EXAMS - parent tips wanted!

It is not long before the Year 8's go to high school, which also means they will face exams. To learn study and exam skills we are having our own hour long exam on this terms inquiry (this Friday). We have discussed study skills such as,

• Creating summaries of your notes.
• Grouping of information.
• Highlighting, underlining and reading the information over and over again.
• Discussing the learning with someone.
• Identifying possible or probable questions.
• Memory techniques, such as, using colour, pictures, acronyms, and stories. 

We have also discussed exam techniques. This has included:

• Scanning through the exam carefully at the start and seeing where the most marks are weighted. 
• Jotting down acronyms and picture prompts at the beginning.
• Carefully reading questions to ensure you understand what is being asked. 
• The first 80% of the marks are the easiest to get so the importance of answering all the questions. 
• Setting up a time table to ensure you have time to complete the questions is also important.  
• Don't leave early but use every moment to check and improve your answers.

Parents: It would be great to hear any other techniques you have for studying or sitting an exam. Just pop them in the comments section below.

Writing concisely

We are learning to write concisely. Removing boring and unnecessary words makes writing easier and more interesting to read. We discussed common words like 'that' which are often not needed. We have practiced removing unnecessary words from sentences and rearranging and rewriting sentences concisely. Here are a few examples.

 

TPC - 7km challenge

Well done guys! It was great to see you take on this challenge - sweat and all. Everyone pushed themselves and had a great attitude. There is a high level of determination needed in race events like this so well done for displaying so much of it. Good to see most of the year 8's beat last years time too. A big thank you to the parents that helped. We couldn't have done it without you!

Only the hobby presentations to go on this years challenge!

Melted crayon art

The students have just finished their stunning melted crayon art. The students have had to think carefully about layout balance, colour choice, and how to make their silhouette link in with the melted crayons. It was great to see the care the students took with the detail. Well done guys. They will be available to view at the Te Pahu flower show/fete on Saturday.
Melted crayon art on PhotoPeach