Study Skills for Middle School Session 1

Grade Level: 6-8

Time: 30 minutes
Purpose: Learn how creating an assignment tracker can help improve study time.
VSCA Standards:
MA1. Understand the relationship of personal abilities, goals, skills, interests, and
motivation to academic achievement
MA2. Understand the relationship of dependability, productivity, and initiative to
academic success
MA5. Understand individual assessment results in relation to educational progress
Measurable Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Determine where they have some study skill weaknesses
2. Learn how best to consistently enter homework
Materials:
Group Rules
Are You a Super Studier worksheet
Folders for each student (three hole punched)
Markers
(7 minutes) Anticipatory Set: Since this is our first meeting, I will explain
confidentiality and go over our rules. We will do short introductions by saying our name
and our favorite activity. I will also explain that the group is here to learn organizational
skills and ways to improve their study habits.
(5 minutes) Activity 1: Ask the question Do you think you are well organized? Do you
think you need help with study habits? Have students take the Are You a Super
Studier worksheet. Explain that I dont expect them to answer the correct answer all
the time (I want them to be honest), but these are goals we are going to work toward.
(7 minutes) Guided Practice: I will ask how they all track their homework? And how
do they track when a test is? How about projects that are due in a few weeks?
Do they write it on their agendas?
Or do they enter it on their calendar on the Chromebook?
They can choose which way to enter the information, but I would like to see this every
week before we start group to review if they are doing it. If there is no class in
homework they must write No Homework. No blanks or empty spaces are allowed! I
will explain that this will help them now in school, in high school, and even outside of
school. People often keep to do lists at work and at home.
(7 minutes) Activity: Give each student a folder that is three hole punched. Explain that
this is how they will track their homework from now on. Open the folders and on one
side write, To Do and on the other side write Done. They will put the homework
they need to do for every class in this folder. Once they have completed that homework,
they will put it in the other side. This folder should go with them to every class. That
way, when it is time to hand it in, they know exactly where it is. They will not need to
go through notebooks, binders, or lots of pages to find it. If there is time, they may

decorate these folders.

(2 minutes) Closure: Explain to the students again that I will check next week to see if
they entered their homework and test dates. Have them put their folders away and
remind them to use them. Congratulate them on surviving their first session!
(3-5 minutes) Evaluation Measure: Ask each member how they will track their
assignments. Then ask how they will keep their homework organized.
Lesson Extensions:
Teacher Extension: Email teachers and let them know what we are doing to track
assignments and organize homework. Ask them that if they see students using these
folders to compliment their organization skills.

CONFIDENTIALITY
What you say in here, stays in here.
Unless, someone wants to hurt you, you want to hurt someone else, or you want
to hurt yourself.
Group Rules
1. Be here
2. Commit to goals
3. Be respectful
4. Care for self and others
5. What is said in here, stays in here

Are You a Super Studier?

Below are some familiar situations. Circle the best answer for each one.
1. Its time for school! Before you rush out to meet the bus, you:
a. Run around the house looking for your book bag, stuffing in whatever notebooks
and textbooks are lying around.
b. Grab your book bag from your room, but wonder if all your notebooks and textbooks are in it as you head out the door.
c. Grab the book bag from its regular spot. You know everything you need is
there, because you packed it the night before.
2. The bell has rung and youre walking out of class with a friend. Your teacher says,
Tonight, please read Chapter 3 and answer the questions at the end. You:
a. Keep walking out of class, telling yourself youll remember the assignment.
b. Write it on a scrap piece of paper and shove it into your book bag.
c. Take out your homework notebook and write it in the days list of assignments.
3. You get home and realize you didnt write down your math homework. You:
a. Call someone you know in that class to find out the assignment.
b. Plan on doing your math homework during your science class.
c. Celebrate! No math homework tonight!
4. Your social studies teacher wants your paper typed on a computer. You dont have one
at home, so you:
a. Ignore her request and write it in your neatest handwriting.
b. Figure youll use the computer lab the day its due.
c. Sign up to use the library computer at least twice that week, in case it takes
longer than you expected.
5. Its time to head home, so you swing by your locker. You:
a. Pick up your book bag and whatever books you think you might need for homework that night.
b. Check your homework notebook to see what books and other materials youll
need for homework that night.
c. Look at all the books in your locker, feel overwhelmed, and go home with an
empty book bag.
6. You know you have a paper, math homework, and lots of reading to do before
tomorrow. Before you get started, you:
a. Eat a snack, call a friend, check your email, call another friend, check your email
again...
b. Grab your books and turn on the television.
c. Go to your special, quiet spot for studying and set a goal for what you need to
accomplish.

