How to Get Good Grades
How to Get Good Grades in Ten Easy Steps
adapted from 2003 Edition by Linda O’Brien, Woodburn Press
(Oriented towards middle and high school students)
CLICK here to get full PDF download – complete lists for every category.
1. Believe In Yourself. If you want to succeed, you have to believe that you can.
2. Be Organized. This means:
- keeping and maintaining an assignment book,
- use three ring binders for class notes (with reinforcements)
- Use folders for schoolwork
- Keep numbers for classmates at home and in your assignment book, in case you have any questions or don;t understand an assignment.
- Keep your locker and backpack neat. This means you’ll be aboe to find what you need, when you need it!
- Get organized for the next day before you go to bed- pack up books, library books, homework, etc.
3. Manage Your Time Well.
4. Be Successful in the classroom. This means:
- Get to school, on time, every day.
- Learn how to adapt to different teachers. Each teacher has their own standards- for some, neatness is a must, and you should always take extra care to meet their expectations.
- Be prepared for class every day. This means having done any assigned reading the night before, be ready to take notes, and have any homework or assignments done and ready to turn in at the beginning of class.
- Take care of yourself. This means get enough sleep, eat breakfast, and exercise.
- Sit near the front of class, if you can. This makes it easier to pay attention and stay involved.
- Be aware of your body language. If you look like you are slumped in the chair, head on your hand- you look bored and not interested in the class. The teacher will make judgments and assumptions about you based on your non-verbal statements, as well as what you say aloud in class.
- Always do your homework. Sometimes it may seem silly and pointless, but often there is a larger purpose, even if it’s just teaching you time management skills. This also means you should always do every extra credit assiognment- it helps you improve, and shows the teacher you want to go beyond the minimum in your work.
- Participate in class. teachers want to know you are paying attention, and that you are an active learner. This means raising your hand and trying to answer questions. Even if you get a question wrong, it’s an opportunity to learn.
- Be a good group member. When you work in groups, you are learning to get along with others and listen to their ideas as well as yours. This will be important when you work with others as an adult, so it’s important to learn to work well in groups now, in school.
- Treat others with courtesy and respect. You want others to treat you well, and you need to treat them that way, even if you don;t like them very much, or think they are contributing. Be polite, look at others when they are talking, and try not to interrupt. be aware of your tone of voice and how you might sound to others. Say something positive to someone, like “you look nice today” or “I hope you’re feeling better” if they have been absent for a few days. Thank yous to friends and teachers are always nice.
- Involve your parents. Most of the time, Mom & Dad want to know what’s going on in school, and are happy to help you study. They’ve been through school, and may have a bunch of great study tips for you, or may help you by quizzing you on facts before a test. Every little bit helps, and parents love it when you ask them to help you- (but please wait until they are off the phone, not in the middle of cooking dinner, and aren’t in the rest room.)
5. Take good notes. Tests usually cover material presented in class, and your notes can be a very useful study guide before tests. Taking good notes can help you pay attention and choose out the important things your teacher says- every time a teacher speaks louder, pauses, gives you a list of steps, items, things, writes something on the board- those are all important things they are emphasizing and you should write all of those things down. (A secret here- writing things down also help them become “encoded” in your memory- the more times you hear, write and say information, the more likely you are to remember it when you need it.)
- take notes that are easy for you to read- use an outline format.
- spread out is better than too scrunched up and illegible.
- Write on every other line, and only use one side of the paper- you may want to add things later, or higlight information.
- Use a pencil or erasable pen, so you can change any mistakes later
- try to keep notes neat- this will help you when you study.
- Leave a margin on each side of the page in acse you need to add things later on
- Go over your notes as soon as possible , making additions and corrections. Some people, especially successful students in college, sometimes completely rewrite their notes, to keep them better organized and prepared as a study guide for later on.
- Get copy of another student’s notes if you are absent- choose one of the “smart” kids in class- you’ll get better notes from them.
6. Know how to read your textbook. You can scan, read and then review the material. A quick scan will give you the gist of what you are going to read; Reading will provide details, and the review will help you remember the information you just read.
7. Study Smart. This means different things to different people, but includes:
- Finding a good place to study. This is usually a quiet place, with a tabel or desk. We can tell you from experience that music, TV and video games in the background tend to distract you, rather than helping you study effectively. (Studies on memory show us that we have two loops in our brain- one for language and auditory information, and the other for physical information. Reading to yourself stiil uses your auditory loop, so reading and listening to music tend to interfere with each other, and you can’t process as much information.)
- Don’t put it off. Just start, and you can get it over with sooner!
- Know how you learn best. Some kids learn best by making flash cards. Others can study notes, others need to practice sample questions or sample tests- know what things work best for you, and try a new method, in addition to your old ways, from time to time, to see if it helps. Some people who are visual learners use diagrams to connect facts, or make timelines to help them keep things staright; other people repeat information over and over to themselves- know what works best for you. See the strategies section of this website for other ideas.
- Organize your study time
- Know how to study for tests.
- Use tricks and strategies to memorize information when you need to.
- Know how to write a paper- including introductions, body, conclusions, topic sentences for paragraphs- a good paper has a format and a structure, just like a scaffold- if you follow this pattern, you’re sure to do well.
- Learn tricks when making a presentation or speech, including using props, looking at the audience and treat them like your best friend.
- Learn how to use the word processor on the computer- it produces neat work, has spell check, and can make wriing papers MUCH easier.
8. Use test-taking strategies.
9. Reduce Test Anxiety
10. Get help when you need it.