Some Challenge A Tips
Tips about Geography-
Geography can be overwhelming at times, during this year. But it is possible to
overcome it, by organizing your time, using your resources, and spending time
studying. It’s VITAL you spend an hour (or more) studying Geography each school work day of the week.
There are three main things you must accomplish each week-
Draw and label 4 maps (unless directed otherwise) - A tip for drawing and memorizing maps, the first day (or
maybe on the second too, if you need it), after being introduced to new continent,
draw and label the maps LOOKING at another map. But then, on the third and
fourth day try to draw (and label) it from memory the best that you can. AFTER
your done drawing it, compare it to your other drawing from previous days, and
fix any errors. This has helped me a TON, when it comes to memorizing how to draw
and label the maps. But if something else helps you, post a comment saying what
it is, so we can hear your tips too!
Memorize Countries, Capitals, and Features- This is an important task, but also a difficult
task, if you ask me. There are many ways to do this, so I’ll list a few of the
things I did to memorize countries, capitals, and features-
·
Studied them on the
app on my IPod (Called Flashcards+, it's agood app, I recommend getting it if you
have an IPod/IPhone)
·
Studied them on
Quizlet on the computer (Link- Quizlet)
·
Had my Mom quiz me
on them
·
Learned them when I
was labeling
So there are my ideas! On to the
next thing………..
Memorize the scary GEOGRAPHY TERMS!!!- (ha ha) They do seem scary at first, but after you
learn them it’s fun to review and play games with them. WARNING-to learn geo
terms it takes a lot of repetition and reviewing. Ways to study and overcome
(the scary and monstrous) Geo Terms-
1. Write the term and definition
of each new term 5 (or 10) times each.
2. Have someone, (sister,
brother, mom, dad, grandpa, etc.) say the term and you say the definition. Or
have them say the definition and you say the term, but it’s really better if
you do it the other way.
3. Quiz yourself on them-I made
this sheet that I use to quiz myself on geo terms, you could make it on a blank
piece of paper, using a pencil, or on the computer. I made it on paper. Here’s
an example of what I did-
Terms go here- Definitions go here-Altitude Leave this spot blank so you can write the answer
Using this you can quiz yourself
on the terms.
4. Study them on Flashcards+
5. Go on Quizlet and play
scatter and beat everyone’s score! (It’s fun to do this one!J)
So those are some ways to study
Geo Terms, hope you’re not scared of them!
Tips about Latin- Latin is one of my favorite subjects! But, like Geography, when it comes to memorizing this mass of information it's overwhelming. But, hopefully these tips will help.
Tips about Vocabulary, Declensions, and Grammer- Learning Latin vocabulary, declensions, and grammer is essential, of course because to know Latin you must know the basics. And to know the basics, it takes repitition. You'll be repeating many things in this year of Challenge A. The Latin guide is pretty straight-forward when it comes to telling you what to do. (Say vocabulary aloud 3 times, write them 3 times, make vocabulary and grammer cards, recite the declension 3 times, commit to memory) But, if what they say to do isn't enough for you to memorize the vocab and declensions, do more!
-Say your vocab 5 times (or however many times more), instead of 3
-Write them however many times more.
-Go over your flashcards (that's what they are meant for!)
-Go on Quizlet! (This is a SUPER fun way to review! We have a group on Quizlet called Challenge A Owasso CC, and we have almost all the Challenge A flashcards on there- Link- http://quizlet.com/group/174743/)
-Do the Daily Fun Drill! Doing the Daily Fun Drill (you can find it on the bottom of the Latin study guide pages) is really helpful when it comes to memorizing everything. It gives you a way to review everything consistently. I did get tired of doing it, but it made me memorize what I needed to!
- Quiz yourself on them (like I said in Geography)
I think I made it clear to do whatever you can to memorize what's required. But I admit, it takes a lot of work, so be ready for it!
Tips about Exercices- While doing Latin exercises, something that helped me was to ask myself questions about the word I was translating. For example, if I was translating the sentence-
Nautae orant. These are some questions I would ask about the word Nautae.
What declension is it in? Then I would find the answer- 1st decl. (Or the same decl. as the model noun terra)
Is it singular or plural? Then I go through it's declension-
Singular
Nauta
Nautae
Nautae
Nautam
Nauta
Plural
Nautae
Nautarum
Nautis
Nautas
Nautis
Answer- It could be singular or plural, according to what we know right now.
Moving on to orant-
Orant is a verb so it doesn't have a declension.
Is it singular or plural? Answer- Plural.
What is it's english translation?- They pray.
So now we know, because the verb is plural, that the subject is plural. Therefore, Nautae is plural. (Because the verb agrees with it's subject in both person and number) So, we only have one more question to ask before we can piece together this puzzle.
What is the English translation of Nautae? Answer- Sailors
Now we can piece it together, and the translation is- The sailors pray.
Later on in the year, when you're translating more complex sentences, it might make it easier to diagram your sentence before translating. Also you might ask yourself-
What adjectives modify what nouns?
What prepositions modify what nouns?
