Upcoming 2009 Evening Guidance Series Events

November 11, 2009: NCAA-Becoming a College Athlete – Topics include the NCAA’s regulations, deadlines, and required paperwork.

December 9, 2009: Looking Beyond: Career Planning for Underclassmen - Topics include how to prepare for the SAT/ACT, exploring careers and colleges, and the PSSA exams.

January 13, 2010: Financial Aid Night – Topics include the FAFSA form, federal deadlines and guidelines, scholarships, grants, and student loans. Note: Begins at 6:30 PM.

February 10, 2010: Understanding High Stakes Testing: Topics will include test interpretation, methods of dealing with test anxiety, and strategies for increasing scores on the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and PSSA.

April 14, 2010: Making The Transition: Dealing With a Change Breakout sessions will be held for students moving 8th to 9th grade, 9th to 10th grade, and for students moving onto college/work. Topics will include high school transcripts, course selection, and strategies for success at NH and beyond.

Skills for Academic Success

Objectives:

• To educate students and parents regarding methods which can lead to continued academic success

• To educate students and parents regarding methods of dealing with academic stress and test anxiety

Opening Activity: The Benefits of Education

Students often ask adults:

“Why do I have to go to school?”

Please spend a moment brainstorming with your parents/guardian regarding why it is important

to attend school, especially high school.

Benefits of an Education

What type of reasons did you come up with?• To pursue a valued goal? (helping people, curing

diseases, teaching young people)• Because you love the topic (books, medicine, etc)?• To afford the things you want in life?• To avoid unemployment?• To be a contributing member of society?

Benefits of Education

These are all great reasons. While money isn’t everything, you may be interested in these figures:

Note: These are 2008 numbers. Our economy has suffered greatly in 2009 so they may be even worse!

Step 1: Know Yourself

Let’s take several minutes to examine about what type of student you really are. Please speak quietly with your

parent/guardian and complete the handout entitled: “ What Kind of Student Are You?”

What Your Score Means…

20-15: You are a very good student. This session will mostly be a review for your, but it could raise your grades even further.

14-10: You are student who could be getting better grades. If you follow these suggestions, you will be able to improve your grades significantly.

9-5: You are probably not getting good grades. We want to help you tonight to change that. It could even change how you feel about school.

4-0: We are glad you are here. Memorize what we are saying!

Step 2: Believe in Yourself

In order for you to succeed, you have to believe in

yourself and your abilities. Listen to this story as it will help to illustrate this idea.

Step 2: Believe in Yourself

Whether you are an athlete preparing for a competition or a student tackling a difficult subject, it’s important you

believe in yourself. Recognize the talents and abilities your possess.

Then decide to know and believe you will succeed.

Step 3: Be Organized

If you are organized, then you have what you need when you need it. Here are several ways in which to get organized:

• Use an assignment book.• Use three-ring notebooks for class notes• Use folders for schoolwork and keep

things in chronological order• Keep your locker and backpack neat.• Get organized before you go to bed.• Color code your notebooks and folders

for easy organization.

Step 4: Manage Your Time Well

With good time management, you make time for the things you have to do. You will then have time for the things that you want to do.

• Use class time and study halls• Create your own study plan (See Handout 2).• Prepare for sabotage.

Step Five: Practicing Success

in the Classroom

These tips may not only help you to get better grades, but you may even enjoy school more!

• Be in school, on time, every day.• Learn how to adapt to different teachers.• Be prepared for each class.• Sit in the front if you are easily distracted.• Be aware of your body language and non-verbal behavior.• Advocate for yourself if you feel you are confused.

Step Five: Be Successful in the Classroom

(Continued)

• Always do you homework. There is a point to it!

• Participate in class.• Be a good group member.• Treat others with courtesy

and respect.• Involve your parents.

Step 6: Take Good Notes

Tests usually cover materials that have been presented in class. It is therefore important to have good notes from which to study.

• Be an active listener.• Take notes to help you pay attention. • Recognize important information.• Review your notes as soon as possible.• Get copies of class notes, turn in

assignments, and make up assignments if you have been absent.

Taking Notes IN CLASS

1. Don’t try to write everything down. Listen for key words

2. Listen for clues such as “the 4 causes were” or “to sum it up.”

3. If your class discusses the topic, note any major conclusions.

4. If your teacher emphasizes a point by writing it on the board or repeating it, put it in your notes.

Taking Notes from BOOKS

1. Get the “big picture” first. Glance through chapter headings and subheadings

2. Read summary paragraphs at the end of each section or chapter to get a general idea.

3. Then read the entire chapter looking for the key points of each paragraph.

4. Taking notes on the chapter including questions that arise as you read the chapter and highlighting key points.

Step Seven: Study Smart

Students who “study smart” find they spend less time studying and yet the get better grades.

• Find a good quiet place to study with no distractions.• Get started! Don’t put it off!• Know your learning style. (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic)• Organize your study time:

– Make a plan– Prioritize (Least favorite subject first!)– Break large projects down– Alternate types of assignments– Know when to take breaks

Step Seven: Studying Smart

• Know what the test will cover.• Pay attention the day before a

test.• Know the answers to review

questions at the end of chapters.• Write down names, dates, or

formulas on an index cards and take it around with your during the day of test. Review when you can.

Studying Smart: Get Psyched!

• After every study session, tell yourself you are going to pass this exam. Offer yourself rewards for studying.

