Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 26, 1994 TAG: 9411090003
SECTION: NEWSFUN PAGE: NF1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NANCY GLEINER STAFF WRITE|
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
I hate you, you stink
I wish I could wash you away
In the sink.
If only a bomb would explode you to bits
Homework, oh, homework
You're giving me fits
- from ``Homework, Oh, Homework'' by Jack Prelutsky\ It's true - there aren't many kids who like to do homework. It's also true that it's not going to disappear. So, just like having to eat the food you hate because it's good for you, you have to do your homework.
Here's a recipe of ideas from Dr. Carolyn Goodspeed of Goodspeed Learning Consultants in Roanoke for doing it better - and maybe in less time.
INGREDIENTS:
Assignment notebook to keep with you in the same place and to write homework in daily;
A quiet place with a comfortable seat, good lighting and plenty of room for papers, books and supplies;
A scheduled time every day (just as soccer practice and music lessons are scheduled) for homework;
A calendar to use as a master schedule for assignments due, practices, parties, favorite TV programs, etc.
Order of subjects (which to do first, second ...);
Review of the day's class notes.
Take your assignment pad, your books and supplies to your quiet place at the time you've scheduled (make it before dinner, if possible). Fill in the master calendar with test and quiz dates and project due dates.
Decide what to do first. Sometimes it's better to study for tests when you're fresher or to do harder subjects first.
Mix in rewards - a short break, a snack, a phone call to a friend - but set a time limit (not more than 15-20 minutes).
After the day's assignments are done, add in a review of what you did in class that day and review for tests starting about five days before the test date. The night before the test, you'll just have to review the material, not learn it.
We learn a lot by repetition. Reviewing information soon after you learn it helps you to remember it better, sort of like having a rubber stamp printing it on your brain. The more often you review, the better you remember it.
Make study aids (see recipe below).
Relax. Your homework's done - and done well.
RECIPES FOR STUDY AIDS:
First decide how you learn. Check to see if you learn better by hearing or by seeing. If you think about this for a few minutes, you'll probably know. Or ask your parents to help you.
If you learn better by seeing, write down ideas and notes when you're studying. Flashcards are very helpful for every subject. Have someone dictate spelling words to you. Create pictures in your mind of what you're trying to learn.
For example, if you're studying for a geography map test, picture the places on the globe as you study.
If you learn better by hearing, say the words as you write them down. When you're studying for a test, such as spelling, sing the letters or record the words and their spellings onto a tape and play it back, writing it down as you repeat them.
Make up songs or rhymes. If you're learning the lines on the musical staff (E, G, B, D, F) and ``every good boy does fine'' doesn't seem to help, making up your own words usually works better. Sometimes it helps if it's something silly, such as ``every green Buick drives fast.''
Do mapping. Draw a large circle and put the main idea into it. Draw smaller circles within it for related ideas and details. For example, if you're studying continents and oceans in social studies, draw a large circle labeled "world." Inside, draw another big circle labeled "continents" and one labeled "oceans." Draw circles within each of those for each continent and ocean. Then draw smaller circles inside those for information you need to know about each continent or ocean.
If you have a large project, break it down into smaller parts, like pieces of a puzzle. Schedule on your calendar a date for each part to be completed.
By spending some time organizing your homework, you'll do it better and have more time for fun.
I'd rather take baths with a man-eating shark
Or wrestle a lion alone in the dark
Eat spinach and liver, pet ten porcupines
Than tackle the homework my teacher assigns
by CNB