Study Skills for Middle School Session 2

Grade Level: 6-8
Time: 30 minutes
Purpose: Learn importance of study time at home and listening to directions.
VSCA Standards:
MA1. Understand the relationship of personal abilities, goals, skills, interests, and
motivation to academic achievement
MA2. Understand the relationship of dependability, productivity, and initiative to
academic success
MA5. Understand individual assessment results in relation to educational progress
Measurable Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Create a consistent time and comfortable place to study
2. Understand the importance of listening to and/or reading directions
Materials:
Review Group Rules
My Study Time & Space worksheet
Following Directions worksheets
Study Skills checklist (can we laminate?)
(5 minutes) Anticipatory Set: As students walk in, I will ask to see if they wrote their
homework last week. Once everyone is settled, I will quickly explain confidentiality and
go over our rules again. If they have entered their homework, they will get a lollipop!
(5 minutes) Guided Practice 1: The first thing we will go over is how and where they
do their homework. Do they have a consistent time? Do they do it in the same spot
every week (the kitchen table, desk in your room)? Explain that it is very important to
keep this consistent.
They should choose the same time every day, such as right after school or right after
dinner. They should review what they need to do, and prioritize what they should work
on first.
If they get antsy, it is fine to walk around, close your eyes and do some deep breaths, or
use the bathroom. Do not pick up your phone or start looking online, this always takes
up more of your time than you expect!
They should also pick a consistent spot every day. This spot should have their supplies
close by so they dont have to hunt for materials every day. The spot should be:
Comfortable
Quiet
Have few interruptions
Has all your materials close by
(5 minutes) Activity 1: Have students fill out the My Study Time & Space worksheet.
Review answers together.
(5 minutes) Activity 2: This activity will show you how important directions can be.
First they have to circle the numbers in order. I will give them 30 seconds, and then they
have to say how far they got.

This time I will give them directions. Start at the corners, see if you can find a pattern,
and then circle the numbers in order. After 15 seconds I will stop and see how far they
got.
Do they see why reading or listening to directions can be so important? So often we
think about this while doing SOLs, but not everyday when listening in class or reading
our homework. If we pay attention to directions, it can make our lives so much easier.
(5 minutes) Activity 3: If time allows, review the Study Skills Sheet Checklist. If not,
just hand it out for them to keep at home in their study spot.
(2 minutes) Closure: Remind students to stay on top of writing their assignments down
and use their checklist.
(3 minutes) Evaluation Measure: Ask each member if they can name a new study habit
they learned today.
Lesson Extensions:
Counselor Extension: Write down the times the students said they would try to do
consistent homework time. Create an after school timeline to ask if they were able to
stick with it when they return next week.

My Study Time & Space

Study Time
The best time for me to study is:

I prefer that time of day because:

Study Place
In what room do you prefer to study?

Is that room quiet & free of distractions?

How do you handle interruptions?

Put your phone in another room! Only use your Chromebook or computer
for school, not socializing or playing!

Study Skills Checklist

I have one place to write down my homework assignments and any books that need
to go home every day.
I check this list every day when Im packing my book bag to go home.
I have a special place to study thats comfortable and quiet.
I have all my study materials in one placeincluding paper, pencil, calculator, and
dictionary.
I have a place to use a computer if I need it.
I study at about the same time every day, and know that this is the best time for me.
When I sit down to study, I have a clear goal of what I want to accomplish in each
subject.
I usually have enough time to finish my homework.
I have the phone number of at least one person in each class that I could call with a
question about an assignment.
Every night, I put all the things I need to take to school the next day in the same
place.

