Year 11 Revision pack. Contents

1. Team me 2. Working revision into your already busy life 3. Creating a revision timetable 4. Revision tips 5. Revision summary 6. How to stop stress 7. The ROSE rule 8. Memory cards 9. Useful websites 10. And don’t forget….

1. Team Me. Fill in the table below, consider how the following

people can help you in the build up to the exams. Team ME!!!! (The coolest team in town!). The following people can help you:

1) Mum—

2) Dad—

3) Grandparents—

4) Brother / sister–

5) Form tutor—

6) Subject teachers—

7)

8)

2. Think about the things you would rather do than revise, consider how long and how often you should be doing them. Add your own ideas.

Things You want to do apart from revise.

1) My space—OK in parts, but don’t get addicted!! It’ll still be there after the exams. Speak to people in the flesh!

2) MSN—Again, OK in parts, but keep it to a maximum of 1 hour a day.

3) Going out--Good to do, try to use it as a treat after revision, then you will enjoy it a lot more. It’s crap going out if at the back of your mind you know work is waiting when you get in.

4) Dinner—Very important!!! Use it as part of your breaks and chat to your family about anything other than school!! You could do it in front of the tele, to relax.

5)

6)

7) Make time for the following events that might get in your way. Long term events that will get in the way of revising/doing coursework. Make sure you know when these are coming up so you can work around them. Put them on to your calendar.

1) Christmas. 2) New Year. 3) Birthdays. 4) Holidays. 5) Parties. 6) Easter. 7) Business Trip to Disneyland. 8) History trip.

ADD OTHERS TO YOUR CALENDAR AS THEY TURN UP.

3. Now you have considered what you would like to do and what you have to do, build up a weekly plan that incorporates your revision and other events in your life. Try to make time for 1-2 hours of revision a day, which can be broken into half hour / hour slots. Fill in the following work timetable, taking into account where you can revise, how long you can revise for and who you can revise with.

Your suggested work timetable. Remember---- at first you must go through past notes to make revision packs for each subject. This will save you a lot of time in the future. Homework will start to become revision as you get nearer to the summer. Mondays. Tuesdays. Wednesdays. Thursdays. Fridays Saturdays. Sundays.

4. Revision Tips

a) Start well before the exam period, plan some time in between your social/family life.

b) First of all, find a good place to work. It must be quiet and uncluttered - even if it means camping out at the library or your gran's house a few nights a week.

c) Plan it carefully (who wants to tackle their worst subject on a Friday night?).

d) Revision should be broken up into small parts. Have loads of breaks.

e) Do divide your time into subjects. Be realistic - you know where your strengths and weaknesses are, so allot time accordingly. Don't plan to spend all night on one subject. An hour per subject is fine. Don't spend hours colouring it in or creating a computer artwork - you may need to update it after a week!

f) Spider/mind-mapping diagram good way of linking ideas and not simply thinking of one area only in relation to a particular question or an essay/report you have already written: allows ideas to flow and therefore be more confident about answering questions which are different from what you expected.

g) Choose different coloured pens (and paper) for each subject area.

h) Reduce a topic or exam question to keywords, write them on a card and then practice writing all you know about the keyword.

i) Write down any quotations/quotes/other important things to remember on a card, ask friends and family to test you. HOWEVER, do not spend valuable time learning them unless they are essential or, at least, useful.

j) A way of remembering information is to play back taped notes as you are relaxing in bed. Your mind is somewhere near what is called The Alpha State (between fully alert and asleep) - and it is your most receptive state of mind.

k) Break your revision down into smaller parts, making it easier to remember.

l) Revision Guides can be useful. Get a recommendation for your subject from your teacher. One per subject is plenty, though.

m) Don't just copy out your notes. Jot ideas onto postcards. Draw diagrams too - they're easier to remember in the heat of the exam.

n) Ask your teachers for some past papers to see what kind of questions you'll get.

o) Allow time to practice under exam conditions if you can. Ask your teacher how he or she would answer the questions.

p) Try drawing quick cartoons to help you remember key ideas... q) Read teachers' comments - follow the advice r) Catch up on lost work you may have missed when you were off.

