Student Skills for Life Success: Advanced Study Skills: Workshop Manual

Advanced
Study-Skills
Workshop
Name: _________________
Surname: _________________
Grade: _________________
School: _________________

Session 1
1
Good Questioning
2
Creativity
3
Thinking Skills
4
Visualisation
5 Memory Keys

Good Questioning
The 5W1H method
Use this method when planning an
essay or answering a long question.
Who is it about?
• Appearance
• Characteristics
• Background
• Motivation
What is it about?
• Features
What happened?
• Order of events
Where did it happen?
• The place
When did it happen?
• The date & time
Why did it happen?
• Obvious reasons
• Deeper reasons
How did it happen?
How does it work?
• Details “what”
Sindy - Friendly girl - blue eyes -
small nose
Farm girl - Out to proof herself
Red bicycle - white saddle - blue
peddles
Accident - Car - tree - hospital
Road - school gate
After school - before debate practice
Didn’t look
Made friends in hospital
She was daydreaming
Pull on handlebars – Bicycle change
direction – Trees don’t move

Workshop Activity 1
Read the passage that you received and complete
the following table, using the 5W1H method.
Who? Person 1 Person 2
o Appearance
o Characteristics
o Background
o Motivation
What happened?
What is described?
Where?
When?
Why?
How?

Creativity
Brainstorming
Come up with many different ideas
by getting more people’s input.
Find 50 uses
for a hammer
in 5 minutes
Forced Lateral Thinking
Learn to solve a familiar problem in
a new way.
List 10 things a
hammer and an apple
have in common
Uncomfortable questions
Ask questions like “why”, “why not” and “what if”.
Creative Problem Solving
Solve problems by thinking in new
ways.
What would you
get if you cross a
cat and a panda?
Make up stories
Use similar objects to make up
different stories
Pick 5 toys from
a hat and make
up a story
New ways
Do familiar things in a new way
Alternative uses
Find new ways to use old things
Start eating
your peas first
Build a
puzzle
upside down

Workshop Activity 2
Getting Creative
Look at the five objects below and make up a short story
containing all five objects.
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Create hybrid animals by paring the following animals and come
up with a name for your mutation.
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DO AT HOME ACTIVITY A
Becoming even more creative
1. See how many uses for a hammer you can come up with as a
family.
2. See who can come up with the most similarities between an
apple and a hammer

Thinking Skills
In school, you spend a lot of time memorizing facts,
but this is only the first step towards creative thinking.
Thinking Step
Thinking Technique
Create
Induce
Deduce
Evaluate
Analyse
Synthesize
Apply
Organise
Use Logic
Understand
Sum-Up
Illustrate
Know
Observe
Memorize
1. Observe
2. Identify
3. Conclude
Induce
Synthesize
Analyse
Deduce
1. Visualise
2. Test
3. Confirm
1. Start with the parts
2. Make the whole
1. Start with the whole
2. Study the parts

Workshop Activity 3
Understanding the higher-level thinking skills
Match the higher order thinking skills of analysis, synthesis,
induction, and deduction with the icons by applying the correct
label to each.
DO AT HOME ACTIVITY B
Apply the higher-level thinking skills by playing a good board game.
• You need to understand the rules before you start.
• You must consider all your options before you make a move.
• Game objectives must be completed in a certain order.
• You need to consider what your opponents are trying to do.
• There are things you cannot control, like the number on the
die, and so, you must change your plans all the time.

Visualisation
Forgetting happens naturally as information is transferred
from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.
Wait 9 hours
before you
study the
same work
again.
Read new work twice, and you will remember about 36%, but
visualize what you read and remember 75% after the second session.
When you visualise, its like playing a movie in your mind.
Principles of Visualisation
1. Relax
2. Build clear images
3. Use all your senses
4. Give it colour
5. Add movement
6. Exaggerate
Writing it out is
less effective than
visualisation, but
better than just
reading

