This is the hardest part because we all like to
Particularly if it is something that isn’t much fun like revising.
Prepare yourself to revise by:
1.Creating a tidy space to revise where there are no distractions
2.Having all the resources you need.
3.Deciding WHEN you will do it.
1. A place in the house or the library where people are not likely to distract you.
2.A quiet place away from your mobile phone or computer…reading a text or just checking facebook can waste more time than you think.
3.No telly. Most people revise best with no music either.
In Biology you should have:
1. All of your Learning Outcomes in your jotter
2. Textbook (you can sign one out)
3. Homework (online)
4. BBC bitesize (online)
5. Pens, pencils, calculator and paper
6. Past Papers (online or in a book)
Revising isn’t HARD but it is TIME
CONSUMING . The key is to make the time and plan your revision so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Most people can only focus on one thing for a maximum of 20 minutes at a time.
This doesn’t mean that you can only revise for 20 minutes at a time it just means you need to
CHANGE what you are doing every 20 minutes.
Take a break every hour for about 10 minutes.
It can help to build rewards into your study time. Eg. Revise for an hour (3x 20 min sessions of different things) then phone a friend for 10 minutes. Just make sure your 10 minute break doesn’t turn into a 2 hour break!
Planning your Life during revision time
During revision time it is essential that you accept that for this short period of time revision has to be the most important thing.
You can’t revise all the time so you need to build in the other things you need (or want) to do into your timetable.
Cut right back on things like TV, socialising, internet (if not for study), video games.
Keep some time for sport and socialising (and those things above if it makes you happy!). Plan this time into your timetable.
Copy and complete this table to plan out your revision timetable.
Date Times I can revise What I will revise
Thurs 4-5 7-10 Chemistry 3 x 20
Maths 3 x 20
Geog 3 x 20
Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
Once you know how long you have to revise you can structure your revision.
In Biology you need to learn and practice questions from the following topics:
Topic 1 – The Biosphere
Topic 2 – Investigating Cells
Topic 3 – The World of Plants
Topic 4 – Animal Survival
Topic 5 – The Body in Action
Topic 6 – Inheritance
Topic 7 - Biotechnology
You will have very specific learning outcomes for each topic. You need to KNOW ALL OF THIS!
Traffic light them yourself then use some of the following methods to learn the ones you don’t know .
1. Flash cards (question on one side answer on the other)
2. Mind map including just the ones you don’t know
3. Make a powerpoint to illustrate the things you don’t know.
4. Make a quiz for someone else and get them to make one for you.
5. Get someone at home to quiz you again and again until you know them all.
Something you just can’t remember?
Make a poster
(or post-its) of the thing you need to remember.
Put it up in a place where you can look at it regularly – like the back of the bathroom door or in the kitchen.
Mneumonics
M onkeys E at P ink B ananas
M y V ery E ducated M other J ust
S erved U s N othing
Do you learn by writing things out? Try this….
1. Get someone to quiz you on your learning outcomes and traffic light them.
2. On a new piece of paper write out the ones you didn’t get green.
3. Get quizzed and traffic lighted again.
4. On another new sheet write out the ones you didn’t get green.
5. Repeat until there are only a few.
6. Move onto the next topic.
7. Repeat then add the few you are still working on to your first topic list.
8. By the end you will have just one sheet for the 6 topics of work.
This is just the information you need to work on. Carry it around, look at it, get people to quiz you.
If you don’t understand some of the learning outcomes you need to:
1. Use resources to help you. These can be textbooks or online tutorials (there are loads out there)
2.See your teacher and get them to explain it to you again (the day before your exam isn’t ideal – this is why starting to revise early is so important)
If you already know something you don’t need to revise it!
OK, you know all your LOs now it’s time to try some questions!
You have lots of places to get these from and you can do questions specific to the topic you have just studied.
Find questions:
1. In your textbook
2. Homework – try these again!
3. BBC bitesize
4. Google “Standard Grade Biology” and you will find lots of resources.
Easter revision is not a substitute for your revision
– it should compliment what you are already doing!
Come armed with questions that you need help with!
Past papers are IDEAL for revision .
Try past paper questions once you have completed your revision of LOs and tried some other questions.
The papers themselves can be downloaded for free from the SQA website.
It is essential that you mark your questions using the marking scheme. You will learn how the answers should be worded to get a mark.
Looking at the answer and saying “yeah, that’s what I meant” isn’t good enough. Even if you do know the answer you might not get a mark on the actual exam for it.
If you haven’t looked at this already then it is your best ever final exam preparation tool.
On Sunday May 20 th or Monday May 21 st take the time to sit the 2012 paper under exam conditions . Give yourself the same resources and time you would have in the real exam.
Mark the paper carefully using the SQA marking scheme .
This will give you a very good indication of how you will do on the final exam. If you do well it will give you confidence. If you still have gaps in your learning you will still have a few days to learn from your mistakes.
And finally….
rd