(Basically, what modifies what?)
Asking questions and working through the translation step-by-step helped me, I hope it helps you too.
I think that's all for Latin, but tell me if I missed anything.
Tips about Rhetoric- Rhetoric isn't a subject that requires much memorizing, all you have to memorize is the catechism questions. It does, however, require more reading and studying. Sometimes, I got so consumed with my other subjects that I didn't pay as much attetion to my Rhetoric. Here's some tips referring to the part of Rhetoric where you read It Couldn't Just Happen.
Some Tips about Reading It Couldn't Just Happen and Writing Your Opinion/Summary- Swallow it in bite size chunks. Reading and writing about 3 sections a day is a great way to break the chapter down into "bite size chunks." When you read AND write about ALL the sections of the WHOLE chapter in ONE day, it gets tiring. But, taking baby steps helps.
P.S. At the end of each chapter, there is a Just For Fun page. Doing the things on this page is fun, but you don't have to do them, unless your mom or dad says. But they are fun to do, just to let you know.
Tips about Don't Check Your Brains at the Door- Reading Don't Check Your Brains at the Door is pretty easy, you just read the required chapters. But at the end of each chapter there is Brain Food that you have to do also. I got tired of writing all the Brain Food answers, so I went on the computer and went onto biblegateway.com and looked up all the Bible verses on there and copied and pasted the Bible verses along with the answers and my opinions onto a Microsoft Word page, then after I was done for the week, I printed it out and took it to class. This was the easiest for me, but if you like writing stuff down better, just do whatever helps you the most.
Tips on Science-
What you do in science changes in the middle of the year, so I'll give tips for the first and second half seperately.
Tips for the First Half- In the first part of the year you'll be doing research papers. My only tips are to get good resources and to do good research. The library is a great place to go, because it has reliable resources, and getting books also makes it easier to write down your bibliography, because all the things you need are in the book, you don't have to search for them like you would on the internet. I'm not saying you can't use the internet, but when you do, just make sure the website is reliable. When researching, I found it helpful to take notes. For example, while looking through a book, if I found an important fact or something that I wanted to put in my paper, I wrote down the title of the book, and put the page number that it was on under it. Or when looking at a website, I would write down the web adress. Later, when I started writing my paper, I'd have my notes, to make it easier to find the certain page or website, if I needed to look at it again. This is important! Because, one time, when I was writing my bibliography, I was trying to go back to the website I was on, and I couldn't find it! So I had to leave it off my bibliography. That's all for this part.
Tips for the Second Half- For the second part of the year, you'll be memorizing how to draw and label parts of the human body. For example, the ear, the brain, and the skeleton, to name a few. This part is mainly just repeating the information over and over in your head, until it sticks. It's almost like Geography in a way, because you have to memorize how to draw and label it. Quizlet isn't as helpful for this, unless you are researching about the different parts, because they have the defintion of each thing that you have to label. I can't think of any other tips, except to repeat drawing and labeling it over and over. :)
Tips on Literature and Writing-
Here are some great websites for looking up Bible verses- http://www.openbible.info/topics/
www.biblegateway.com
Tips about Math-
If you have tips on this subject, post a comment, and I'll post it on here!
More tips on other subjects are coming soon!
Tips about Vocabulary, Declensions, and Grammer- Learning Latin vocabulary, declensions, and grammer is essential, of course because to know Latin you must know the basics. And to know the basics, it takes repitition. You'll be repeating many things in this year of Challenge A. The Latin guide is pretty straight-forward when it comes to telling you what to do. (Say vocabulary aloud 3 times, write them 3 times, make vocabulary and grammer cards, recite the declension 3 times, commit to memory) But, if what they say to do isn't enough for you to memorize the vocab and declensions, do more!
-Say your vocab 5 times (or however many times more), instead of 3
-Write them however many times more.
-Go over your flashcards (that's what they are meant for!)
-Go on Quizlet! (This is a SUPER fun way to review! We have a group on Quizlet called Challenge A Owasso CC, and we have almost all the Challenge A flashcards on there- Link- http://quizlet.com/group/174743/)
-Do the Daily Fun Drill! Doing the Daily Fun Drill (you can find it on the bottom of the Latin study guide pages) is really helpful when it comes to memorizing everything. It gives you a way to review everything consistently. I did get tired of doing it, but it made me memorize what I needed to!
- Quiz yourself on them (like I said in Geography)
I think I made it clear to do whatever you can to memorize what's required. But I admit, it takes a lot of work, so be ready for it!
Tips about Exercices- While doing Latin exercises, something that helped me was to ask myself questions about the word I was translating. For example, if I was translating the sentence-
Nautae orant. These are some questions I would ask about the word Nautae.
What declension is it in? Then I would find the answer- 1st decl. (Or the same decl. as the model noun terra)
Is it singular or plural? Then I go through it's declension-
Singular
Nauta
Nautae
Nautae
Nautam
Nauta
Plural
Nautae
Nautarum
Nautis
Nautas
Nautis
Answer- It could be singular or plural, according to what we know right now.
