Journalism Next | First quarter disappointment doesn't mean failure
First-quarter grades are out, and some Lakewood Ranch High School students are looking for ways to improve.
Most Mustangs realize grades are no longer only for nerds or geeks. They are essential to the future whether it be for getting into a good school or for getting a good job. These grades will now play a role in shaping the future.
Anyone who struggled and failed to meet quarter-one grade goals should remember those aren't final. Semester grades are.
Semester grades are generally composed of 40 percent first-quarter grades, 40 percent second-quarter grades and 20 percent mid-term/final grades.
The good news is help with school is just one click away. WikiHow provides a list of tips to help raise anyone's grades.
Create a study schedule: At the start of the school year, LRHS provides school planners. Whether students use them or not can make a big difference. Writing down daily homework, tests and projects will help organize assignments.
Write down daily school assignments: By creating a study schedule, students write down school plans and plans outside of school.
"Creating a routine will help you manage your time and get your work done," said LRHS sophomore Daniel Wilkinson.
Understand your learning style: Online tests can help identify individual learning styles and learning techniques associated with success.
Take good notes: If a teacher makes a comment about upcoming information on a test, be sure to write it down. Copy down whatever diagrams are drawn on the board. Feel free to add in extra information that can help. A student can never have too many notes.Participate in class: Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be embarrassed if you don't understand material. Chances are others are wondering the same thing. Always ask the teacher to clarify hard-to-understand parts. Hearing information more than once will make it easier to understand.
Ask for help: If classic classroom learning and asking questions still isn't enough, go in before or after school and meet with the teacher. Doing this will increase knowledge and show the teacher you're taking the class seriously.
Do homework: With an even-odd schedule, people tend to put their homework off until the next day or the morning of class. Why? You're going to have to do it sometime, so why stress yourself out? Waiting until the last minute means stress and less than 100 percent quality.
Work with friends: The key is to choose a friend just as goal-oriented as you are. Pick a friend who will stay on task and pull his/her own weight. You will stay motivated, and combining your knowledge will help you both better understand the work assigned and get it done quickly and effectively.
Preparing for tests: Study with a friend. Combining forces and throwing out ideas and information is a good resource. Studying with a friend will make the time go faster and make the information less repetitive. Having someone there to be able to teach and learn from helps people retain the information instead of just trying to remember it.
Study close to the test: Remembering the information for a test is one thing, but knowing it is another.
Studying close to the test date will insure the memory you have retained is retrievable.
"You can never study too much," said LRHS biology teacher Drexel Houston.
Relax: During an important test, relaxing can be easier said than done. Read questions thoroughly. Skip more difficult questions and come back to them at the end. Take a step back, breathe and focus. Stressing won't make it better.
Using these simple techniques will help students get on task and help achieve their goals.
"Sometimes it requires more than what is expected," Houston said, "School isn't supposed to be easy. You have to work for it."
This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Journalism Next | First quarter disappointment doesn't mean failure ."