Workshop Activity 4
Learn to visualise
Listen to the short story that the facilitator is going to read to
you.
• Close your eyes.
• Do not make notes.
• Try to picture the events in your mind.
• Afterwards rewrite the main points in your own words,
recalling the images that you imagined.
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Memory Keys
Let’s memorise the “Principles of Visualisation” we saw in the
previous lesson, by using a Memory Key.
1 Start with the list
2
Principles of Visualisation
1. Relax
2. Build clear images
3. Use all your senses
4. Give it colour
5. Add movement
6. Exaggerate
Identify the key words
Principles of Visualisation
1. Relax
2. Images
3. Senses
4. Colour
5. Movement
6. Exaggerate
3
Rearrange them so that
the 1 st letter of each word
can be used in the key
Principles of Visualisation
1. Senses
2. Relax
3. Movement
4. Images
5. Colour
6. Exaggerate
4
5
Use both the keyword and
the topic in a key sentence
Sr Mice know the
principles of visualisation
Create an image to help
you remember the key
sentence

DO AT HOME ACTIVITY C
Make your own memory keys
There are many lists in your textbooks. See if you can apply the
Memory Key Technique to help you memorise some of these lists.
Ask your parents for help if you struggle.
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Session 2
6
Memory Hooks & Links
7
Vocabulary & Spelling
8
Mastering Math
9
Answering Questions
10
Exam stress

Memory Hooks & Links
A memory hook is something familiar
that we use to hook new information to.
1 2
So, give your numbers life!
Picture your room
and hook your
shopping list to
your furniture!
A memory link is something we use
to link things through visualisation.
Example: The 5 steps in decision making is awareness, research,
consideration, decision, and evaluation.
Picture yourself getting to a fork in the road – Now you take out
your cell phone to consult Google Maps – You compare the
options – You make your choice – You see obstacles that was not
shown, and you make another plan.

Workshop Activity 5
Learn to link
Linking game.
Person 1 starts by saying: “I am going on holiday and I’m taking
a _________ (object) with me.” The next person must repeat what
the previous person(s) took along and must add something. The
list will get longer and longer, and you drop out if you forget
something or name it out of order.
DO AT HOME ACTIVITY D
Link through Diagrams
Below is a diagram showing how all the elements of the basicand
advanced study-skills workshops can be linked to the central
concept.
Draw similar diagrams to outline your school subjects.

Vocabulary & Spelling
Expand your Vocabulary
• Look up the meaning
of unknown words in a
dictionary.
• Look for alternative
words in a thesaurus.
• Do crossword puzzles.
• Play word games.
• Read the newspaper.
Benefits
1. Understand instructions!
2. Learn a new language.
3. Appear more intelligent.
4. Speak and write better.
5. Attract intelligent people.
If you identify five new words
a day, you will know 1800
more words after a year.
Learn to spell better
1. Look up the correct spelling of miss-spelled words
2. Write them in pencil on the back of a 5cm by 9cm card
3. Study them, and give them to a friend / family member
4. Let the friend ask you to spell the words
5. If you spell it correctly, remove it from the pack
6. If you miss-spell it, place it at the bottom of the pack
7. Continue until you have spelled all the words correctly
8. Once you have mastered the spelling of a word, erase it,
and replace it with another word.
9. Keep it to about 25 words at a time

Workshop Activity 6
Learn to link
In the table below are 10 miss-spelled words. Write the correct
spelling of each word in the space provided.
Calender
Tommorrow
Dissappear
Deterioreit
Arguement
Wensday
Occurred
Que
Thier
Twelth
DO AT HOME ACTIVITY E
Visit the Word-game websites below and have some fun.
https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html
https://www.wordgametime.com/games/7th-grade-crosswordpuzzles
https://www.scrabblegames.info/play/scrabble-online

Mastering Math
Step 1: Learn the theory
Example: You are required to simplify an expression. You can only
do so if you know what “expressions” and “terms” are, and you
know what you are supposed to do when you see the “simplify”
instruction.
Concept Definition
Expressions Rows of numbers and operating symbols
Terms Parts of expressions that are separated by (+) and (–) signs
Simplification Reduce the numbers and operating symbols to a minimum
Step 2: Master the method
Example: Simplify the expression of 144÷36+10×12−6×19
To simplify an expression you must follow the following threestep
process:
1. Separate the terms
2. Simplify the individual terms
3. Solve from left to right
Steps
Example
Separate the terms (144÷36) + (10×12) − (6×19)
Simplify them 4 + 120 - 114
Solve left to right 10
You have successfully solved the problem, as you reduced an
expression with 6 numbers and 5 operating symbols to an
expression with a single number
Step 3: Practice
Practicing only works if you know the
theory and the method already!

