STUDY SKILLS - RESEARCH - WRITING - AP/SAT/REGENTS - COLLEGE INFO


Updated July 21, 2003

WHAT AN HONOR!
Who's Who Among American High School Students, The National Dean's List, & Who's Who Among American Teachers
2003 college rankings: USNews

ENCYCLOPEDIA - DICTIONARIES - THESAURUS - TUTORIALS
Grammar Tutorials - framed version 
Common Errors in English
  On-Line English Grammar 
  Guide to Grammar and Writing
  Merriam-Webster OnLine - Dictionary and Thesaurus 
  Roget's Thesaurus 
  Online Study Guide: Glossary of Library Terms 
  Merriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder 
  yourDictionary.com • Home Page 
  VoyCabulary.com - Online web dictionary & thesaurus word linking lookup referen 
  Wordsmyth: Welcome! 
  Dictionary.com 
  Glossaries and Dictionaries by Encyberpedia 
  Encyclopedia.com - Because knowledge is cool. 
  Encyclopedia Resources- refdesk.com 
  Encarta Homepage 
  American English Spelling Checker - mirror site 
  Pronunciation Guide 
  SparkNotes.com! Today's Most Popular Study Guides!

   
STUDY SKILLS 
  From Dartmouth College: Academic Success: Stress and Anxiety - Time Management - Reading Textbooks - Taking Notes - Study Tips 
   Tips for History Students - mirror site.
  Doctor Ah-Clem's Webpages for Students 
  A Student's Guide to the Study of History - good ideas on how to study and take notes, etc.
  Guide to Writing History Papers 
  History Writing Guides
   Some miscellaneous study hints
   Welcome to TheBig6.com - How to research!!!
  BrainMass - 24/7 Academic Help 


 
RESEARCH - ESSAY WRITING
     Basic Guide to Essay Writing 
  KU Writing Center :: Writing Guides
  Basic Guide to Essay Writing - How to Write an Essay
  Research and Argument: Tools for Teachers and Students 
   Argumentative Writing: Terms 
  Logic: Definitions 
  IPL Teenspace: A+ Research & Writing
Researchpaper.com
   Online Writing Guide: Traditional Essays - Thematic Essays 
   A Student's Guide to the Study of History - plus, good ideas on how to study and take notes, etc.
  Guide to Writing History Papers 
  How to Write a History Essay 
  History Writing Guides
  A Guide for Writing Research Papers 
  Bibliographic Format
  11 Rules of Writing -- a concise guide to important grammar, punctuation
    Paradigm Online Writing Assistant 
  Welcome to the art history paper writing pages! 
  AP U.S. History - The Document-Based Question (DBQ) 
  Online Writing Guide: DBQ Essays 
  DBQ Hints and Helps 
  Document Analysis Workheets
  Current Issues for Research - Ideas for writing an argumentative paper 
  THE UT SYSTEM CRASH COURSE IN COPYRIGHT 
  CopyrightWebsite
 

CITING SOURCES - BIBLIOGRAPHY REFERENCE
  MLA Online Source Documentation Main Menu 
  ONLINE! Citation Styles: Index 
  IPL FARQ: Citing Electronic Resources 
  Citing Sources, Guide to Library Research 
  Style Sheets for Citing Internet & Electronic Sources: Humanities (MLA & Chicago), Scientific (APA & CBE), History (Turabian)
  Online Style Manuals and Dictionaries 
    UCB History Guidelines for Referencing Papers 
  MLA Style Guide 
  Chicago Style - Works Cited or References 

TESTING YOUR SKILL: AP - SAT/ACT - REGENTS - IB
GENERAL

GENERAL

  The Educational Testing Service Network (ETS Net)
  Kaplan: World Leader in Test Prep, Admissions and Tutoring
Starting Points for Students 
   collegeboard.com 
  Princeton Review 
  Princeton Review : Test Prep Guides
  collegeboard.com - Stay Focused on Test Day 
  test taking strategies and practice test resources for the SAT, CLEP, GRE, etc. 
Welcome to TESTPREP.COM(tm) 
   Test.com - Main

