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Student Planner and Study Guide

IMPROVE YOUR READING AND ESSAY

TECHNIQUE

10 Key Points for Good Essay Writing

1 (1) Examine your topic

2 (2) Brainstorm all your ideas

3 Prepare an (3) outline or diagrams

4 (4) Write down what you know

5 With research (5) record references

6 Write your (6) thesis statement

7 (7) Write the body

8 (8) Write the introduction

9 (8) Write the conclusion

10 Add the (10) finishing touches

(11) A directional word tells you what you should do when you write your answer to the item.

Knowing About Directional Words in Essay Assessments

Whether they are short answer or extended answer tasks they all contain a directional word.

Knowing About Directional Words in Essay Assessments

Directional Words In Essay Assessments

A common reason for students to lose marks in Essay Assessments is because they do not understand the meaning of the directional words used in questions.

10 Main Directional Words

1 (12) Analyse

2 Compare

3 (13) Contrast

4 Define

5 (14) Describe

6 Explain

7 (15) List

8 (16) Summarise

9 (17) Support

10 (18) Trace

Strategies for Reading Textbooks and

Novels

Textbooks – (19) SQ3R Novels – (20) CSTPES

SQ3R - Strategy for Reading Textbooks

SQ3R:

Survey

Question

Read

Rewrite

Review

SQ3R - Strategy for Reading Textbooks

SQ3R (21) is a simple strategy for reading and taking notes from chapters in a textbook

SQ3R: Survey:

Survey provides a (22) overview or snapshot of a chapter and it prepares you for learning more.

SQ3R: Survey:

First step will provide a (23) picture of what the chapter is all about.

SQR3 - Question

You need to have questions in your mind as you read, these help you (24) stay focused on the reading assignment.

Use the words: (25) WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY or HOW

SQ3R - READ

Read the information that follows each heading to find the answers to each question you formed.

Stay focused and flexible as you gather information.

SQ3R – Re Write In your notebook each question

and its answer. Write out all the main points in

the chapter. Re Write the points in your own

words.

SQ3R - Review

(26) Review your notes to ensure they are legible and contain all the important information needed to summarise the chapter.

Strategy for Reading Novels

Novels are generally written in the narrative form.

Your main aim is to understand the six elements

(27) (CSTPES) the author used when writing the story.

CSTPES

The strategy for Reading Novels: Characters

Setting or Location

Time Period

Problem or Conflict

Events

Solution

Characters

Characters are the (28) first element to look for when reading a story of novel.

The main character plays the biggest role.

Setting or Location

Where does the (29) story take place?

The setting can also include the scenery, it can also include the weather conditions.

Time Period

Does the story take place in the present, past or future?

The (30) time the story is set in will often be established in the introduction.

Together your setting time period form your Orientation to the novel

Problem, Conflict or Combination

The problem most often grows out of a (31) conflict between the main character and another character in the story.

Problem, Conflict or Combination

The problem can also (32) involve a circumstance such as a hazard, a war or some other obstacle.

Event

An (33) event is an attempt to solve a problem.

Generally stories contain a series of events.

Solution

The (34) solution is how the problem is resolved or brought to an end.

This occurs towards the end of the book.

Often you are left wondering what happened next.

The resolution may include a coda, a moral or some new understanding because of the events of the novel.