How to Ace the Test

Today I'm sharing an article that was published on Mel The Literacy Coach's blog.  I know the author!  ;)

Everyone gets nervous before a test.  The best way to achieve a great result on a test is to prepare for it.  While people learn in different ways, there are some test preparation strategies that will work for everyone. 

All the Time

#1 Pay attention and Participate in Class!

Believe it or not, your teacher wants you to succeed!  Teachers plan activities that will help you to learn and remember the important information you need to know for the test.  Of course, you won’t remember something that happened in class if you were too busy playing a game on your phone or talking to your friends.   You need to listen to the teacher, participate in the activities AND write down key information.

#2 Take Organised Notes

Your teacher will provide lots of hints about what you should write down. They will probably repeat important points and they may even say “Write this down!” Writing your notes is not the only step here.  You need to keep your notes altogether and organised.  Reading your notes later will help you remember what you have learned.  It will be easier to find it if you keep it in the same book/ file.

Before the Test

#1 Sleep Well

The night before a test: GO TO BED!  Get a good night’s sleep.  If you are tired, you will find it harder to concentrate. 

#2 Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Everyone knows that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  A healthy, balanced meal at the beginning of the day will help your brain function at its best.  If you are hungry, it will be hard to think clearly and you will be distracted.  That’s the last thing you want to be in a test.

During the Test

#3 Read the Questions Carefully

This might seem obvious, but lots of students lose easy points on a test because they didn’t read the question.  Don’t Predict the question… read it and after you have answered it, read it again!

#4 Check your answers

Read those questions again.  Read your answers and make sure you didn’t make any mistakes.  Everyone makes mistakes!  Everyone!  We all miss out words or press the wrong button on a calculator. Check it!

#5 Stay Positive

Answer as many questions as you can. Even if you aren’t certain about the answer, write it down anyway.  You could get part marks. Remember that exams are an opportunity to show what you know.  Do your best work and DON’T GIVE UP!

6 word sentiments

Some thoughts in six words...each.

What do you think you're losing?

Old ladies with purple hair are everywhere! 

Yes Please, No Thank you, You're Welcome.

Be a kind Human Being, okay?

Wet washing should be dried immediately. 

6 word writing is difficult. refrigerator. 


That's that then.
That's that then. 

More Card Making Fun

I've been really loving sitting down at the craft table (AKA the dining room table) and stamping to my hearts desire.  I can whip up a card fairly quickly these days and I love making a batch of cards with the same or similar design and having a bunch in a box ready to use when I need them.  I still like to make single cards with specific people in mind but the batches of cards make me feel really accomplished and they really don't take much longer than making one card of the same design.  

My batch card making has been inspired by Catherine Pooler, Justine Hovey and Jennifer McGuire. Click on the names of each stamper listed and you will be taken to one of their many You Tube videos with techniques for making a bunch of cards all at once and having them on hand for when you need them.  Check out some of my card sets below. 

Set #1 Let's Eat Cake! 

Patterned paper, a fun sentiment from MFT, some sequins and stickers. 

I just changed the sentiment strip for a bit of variety.  So quick and easy! 

Set #2 A Note To Say

This card came about quite by accident.  I planned to make one card, which I did.  When I realised how quick and easy it was, I decided to make a whole bunch of them.  Now I have a big stash of cards that will be good for almost any occasion!  They are a great for masculine cards too! 

I used one leaf stamp and my stamping positioning tool

to stamp in the same place on every card. Then I turned the leaf 

and repeated it with a different colour of ink.  

A simple sentiment and I was done. 

Set #3 Awesome

I made two of these cards but for some reason I only photographed one of them.  Can I get a "Woot, Woot" for that Doodle Garden Background Stamp from Catherine Pooler? Swoon! 

BONUS! 

I don't know if this is a technique or a tip.  When I make water colour backgrounds I use a large piece of water colour card stock so I can trim down the best part.  If it all looks good, I can cut it in half and make two cards.  When I try new techniques or I just want to play with new stamps, I keep the bits and pieces in a folder on my table.  I have been challenging myself lately, to pull out my "left over" technique pieces or scraps from other projects and use them to make a card.  Here a few things I have created using the scraps on my table.  

I made this background when I was cleaning up from making a stencilled background.

Gotta love the 'Awesome' hand lettered die also from Catherine Pooler.

I cut out the butterfly on this cardstock and kept the negative space. 

The background was left over from some experimenting for a card I made last year. 

It didn't take much work to pull this into a card.  

The water colour background was just a bit of an experiment. 

The just for you was a scrap from stamping out a new sentiment stamp set

from My Favourite Things.

I made this background when I was making a wedding card.  

I couldn't use it for the card because it had some nasty smudges on it. 

Trimming it down, made it perfect for this style of card.  :) 

The sentiment is from My Favourite Things. 

Not Bad, right? 

If you are a crafter, tell me in the comments what you do with your left overs/ scraps? How do you store them? Do you used them right away or do you have a pile of them that you hold onto forever?! 

Can't wait to share more with you next week! 

Enjoy

Goal Update May 2018

Hi Everyone, 
I can't believe it's 1 June!!! It's been about a month since we checked in on my goals list, so time to hold the mirror up and see how it's all going. Just in case you need to be reminded, here are my 2018 goals. 

Prioritise my evening routine and sleep pattern 

The sleep pattern is definitely at the top of my priority list.  It's not going so well lately.  I have been waking up during the night and finding it very hard to get back to sleep.  I think this might be related to the stress at work. I'm trying some different things to improve this. My evening routine still needs a lot of work, although I am starting to get ready for bed much earlier than I used to with the idea that I will use some of that extra time to complete everything in the routine.  I'm thinking about making a checklist of all the things I need to do before I lay down to sleep.  Sometimes,  I lay down and remember 5 things I wanted to do before going to bed and I'm so comfortable I don't want to get up.  Need more research. 

Stop drinking soft drinks

I have nailed this one!  I have had one or two soft drinks this year (on very special occasions) but mostly, I don't even miss it.  I just drink water and occasionally have a cup of tea.  I was drinking a lot of juice but I have cut back on that too.  :) 

Complete a Bible Activity and Pray everyday

So I broke 90 days on my tracking app and kept going.  I continue to read my Bible everyday, even if it is only one verse and I reflect on that.  I have missed a day here and there.  Praying everyday was never really an issue for me.  Reading my Bible was the thing I struggled to do daily.  Now that I do this everyday, I don't understand why I struggled so much. I will admit, there are days when reading is the last thing I want to do... reading anything!  However, reading my Bible daily is a habit so even if I miss a day it is easier to get back to it the next day. It means more than an empty exercise as well, which helps.   

Stretch 

For the last two weeks, I have been stretching nearly everyday. This is helping too. I'm finding it hard to stay on track with this goal and to do this as prevention rather than a reaction to feeling yuck.  Sometimes stretching makes me feel more yuck. Finding the stretching sweet spot is difficult when it's not the same everyday. :/

That's that, then.

On another note... 

I have started walking 4 days a week.  I try for 5 days, but my goal is 4 days.  I know that 4 days a week is manageable and realistic.  It's not hard to find time on the weekend to walk and I walk on Wednesday (which is my day off).  Finding time on the other days (getting home from work before dark is a challenge) is a bit tricky, but I'm doing okay so far.  I'm trying to work out what I can do at home (maybe an aerobic workout DVD) on those days so I can keep active and avoid rain or walking in the dark.  The doctor believes more aerobic activity will help me sleep better, so I'm willing to try anything at this point!

  

Okay, now I'm done! :)

Bye