Workshop Activity 7
Fun with math
Would you be able to solve the expression on the previous page,
without a calculator? You could have done it in the following way:
Does 36 go into 144?
• Let’s double it: 72
• Double it again: 144 (Yes!)
• We doubled 36 twice
144÷36 = 4
Now simplify the following expressions without a calculator, using
similar principles.
246 ÷ 41 + 5 x 17
What is 10 x 12?
• Multiplying any number by ten,
we simply add a “0” at its end
120
What is 6 x 19?
• 19 = 20 -1 and
• 20 = 10 x 2
60 + 60 – 6 = 114
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Tips: A number dividable by two prime numbers, can also be
divided by the sum of those two numbers. Five as halve of ten.
7 x 22 – 8 x 16
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Tips: 5 + 2 = 7 and 10 – 2 = 8

Answering
Questions
In a test or exam, you must understand exactly what you are
asked to do. It does not help if you know the work well, but you
don’t understand the question. Below is a list of the verbs that
appear in question papers. Some of these are only used in the
higher grades.
Action
Word
Name
List
Identify
Outline
Explain
Summarise
Define
Interpret
Describe
Illustrate
Compare
Discuss
Comment
Distinguish
Analyse
Evaluate
Criticize
Investigate
This is what you must do
Name, give traits or itemise briefly in any order
Name, give traits or itemise briefly in a specific order
Only give the main features
Give the info in a short, but logical and structured way
Outline and give an example or draw a picture
Only indicate the most important aspects
Give a brief, precise description, often as it was memorised
Define in your own words and give a practical application
Structure the content in a logical way, using full sentences
Describe and give examples, graphics or drawings
List both the differences and similarities
Be critical, and write about the positives and negatives
Discuss and then give your own opinion
Clearly indicate the differences
Break it down in smaller parts and discuss each in detail
Give an opinion that is based on objective standards
Evaluate and then give your own opinion
Evaluate and criticize different aspects of a bigger issue.
DO AT HOME ACTIVITY F
Go to the question pages in your textbooks and highlight the action words.

Exam stress
A little stress is good. After all, test and exams are important.
• A test can make up 50% of your quarter mark.
• The final exam can count as much as 75% of your final mark.
• Good grade 7 marks give access to better high schools.
• Good marks mean bursaries!
When preparing
• Know when you are writing what.
• Know what will be tested.
• Draw up an exam and study roster.
• Keep your routine where possible.
• Keep your sleeping pattern & get enough sleep.
• Understand the work before the exam.
• You can only memorise what you know.
• Consult old papers.
• Do more shorter study sessions
• Form a study group to
• Compare notes
• Encourage each other
• Work through old papers together
When writing
• Do a relaxation exercise or pray
• Write your name/number on each page
• Make sure that your paper is complete
• Read, before you answer anything
• 1 st answer the questions you know well
• For each question:
• Underline the action words
• Note the mark allocation
• Calculate the time you need
Study groups only
work if all the
members of the
group have already
prepared
individually before
they meet.

Workshop Activity 8
Learn to relax
A good way to relax is to think about a place, where you feel
calm and relaxed, like a beach or the place you go for a family
picnic. So do the following:
• Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed.
• Take a deep breath and hold it for about 5 counts.
• Exhale slowly (Repeat a couple of times)
• Think of a place where you always feel relaxed, safe and calm.
o If you do not have such a place, imagine one.
• See yourself in this place and take in your surroundings.
• Enjoy the moment
• Count slowly to five and open your eyes.
Now, describe that place in the space below.
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Write out a prayer, with which you are comfortable, so that you
can pray in the exam room, before the start of the exam or paper.
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Thinking of a favourite song is
another way to relax.