• Give yourself something to look forward to after studying and after the exam, so you can feel as if you have accomplished something. Often the time you spend doing this is just as important as the studying itself.

• Schedule your study sessions before pleasant times of the day, like mealtimes or a favorite activity or tv program.

• Have a set time schedule for studying so that you can tell yourself, "just one more hour," and there seems to be an end to the studying sessions.

Studying Smart: Get Psyched!

• Study during times of high energy. If you are a morning person, study early. If you are an evening person, study in the evening.

• When studying, have a snack on hand. Keeping your blood sugar high can help you stay alert and concentrate.

• Plan something special after your exam. Make sure you give yourself a higher reward for actually finishing the exam than you did for studying.

• Don't worry about the outcome of the exam after you take it, there's nothing you can do about it now. If you did the best you could, you have nothing to worry about!

Step Eight: Use Test-Taking Strategies

In order to do well on a test, you must study hard and be prepared.

• Read the directions carefully. • Budget your test taking time.• Change positions to help you relax.• If you go blank, skip the question and go on .• If you're taking an essay test and you go blank on the whole

test, pick a question and start writing. It may trigger the answer in your mind.

• Don't panic when students start handing in their papers. There's no reward for being the first done first.

Step Eight: Test Taking Strategies

• Relax! Don't think about the fear; think about the next step and keep on task, step by step

• Use positive reinforcement for yourself: Acknowledge that you have done, and are doing, your best

• Expect some anxiety. It's a reminder that you want to do your best and can provide energy just keep it manageable

• Realize that anxiety can be a "habit" and that it takes practice to use it as a tool to succeed

• You are in control. Take slow, deep breaths.

After the test…

• List what worked, and hold onto these strategies. It does not matter how small the items are: They are building blocks to success.

• List what did not work for improvement.• Celebrate that you are on the road to overcoming this

obstacle.

Stress is the condition that results when person-environment transactions lead the individual to perceive a discrepancy, between the demands of a situation and the resources of the person. In medical terms, stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli.

Step Nine: Learn to Reduce Your Stress

Is Stress Bad?

• NO! In fact it is general stress that helps motivate us to succeed. Take for example that football or hockey game you saw last weekend. If the players did not feel somewhat anxious about the outcome of the game, they may not have worked to their full potential.

• Stress only becomes our enemy when it becomes an end in itself. When the focus of our energy turns to anxiety rather than the task at hand, it becomes detrimental to your efforts.

Stress: How to Handle It

• The key to reducing stress is to prevent it. Getting enough sleep, a proper diet, avoiding excess caffeine and other stimulants and taking time out to relax. Different approaches can achieve the same results.

• Stress is an unavoidable consequence of life. There are some stresses that you can't avoid and others that you can prevent or influence. Devote your time and talent to areas where you can make a difference.

• You may have heard this common invocation: "Grant me the courage to change the things I can change, the serenity to accept the things I can't change, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Strategies to Deal with Success

1. Try deep breaths or even breathing techniques.2. Give exercise, meditation, or Yoga a try!3. Soothing things: Classical music, warm baths, etc.4. Simplifying life. Identify burdens you can lay down.5. Learn to put you first and say no.6. Eat healthy, getting plenty of rest and exercise.7. Avoiding unhealthy habits.8. Share your feelings, even if it is with a diary.

Test Taking Anxiety

• It is normal to feel nervous about an exam. In fact, it is beneficial to be moderately stressed right before the exam. It can heighten your awareness and sharpen your reflexes, allowing you to perform more quickly. It can even help you recall information you may not have otherwise remembered.

• However, if your level of stress rises too high, it can result in insomnia, loss of appetite, and sometimes even hair loss! This can obviously affect your performance on the exam.

Step Ten: Get Help When You Need It!

When you have a problem, do something to resolve it.• Congrats! Coming here was a great decision!• See your teachers or go to morning tutoring on Monday’s

through Thursdays from 7:20- 8:00:– English Tutoring: B239 and C251– Math Tutoring: B137– Social Studies Tutoring: B223– Reading Tutoring: B323– Physics Tutoring: B327– Biology Tutoring: C333– Chemistry: Library (M, W, and F)

Tips for Parents

• Be interested. Your attendance here is awesome!• Set goals and discuss expectations. Be clear about

what you expect.• Be available to help.• Encourage involvement in activities, but monitor

effect upon grades.• Work with the school.

Final Thoughts

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

The whole world steps aside for the person who know where he is going. Anonymous

You are never a loser until you quit trying. Mike Ditka

Thank you for attending!

November 11, 2009: NCAA-Becoming a College Athlete – Topics include the NCAA’s regulations, deadlines, and required paperwork.

December 9, 2009: Looking Beyond: Career Planning for Underclassmen - Topics include how to prepare for the SAT/ACT, exploring careers and colleges, and the PSSA exams.

January 13, 2010: Financial Aid Night – Topics include the FAFSA form, federal deadlines and guidelines, scholarships, grants, and student loans. Note: Begins at 6:30 PM.

February 10, 2010: Understanding High Stakes Testing: Topics will include test interpretation, methods of dealing with test anxiety, and strategies for increasing scores on the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and PSSA.

April 14, 2010: Making The Transition: Dealing With a Change Breakout sessions will be held for students moving 8th to 9th grade, 9th to 10th grade, and for students moving onto college/work. Topics will include high school transcripts, course selection, and strategies for success at NH and beyond.