ADVANCED PLACEMENT
   Advanced Placement Program® (AP®)
  AP - Subjects 
  AP - Students & Parents 
  AP Students & Parents - Exam Review 
  AP Central - The AP Exams 
  AP Mentor Advanced Placement Lectures 
  AP Mentor - Advanced Placement US History 
  AP Mentor - Advanced Placement Government and Politics 
  AP Government Links 
  APUS DBQ Index Page 
  AP US HISTORY DBQ Project Page 
  AP Mentor - Advanced Placement European History 
  AP European History - New DBQ Scoring Method 
  AP EURO RESEARCH LINKS 
  AP EURO S.P.R.I.T.E. FORM 
  PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS WORKSHEET 
  AP EURO STRESS RELIEF
  DBQs: Do's and Don'ts 
AP U.S. History - The Document-Based Question (DBQ) 
  Online Writing Guide: DBQ Essays 
  Generic Core-Scoring Guide for DBQs 
  DBQ Hints and Helps 
  Document Analysis Workheets
  Document-Based Questions (DBQs)
  Marcella Ruland's Social Studies Page  
  AP Teachers - Subscribing to an AP Mailing List 
  History Main Page - GREAT site on AP US, AP EURO, & AP Geography 
AP U.S. History - Sample Standard Essay Question 
   Advanced Placement U. S. History Site 
  AP Euro Midterm Review 
  AP U.S. History - Sample Multiple-Choice Questions 
  AP U.S. History - Study Skills: Strategies for Taking the Exam 
  AP U.S. History Quiz Page 
  Advanced Placement U. S. History 
  Advanced Placement World History
   For more AP info, check out my General U.S.A. History and Western Civilization pages.  Also, check out the AP/HONORS section on my Teachers and Education page and the special section on AP History/Government in the History category.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
   What is IB? 
  General information on International Baccalaureate Organization
  International Baccalaureate - IBNET 
  International Baccalaureate Online Curriculum Centre 
  International Baccalaureate Organisation

SAT - ACT
   collegeboard.com
College Board Online - Test Dates 
  College PowerPrep - Home of SAT and ACT Prep
Students and Parents - SAT Program Information - Introduction 

NEW YORK REGENTS
  New York State High School Regents Exam Prep Center 
  Regents Exam Global Studies Vocabulary
NYS Education Department: Regents
   Welcome to NY Regents State Assessment
  Regents Examinations 
  WNYE Presents Regents Review Live! 
  For more on the Regents, check out the article below with study hints! 

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY
GENERAL & COMPREHENSIVE SITES

Top 10 Indicators of Quality Colleges
  2003 college rankings: USNews 
  usnews.com: Education: College 
  usnews.com: Education 
  usnews.com: Education: Graduate School
  usnews.com: Education: Best Graduate Schools 2003: Rankings Index 
  2002 Best Values Rankings: USNews 
The Official Teach For America Homepage
The Chronicle of Higher Education 
CollegeNET Home Page
CollegeEdge Home Page
  NCDDR Hosted Registry Resources > Guide to Financial Aid for American Indians
College Preparation Information
  Student Survival Guide 
  EssayEdge: The Free Admissions Essay, Application Essay, and Personal Statement 
  Student Advantage
   Student Viewpoints: Help your college or educational institution improve
  VirtualRatings.com - Grade your Professor! 
  Disney World College Program - Internship Programs!
  Distance Education Online - The Kaplan Colleges
  College Study Guide ... The Search Beat 
  ecampus.com - Discount college textbooks and other college supplies. 
  StudentMarket.com : Textbooks, Reference, and General Reading Books at discount 
   College Nicknames 
  WHAT TO BRING WHEN LIVING IN A DORM - item for college freshman, new stuff for new college student - What evey dorm needs - Top Ten - StudentScoop.com - Dorm Decor On a Budget 
  College Grad Job Hunter - Entry Level Jobs for College Students 
  The Riley Guide: Employment Opportunities and Job Resources on the Internet

STUDENT LOANS, FINANCIAL AID, SCHOLARSHIPS
U.S. Department of Education - FAFSA On The Web
Federal Student Financial Aid from ED/OSFAP
   Sallie Mae: Student Loan Marketing Association (SLMA)
  2002 Best Values Rankings: USNews 
  collegeboard.com - Paying for College 
  collegeboard.com - Financial Aid Calculators 
  Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Calculator  
   collegeboard.com - Scholarship Search 
  fastWEB! (Financial Aid Search Through the Web)
NCDDR Hosted Registry Resources > Guide to Financial Aid for American Indians 
College search, financial aid, and scholarships: CollegeView 
Financial Aid / Scholarships 
CollegeNET Home Page
CollegeEdge Home Page
 
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH OLD CLASSMATES
     Classmates.com 
  Alumni.NET - Bringing School and Work Friends Together 
  High School Alumni and Classmate Database 
  Reunions Magazine  

REMEMBER TO BE NICE!
RateMyTeachers.com 
  VirtualRatings.com - Grade your Professor! 

SURVIVING REGENTS AND RCT TESTS! (Also, very helpful for other tests)
by fellow teacher, Irving Gross
How To Be Successful On Your Regents and RCT Examinations

The best way to be successful is to know your work because you have been conscientious in coming to class, paying attention, organizing your thoughts, coming to your own conclusions, doing your homework and asking questions if you do not understand something.

There are a number of techniques which you can use to prepare for examinations. Some of these techniques are a way of breaking down , organizing your thoughts and seeing the relationships, and patterns that exist within subjects and even between various subjects.

Some of you have learned how to use constructive communication which uses a number of critical thinking skills and graphic organizers in order to help you understand your work.

How Do I Use Critical Thinking Skills In Test Preparation And Answers
A. It is important to be able to sort words and phrases and to classify them. This is done by having categories. Items are sorted into categories identifying the defining characteristics. The skill used is called classification.