Moving on to orant-
Orant is a verb so it doesn't have a declension.
Is it singular or plural? Answer- Plural.
What is it's english translation?- They pray.
So now we know, because the verb is plural, that the subject is plural. Therefore, Nautae is plural. (Because the verb agrees with it's subject in both person and number) So, we only have one more question to ask before we can piece together this puzzle.
What is the English translation of Nautae? Answer- Sailors
Now we can piece it together, and the translation is- The sailors pray.
Later on in the year, when you're translating more complex sentences, it might make it easier to diagram your sentence before translating. Also you might ask yourself-
What adjectives modify what nouns?
What prepositions modify what nouns?
(Basically, what modifies what?)
Asking questions and working through the translation step-by-step helped me, I hope it helps you too.
I think that's all for Latin, but tell me if I missed anything.
Tips about Rhetoric- Rhetoric isn't a subject that requires much memorizing, all you have to memorize is the catechism questions. It does, however, require more reading and studying. Sometimes, I got so consumed with my other subjects that I didn't pay as much attetion to my Rhetoric. Here's some tips referring to the part of Rhetoric where you read It Couldn't Just Happen.
Some Tips about Reading It Couldn't Just Happen and Writing Your Opinion/Summary- Swallow it in bite size chunks. Reading and writing about 3 sections a day is a great way to break the chapter down into "bite size chunks." When you read AND write about ALL the sections of the WHOLE chapter in ONE day, it gets tiring. But, taking baby steps helps.
P.S. At the end of each chapter, there is a Just For Fun page. Doing the things on this page is fun, but you don't have to do them, unless your mom or dad says. But they are fun to do, just to let you know.
Tips about Don't Check Your Brains at the Door- Reading Don't Check Your Brains at the Door is pretty easy, you just read the required chapters. But at the end of each chapter there is Brain Food that you have to do also. I got tired of writing all the Brain Food answers, so I went on the computer and went onto biblegateway.com and looked up all the Bible verses on there and copied and pasted the Bible verses along with the answers and my opinions onto a Microsoft Word page, then after I was done for the week, I printed it out and took it to class. This was the easiest for me, but if you like writing stuff down better, just do whatever helps you the most.
Tips on Science-
What you do in science changes in the middle of the year, so I'll give tips for the first and second half seperately.
Tips for the First Half- In the first part of the year you'll be doing research papers. My only tips are to get good resources and to do good research. The library is a great place to go, because it has reliable resources, and getting books also makes it easier to write down your bibliography, because all the things you need are in the book, you don't have to search for them like you would on the internet. I'm not saying you can't use the internet, but when you do, just make sure the website is reliable. When researching, I found it helpful to take notes. For example, while looking through a book, if I found an important fact or something that I wanted to put in my paper, I wrote down the title of the book, and put the page number that it was on under it. Or when looking at a website, I would write down the web adress. Later, when I started writing my paper, I'd have my notes, to make it easier to find the certain page or website, if I needed to look at it again. This is important! Because, one time, when I was writing my bibliography, I was trying to go back to the website I was on, and I couldn't find it! So I had to leave it off my bibliography. That's all for this part.
Tips for the Second Half- For the second part of the year, you'll be memorizing how to draw and label parts of the human body. For example, the ear, the brain, and the skeleton, to name a few. This part is mainly just repeating the information over and over in your head, until it sticks. It's almost like Geography in a way, because you have to memorize how to draw and label it. Quizlet isn't as helpful for this, unless you are researching about the different parts, because they have the defintion of each thing that you have to label. I can't think of any other tips, except to repeat drawing and labeling it over and over. :)
Tips on Literature and Writing-
Here are some great websites for looking up Bible verses- http://www.openbible.info/topics/
www.biblegateway.com
Tips about Math-
If you have tips on this subject, post a comment, and I'll post it on here!
Hey Hannah! I think I have a tip. :D Start memorizing things at the beginning of the year. Like our teacher said, the work snowballs during the year! :D
ReplyDeleteYes, starting strong with memorizing is a great tip, but make sure you stick with it throughout the year also. :)
DeleteTotally! It may be hard work but it will all be worth it! :D :D :D
DeleteAlso, I have to say that this is a REALLY cool blog! :D I really like it!!! :D
ReplyDeleteJust to let everyone know, on Quizlet there's a group called Challenge A Owasso CC. It has lot of cool things to study! Hope you all join it! :D
ReplyDeleteA Tip for Latin! DO NOT DESPAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) I'm serious! This is my 4th year of it, and it's actually SUPER fun! (ONCE you learn it, that is!) Vocab is so vital, but also, please master your charts! I know it sounds like you just keep getting the same advice all the time, but there's a reason for that! :) Just don't let it "snowball" on you. It get's really, really, REALLY (!) fun! Good luck! ~Alanna Bloomingdale
ReplyDeleteAnother tip for geography is, practice using graph paper.
ReplyDeleteThat is a super great idea, Grace! Thank you for that!!!!!!! ~Alanna
Delete