily time and place.
- Follow a routine.
- Have necessary materials in one location.
- Pace long-term progress (weekly/monthly).
- Make use of “planning calendars.” * [Calendar Handout]
- Log and chart projects. * [Keeping Track]
- Develop “to do” list/task plan. (Check off as completed.) *
- Plan short-term progress (nightly)
- Prioritize:
- 1st
- foreign language-related
- closest due date
- most difficult
- 2nd
- shortest
- longest
- most repetitious
- last
- Identify material & time to be spent on each.
- unknown—spend most time on this material
- needing review
- well-known
- Eliminate & turn off distractions.
Oral Practice while using a Foreign Language
- Recite words &/or phrases out loud to self (in shower, in carpool, before bed, to parents/sibling).
- Speak to friends, classmates, parents, siblings.
- Start out small with specific target language words interjected into conversations. (e.g., for Spanish, “I decided to wear un sombrero today.”
un sombrero is Spanish word for “hat.”
- Build to phrases slowly.
- Attempt whole sentences.
- Study out loud.
- Repeat flashcard vocabulary words orally as you flip the cards.
- Practice conversations found in text.
- Change voice to resemble conversationalists’ genders.
- Change intonation/inflection to reflect punctuation—e.g., raise voice at end of questions).
- Converse with teacher before, during, or after class or in hallway, study hall, etc.
- Read aloud a written composition, homework, or reading passage.
- Practice. Practice. Practice.
Organization & Study Habits for a Foreign Language Class
- Make flashcards for vocabulary.* [Colored Vocab Cards Handout]
- Use lower case letters. This gives “form/shape” to words and helps with spelling.
- Include specialized information pertinent to the word (e.g., in Latin—
preposition dē “is followed by a noun in the ablative case”).
- Color code vocabulary by card or ink.
- Blue = masculine
- Pink =feminine
- Yellow = neuter
- Study vocabulary in 10-15 minute increments.
- Write out new vocabulary with definitions in the target language.
- Design flashcards for any terms that need to be studied.
- Develop verb sheets with principal parts/tense stems. * [Verb Sheet]
- Use teacher-identified websites for drills (e.g., www.conjuguemos.com for Spanish verbs)
- Use color-coded paper for grammar.
- Consult TeacherWeb for assignments.
- Practice Total Physical Response (TPR) and SQR3 techniques.
- Prepare for class before leaving locker. Use checklist for text, workbook, notebook/binder/composition book, clean paper, pen/pencil.
- Divide notebook/binder into sections by Chapter/Quiz & Tests, by teacher-mandated layout, or according to 4 step method. * [Notebook Organization Handout]
- Place teacher handouts in specific areas of notebook/binder after hole-punching. Do NOT fold and randomly place in text.
- Read your assignment pad before study hall, before going home, before starting home study.
- Use a set pattern for translating. * [Translation Skills Handout (for Latin provided as an example.)]
Test Anxiety and Effective Study Strategies for Foreign Language
BEFORE the TEST
- Plan study approach. * [Task & Time Handout (can be adapted for test study)]
- Identify types of possible test question formats.
- Review a little each day.
- Complete all class & homework assignments on time.
- Practice “9 x 9.”
Repeat everything 9 times. Do something else for 9 minutes.
Go through forms/information 9 times. Repeat pattern over &
over until done 9 times.
- Use mnemonic devices to memorize facts (e.g., “’i’ before ‘e,’ except after ‘c’ ” or “SQR3 = Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review”).
- Create speeches, presentation, jingles, analogies, or even stories that incorporate material.
- Move around while reciting information.
- Develop lists, summaries, flashcards (grammar, formulas, terms) for test items.
- Form pictures, charts, or other graphics to display information.
- Have a study buddy to review with.
- Be part of a study group.
- Prepare proper test-taking materials.
DURING the TEST
- Write name and class on test.
- Read all directions for the entire test.
- Look at types of questions being used (e.g., True/False, Essay, Fill-in, etc.)
- Re-read directions at the start of each section.
- Answer the known items 1st.
- Return to other items.
- Circle or underline “cue” words or words that indicate points to be covered in answer (e.g., Name 4 foods found in a typical French dinner.)
- Have proper attitude:
- relax
- stretch
- breathe slowly
- be in positive state of mind
- Write out PVI Honor Code word-for-word.
AFTER the TEST
- See instructor for help on weak areas.