Topic to be classified: GOVERNMENTS
Categories:
Democracy
Dictatorship
Socialist
Communist
Monarchy
Each category may be ( classified) further broken up into:
How leader takes office
How laws are made
How laws are enforced
Citizen rights and responsibilities
How government services are paid for

B. Go through past exams, class notes, and your textbook and compile a list of terms that are important for your subject. Place the terms in groups that YOU feel are similar. Understand the relationship of these terms which should be the reasons(s) why you placed them in the category of your choice.

C. Many exams ask you to compare or to contrast two or more items. Sometimes they do not use this wording and ask for similarities or differences. This is particularly useful in History and English. In an English essay use the conclusion as your introduction and place and explain each similarity and difference in a separate paragraph as the body of the essay. Use the number of examples that are required in the essay. Your teacher maybe able to supply you with a form called a graphic organizer for this critical thinking skill. In doing this comparison you should have the following:

How are they similar?
How are they different?
Place the differences in categories.
What conclusion or interpretation is suggested by the significant similarities
and differences?

D. In Biology, Math and other subjects to skill Determining Parts Whole Relationship is particularly useful. You use this skill by having a whole object and listing each part, underneath each of the parts listed there should be a statement showing what would happen if that particular part was missing and then under that a statement of what is the function each part. The conclusion is the relationship between the parts and the whole.Your teacher may also has a graphic organizer for this skill.

E Another skill that is very helpful in studying for the examinations is TAPPS. This is where you study with a friend. Read a former examination question and have pretend that you are explaining the problem to a sixth grade student. Say everything that comes to your mind and define all the words that are difficult or unclear.

F. For review of Math, Chemistry and Biology problems, use this outline in solving the problem.

1. Identify the TYPE of Problem

2. State the rules that apply to this type of problem

a.________________________________

b.________________________________

c. ________________________________

d.________________________________

e. ________________________________

3. Then work the problem, verbalizing each rule as it applies to the step you are taking in solving the problem.


4. If it is a multiple choice question, choose the answer from the list.

________________________________

________________________________


Special Hints On Completing Short Answer Questions

A. Practice

B. Practice

C. Practice

D. Go over at least one past examination a week. (Got the idea?).

E. Answer all the questions.

F. Do not leave any questions unanswered. (Got the idea?)

G. Read the directions carefully. This is particularly important in Math and Science.

H. Questions are usually grouped together by topic.

I. Eliminate answers that never happened. Example: The United States used the Atomic Bomb in World War I.

J. RCT and Regents ask only the important stuff. If its not important eliminate the choice.

K. Eliminate extreme answers. For example, if the choices include never , no one everyone, all, etc. it is probably incorrect.

L. If there are opposites then one of the opposites is probably correct. In the following example if the choices are (A) big (B) blue (C) twelve (D) small the answer probably is A or D.

M. If two answers are similar then one of the similar answers is probably correct. The choices are (A) Blue (B) Green (C) 25% (D) implied powers. The correct answer is probably A or B since they are similar based on the fact that they are both colors.

N. Watch time periods and locations. It the test asks about the Middle Ages and communism is a choice or about Australia and Buddhism is a choice then you can probably eliminate these choices.

O. A cartoon uses symbolism (representing something that is abstract) to express meaning. you will be usually safe, therefore in eliminating choices that are literal (in a basic or strict sense).

P. Do not change your answer. In more cases than not students have the correct answer the first time and then change it to a incorrect choice. Leave it alone!

Q. Answer the question without looking at the choices. Read the question and then in a phrase or two write down your answer. Then read the choices and choose the one that is similar to your own answer.

R. When reviewing for the test go over the wrong choices as well as the correct one. The wrong answer on the review test may become the correct answer to a re worded question on your test.

S. Use the process of elimination . Cross out the choices in a short answer that are wrong.You will then not spend time rereading them and if you have two possible choices there is a 50% chance in getting the question correct. If you choose from four choices there is only a 25% chance of getting the question correct. You should ,therefore, do twice as well!
.
T. Take your time.

U. Take your time.

V. Do not rush. (Got it?).

Special Hints On Completing The Essay Questions
A. Practice

B. Practice

C. Go over at least one examination each week.

D. Skim all the questions.

E. Follow the directions carefully.

E. Choose the essay questions based on how many questions you must answer in each section and which essays will you be able to get the highest point value.

F. Use the wording of the question itself. For example if the question asks you to "Discuss one specific positive or one negative impact of the technological development on the global community." your answer should begin in the following way: " One specific positive aspect of the technological development on the global community was ..." OR "One specific negative aspect of the technological development of the global economy was..." Do NOT use both examples. Follow directions carefully.

G. Write clearly and neatly.

H. Keep sentences simple.

I: Use transition words such as : furthermore, thereafter, and but, yet, since, finally, nevertheless, for e ample, however, because etc.

A Final Word Or Two
This material has been prepared by a number of people using a variety of sources.

Remember
Study!
One exam a week!
Do not rush!
Stay calm!

FOR MORE INFO, CHECK OUT:
Teachers and Education
Parents and Families


BACK TO:
HOME / TABLE OF CONTENTS