Tonya Said:

How should I take notes for this book test on the first day of school?

We Answered:

Start with 25 pages in a notebook. You will need 5 pages labeled with the name of the book in each of the 5 sections of your notes. The sections are: Characters, Settings, Vocabulary, Plot or stoy notes, Predictions.
Near the left margin on the first page of each section, write the Chapter Name (or number if it doesn't have a name) of the chapter you are working on (do not skip this step).
Begin reading. As you read, you will need to watch for the names of people and places; also watch for any dates or other numbers given.
Characters: The first time you see someone's name in the book, write it in your notebook, in the "Characters" section.
Leave half a page for writing down things about them. You will only have two characters on each page of paper! Every time their name is used or they are talked about in the book, the author is telling you clues about the character. Be a detective.
Catch as many of those clues as you can and list them under the character's name. Age? Physical description? Personality? Fears? Friends?
Do the same thing for the setting! The setting is where and when the story is taking place.
You will only need a few lines for each setting though, so more will fit on each page.)
You don't need to copy the full description from the book, but briefly tell about it - i.e. "A cold dark cave" "Aunt Tillie's house in the city."
Vocabulary: As you read, you will come to many words that you don't know. Many of them you can guess at. If a word is new or unfamiliar to you, write it down in your vocabulary section.
Write down the page number where you first saw the word, and the sentence it was used in (this is very important). Leave four more spaces for adding a definition later.
Plot: After you have read the entire chapter, close the book and think about what you read.
Write 1-3 sentences (in your own words) about what has happened in this chapter.
Try to pick out what you think will be the most important things that happened.
Predictions: Take a chance here. Don't look ahead!
Guess what will happen in the next chapter. It's okay if you don't get it right. One fun thing to do here is think, "If I was writing this story, what would I have happen next?"
See if you can figure out what the author is going to do next.
Get a dictionary and look up the meanings of the words you wrote on your vocabulary list. Many words will have more than one meaning. You will need to copy down only the meaning for the word as it was used in the story (that's why you wrote down the sentence it appeared in, so you would know which meaning you needed).
Go through each of the 5 sections of notes and draw a double line under the last note in each section.
Skip 3 spaces under the double line and write down the name of the next chapter in each section.
Begin reading the next chapter.
Take notes in exactly the same way for each chapter.
When you have finished the book, you will have everything you need to do an excellent book report! You will have an entire story line, descriptions of all the characters, new words you've learned, and even notes about what you thought would happen and if the author could surprise you or not!
TipsIt is best to have a 3 ring folder that is just for your book report notes. This allows you to add extra pages to each section if needed.
Go through and label at least five pages in each section of your notes before reading the next chapter. Only do this chapter by chapter! (This gives you a little time to think about what you just read, so you'll remember it better.)
Write on only one side of each page!
Write in black (or dark blue) ink. This makes it easier to read swiftly later.
Read the book with your pen in your hand and your notebook open beside you, so you are ready to take notes as you go!
Skip two lines between every note you take.
Make certain that your notes are going in the correct section of your notebook.
Finish all steps/notes for a chapter before going on to the next chapter, no matter how interesting the book gets!
This looks complicated at first but it's amazingly simple!
NOTE:
This system uses a lot of paper but it's worth it for the results you get!
Don't take shortcuts! It's important to do this the way it's laid out.
Finishing a chapter completely, before going on to the next chapter is very important
~~~Best of luck - may you make all A's.

Kim Said:

What do you bring on the first day of school?

We Answered:

I wish I had your math teacher
I bring 2 folders one for holding looseleaf and one for the crapload of papers they give you the first week or so and a pen and 2 pencils in case they make you do some retarded team building activity which is dumb when you go to a small school where everybody knows anybody and nobody new showed up since the 6th grade

Erica Said:

I have no clue what to do, pleaseee please pleaseeeeeeeeeee help! it's about one of my classes in school?

We Answered:

Have you chatted with your guidance counselor about this situation? It sounds like maybe you should and explain the situation. Perhaps you could ask the teacher to join you and the three of you can work out a plan that will get you caught up and not overwhelm you.

Block scheduling can be a real pain in the tailfeathers if you miss one class, miss two in a row and you're a week behind. You have to catch up, as well as stay on top of the things coming at you. But your teacher could be a little giving and allow you a weekend or something to try to get yourself caught up. It's worth ASKING about it and then working like the devil to get everything done. Once you are caught up, then just stay on top of everything.

I think you were at a disadvantage when you walked into the class after the first day. It seems, to me anyway, to be fair, the teacher ought ot have offered you a little bit of a break---make you responsible for the material but not necessarily all of the assignments right away. That's me, it's not my classroom or my call. It's what I would have done, and then expected that you would do the work, show me that you've done it, and then gone on. I can always give you credit for the assignment in an alternative way.

Do get this settled with the teacher and the counselor. Try to make it in her class for the remainder of the marking period, then if it's too much, ask for a schedule/class change. Keep the counselor informed of your progress, too, so that there is a reason for your class change should it happen.

Good luck to you!

Marvin Said:

Math help! Senior in high school, first day of class?

We Answered:

its a summation of (-1)^(n - 1). This is if n starts at 1. Notice n is even, the exponent becomes odd. When n is odd, exponent becomes even.

Christopher Said:

Which of these high school first day ice-breakers is the best?

We Answered:

Stick with what works! The Monopoly idea is fabulous and creative!

I usually have my students write an interesting fact on a stickie note and fold it up. I then pass out the folded piece of paper and we try to guess who's fact it is. It's worked this well until this year. I had students write down very strange, uncomfortable, and true information. (Ex. My brother died when I was 5. I want to be a gynecologist.) I think I might try the Monopoly idea next year. Thanks!

I've also had my kids create a drawing to help the class and me remember their names. For example, Catherine might draw a picture of a cat and and watermelon rind. Cat Rind sounds like Catherine. Dewayne might draw a picture of dew on grass and rain drops. Dew Rain sounds like Dewayne. This is a great activity for older students. My younger middle school students had difficulty coming up with creative ideas, but your high schoolers should do well with it.

Good Luck!