bad study habits in History, please help!?

Question

Well, the problem is, that my past 4 years of history, the teachers did not really teach. Now I am a sophomore, and my history teacher is tough. I really need help with studying. Like, I don't know how to study. I have never had to study before in my life, and got my first "C" last semester! =[ Please help me!

thank you!

Answer 1

same situation. all i did in middle school was do little worksheets and bookwork, but my higschool teacher does lectures that we take notes off of. what i do is take a particular section, and associate it with 2 or 3 keywords that help jog my memory during a test. also, try writing your own study guide. i find that you tend to remember what you write down better. herea an example:
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explain what happens during an ice age:

-ice caps move south
-3rd of earth covered in ice
-plant an animal species die out or move

from these 3 lines you can sketch out a nice paragraph:

an ice age is a period of extremely cold weather where the polar ice caps move south, covering 1/3rd of earth in ice. this causes many species to dies out, or forces them to move towards warmer climates.
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simple tricks like this have given me an A on every single history test ive taken in highschool (im a sophomore). just hit the main points because that's usually what they look for, and keep an ok sentence structure.

ps: this technique has cut my study time down to 10 minutes on normal tests, and 20 on semester finals. i call it the Guruu process.

Answer 2

An...interesting situation, to say the least. I hate to study, but I have watched enough movies on good study habits at school to hopefuly help a bit.

Find a quiet/peaceful area to study in, where there is little distraction, like computers or T.V.s. Have adequate lighting and a comfortable chair (it really makes a difference). Try reading over the study material once, to get a general idea of it, then go back and write down the main points of the reading. Also write down another smaller, critical details, or things you know you will not remember.

If you are not a good notetaker, try meeting with classmates to quizz each other. By hearing people say answers to the same questions in different ways, it may help you understand it a bit more.

Don't cram for a test or exam the night before. It's best to study a few minutes each night then all the night before - your long term memory is better than your short term. Also, take breaks while you study. If you try to pour five chapters into your head at once, you will not remember it a few hours later.

Hope I was a tad helpful. ^^.

Answer 3

Well you could go to a quiet place, and open your textbook up to the current chapter, and write notes about each lesson or section. Also define any terms or vaocabulary that seems important. Try to draw illustrations over, because it hepls you understand, better. Liek one time, I was reading about the places the vikings traveled, but i was confused, so i ciopied the map the book had, and it helped. You can also, ask a friend or family member to quiz you on some of the things from the chapter. Good luck, and hopefully you'll get an A this time around =D

Answer 4

Well the first thing that you need to do is set aside a time and a place to do your homework. I find it helpful to do homework or studying first thing when I get home when the material that was covered is fresh on my mind. Do this on a consistent basis so that you will have a routine for studying, then come test time you will not need to "cram" quite so much. The place you study in needs to be free of distractions and have good lighting. Putting on some instrumental music softly sometimes helps too.

Answer 5

huy - i am a junior nd i take IB/AP U.S. History - one of the toughest history classes out there. What i do is read the chapters in the book once, do all my homework thoroughly, and frequently ask questions in class. If u do all this (and sometimes i study extra stuff from the internet and take couple of online quizzes), you will ace all the tests! Don't forget to high-light the important terms and concepts when u read the book - this will be highly useful when u want to brush up before a test. (I have a 97% by the way)

Answer 6

Personally, I think the best way is to reread the material that'll be covered on tests and rewrite all of the information on a notebook. You could be creative and exaggerate about the ideas that you've just memorized. Just have fun with it. It doesn't have to be 100% accurate as long as you understand most of the idea. Afterwards, test yourself by writing down the memorized info on small pieces of flashcards. I use the sparknotes study guide flashcards and I love how you can flip them around like a deck of cards.

Answer 7

ok go into a quiet room and put your history book in front of you! make sure you have a pen/pencil and a notebook. While reading your chapter or session in your book take a few notes and then when you are done, look over them. And tada! you've studied!

PS. If you get easily distracted from studying then maybe turn on the radio and listen to CLASSICAL MUSIC! suprisingly, when i get distracted i listen to classical and it helps me concentrate a little better. (listening to pop, hiphop, rap, techno, ect. will make you lose focus! I know its hard to resist but try!!!!!)

HAPPY STUDYING!

Answer 8

Sometimes the history is very interesting,and you should repeat it more and think about it more,recite the year and someone and somewhere,then make it a link and write it in proper order.I think it can be help

Answer 9

Read the text and your notes...read them often...make your own notes...and review those. History is just reading and remembering stories. You have to apply yourself.

Answer 10

Probably get off the computer would be a start