5. Revision summary

The secret is planning Make a timetable - plan your revision Find more time - use any spare minutes Practise regularly - daily is better than once a week Plan for success - get an overview of the course Use your best work - play to your own strengths

Revision techniques Make a timetable! - plan your work in advance Manage your time - use regular work slots How to concentrate - avoid distractions Take short breaks - you can have fun too! Use your best time - revise at a time which suits you Feeling tired? - don't push yourself to the limit Use prompt cards - revision notes in your pocket! Create good conditions Get the conditions right! Work in the library - a perfect place to study Good lighting helps - give your eyes a treat Background noise - make it helpful Check progress - help to boost your confidence Get the right materials Making notes - revision should be active Other materials - use everything available Plug that gap! - catching up on lost work Past exams anyone? They're useful practice - learn from your mistakes Make it easy - start with a short exercise Try different ways - write rough drafts and plans Past exams can help you - overcome writer's block Self-help groups - work with your pals

Choosing revision topics Make your choices Read your homework - learn from what you've done Read teachers' comments - follow the advice Learn the main ideas - and the key terms Use past papers - know what's coming

6. How to stop stress

a. Get plenty of sleep Try to keep your sleep routine as regular as possible

b. Take a break This is really important, you should give yourself plenty of short breaks as you revise, this keeps you fresher for longer, so you will learn more.

c. Time for yourself Try to leave enough time in your revision for some fun. You will need to put your books down and do something you enjoy for a while if you want to stay in a good mood.

d. Be realistic Don't try to do too much work each day. If you overdo it you won't take in the facts you're revising.

e. Eat properly Make sure your diet includes plenty of fruit and veg. Drink juice or water, avoid too much tea or coffee.

f. Get some exercise It's a fantastic stress buster. Go running, skateboarding, play a sport, or just take a walk around the block. You will feel more relaxed. If you're not sleeping very well exercise can make a real difference.

g. Be positive Don't beat yourself up about things, instead be nice to yourself. Make a quick list of five things you've done that you are proud of. This will put you in a good mood and you will learn more.

7.The ROSE rule

There are lots of ways to deal with exam stress.

This simple rule covers the four things you will need during exam time: Revise and recap Organise time and work Sleep and rest Eat healthily

Revising

Revision needs to be active: reading through notes will not make them stick in your memory. Make light notes, to highlight key points and words and to go over each topic several times.

At the end of each topic, make a short list of the main points. These will be useful for last minute revision the night before each exam.

Use mind maps…..they really work.

Make quizzes.

Make bullet points.

TEACH the work to people in TEAM ME. This helps you learn. I am proof of this as I knew nothing about English grammar until I taught it in Japan. This made me learn it much more than just sitting down and reading it, which is really boring).

There are plenty of websites which offer revision games and activities as well as practice papers with mark schemes. Using a variety of techniques will help all the information to sink in. We’ve done these in form. Don’t forget Onion Street!!! SAM learning is really good as subjects are broken down into parts.

organised

Work out a revision timetable. (Try to follow my one)

Set yourself realistic targets. Trying to cram in too much creates stress and prevents learning.

On a calendar, mark exam dates and get a thick pen to cross off exam days when once they're over. Also put on dates when coursework is due and when there are things going on which stop you from being able to study. You can plan around these dates.

Sleep and rest

Get plenty of sleep and to take regular breaks while revising.

Your brain will work better if it's rested.

Trying to cram in last minute revision the night before an exam is generally a bad idea. It will make you panic and might even affect your performance the following day. It's much better to have a relaxing evening the night before each exam so you can do her best the following day.

Exercise, even a walk to the shops, will help you to concentrate when you get back to work. It can also help you to sleep better.

Eating

It's important to eat a healthy balanced diet all the time, but during exam times this is vital. Eating well will help you to focus and do your best. Don’t eat lots of sugary snacks, as these can actually stop you from concentrating. Exam stress can make some children lose their appetites. If this

happens to you, eat light meals or sandwiches, as you work better on a full stomach. It’s awful working when you’re hungry!!! We get annoyed and can’t concentrate (you’ve seen what I can be like when my blood sugar drops!!!)

8. Memory Cards. Break subjects down into sections.

For each topic, write up one set of index cards with the word on the front, and the definition on the back. Shuffle them and drill yourself. Take turns with a member of TEAM ME testing each other.

Categorise the words into sub-categories, then sub-sub-categories. For example, mechanisms breaks down into levers, linkages, rotary/linear motion, pulleys and gears. Linkages then break down as reverse motion, push/pull, bell crank and parallel motion.

Memorise the words whilst listening to a particular song or album. Then, when you need to remember the words, remembering the song might help you to recall them.

For each word, come up with a specific visual example. This will help you to see the differences between the terms, and help you to use the words correctly.

Drill one section of your word list every day, for no more than an hour.

Make a poster of your words, with illustrations and put in up in your bedroom, your bathroom, the kitchen, somewhere you will see it every day

9. Useful websites.

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ www.s-cool.co.uk/default.asp

www.buzzin.net/revision_tips/revtips.htm

www.samlearning.com/

www.revisioncentre.co.uk/

www.gcse.com

www.connexions-direct.com/exams

And don’t forget……..

Coursework Don’t leave it all to the last minute and get yourself stressed. When coursework is due you should get it out the way as quickly as possible. You could dedicate 2 or 3 days to one subject and nail it! Remember, the library is open until 5 every day.