Study Skills for Middle School Session 3

Grade Level: 6-8
Time: 30 minutes
Purpose: Learn how to take notes.
VSCA Standards:
MA1. Understand the relationship of personal abilities, goals, skills, interests, and
motivation to academic achievement
MA2. Understand the relationship of dependability, productivity, and initiative to
academic success
MA5. Understand individual assessment results in relation to educational progress
Measurable Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Understand the importance of taking clear notes
2. Learn different methods of taking notes
Materials:
Whats My Line? worksheets
Note Taking worksheets
(5 minutes) Anticipatory Set: As students walk in, I will ask to see if they wrote their
homework last week. Split students into two groups. Explain I will only give directions
once. Im going to ask your group to gather 5 objects, the first group to get all objects
wins. Your group needs to work together for this.
List A
List B
A blank piece of paper
Lip gloss or chapstick
A homework planner
A shoelace
A pen or pencil
A coin
A highlighter
A watch
A textbook
A necklace
See if either group took notes. If they did, was it easier to remember what you needed to
gather?
(5 minutes) Guided Practice 1: People need to take notes to help them remember
things. Often your teacher will give you a worksheet you need to fill out while s/he is
teaching. This is one way you can listen and remember how to take notes. Taking notes
not only helps you in two different ways.
You remember the material the teacher is giving better
It helps to keep you engaged, this means it helps you to pay attention to what
your teacher is saying. You will continue to listen to her and not get as easily
distracted.
(5 minutes) Activity 1: Have students look at Whats My Line? worksheet and enter
which profession they think uses these notes. Stress that note taking is something you
will use for the rest of your life. This is an example of people who are in very different
jobs use notes.
(5 minutes) Guided Practice 2: There are several different ways to take notes.
Using a teacher created worksheet like we mentioned before.

 Outlining - create an outline as your teacher speaks, starting with a main idea and
bulleting details below
Cornell Method list main idea on the left, and list supporting details on the right
(5 minutes) Activity 3: Hand out the worksheet Note-Taking Method. Show the
Outlining Method and Cornell Method. Let them know they are going to take notes on
the document I read using these methods.
Read Should College Pay Athletes? and have them take notes using Outlining Method,
and then read Boo! Its Good for You and have them take notes using the Cornell
Method.
(2 minutes) Closure: Ask students which method they found easier. Do they think they
can do this in class?
(3 minutes) Evaluation Measure: Ask each member why they should take notes (help
them remember the material and it keeps them engaged)
Lesson Extensions:
Teacher Extension: Email teachers copies of the Note Taking worksheets so they will
know what we reviewed and perhaps they can reinforce in class.

Whats My Line?
NOTES
100 people/Saturday, July 16th at 4pm
Bloomville Town Hall
RENTALS
U Rent It Rentals R Us
tables, chairs, dishes, glasses, silverware
MENU
Grilled chicken, rice, green salad, chocolate
cake
TREES
4 Blue Spruce
2 Oak
2 Maple
3 Scotch Pine (along pathway)
18 years old
fever
stomach ache
chills
started a week ago otherwise healthy
sister had stomach flu two weeks ago
flop
2 over easy
coffee, no cow
blt
squeeze one

PROFESSION

Should College Pay Athletes?

In August, a judge ruled that college athletes can be paid. That is seen as a win for college
basketball and football players. It is seen as a loss for the National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA), which might have to begin paying its athletes.
The ruling would take effect in 2016. It does not say that athletes must be paid. It says
colleges can choose to pay athletes. Players would get the money only after graduating
from or leaving the school.

http://www.timeforkids.com/news/tfk-poll-should-college-athletes-be-paid/178636

Boo! Its Good For You

Being frightened can be good for you. Think about your favorite scary book or movie.
What happens when something goes bump in the night, or a door creaks or slams, or glass
shatters? It often makes us jump. This reaction is provoked by fear.
Fear makes your brain flood with healthy chemical substances that excite your mood and
release feelings of euphoria, or great excitement. According to Dr. Margee Kerr, a
sociologist who studies fear, this powerful chemical punch includes endorphins and
dopaminea natural compound in the body that creates feelings of happiness.

http://www.timeforkids.com/news/boo-its-good-you/189006

NOTE-TAKING METHODS
OUTLINING

MAIN IDEA

SUPPORTING DETAILS

Study Skills for Middle School Session 4

Grade Level: 6-8
Time: 30 minutes
Purpose: Learn memory aids and test taking skills
VSCA Standards:
MA1. Understand the relationship of personal abilities, goals, skills, interests, and
motivation to academic achievement
MA2. Understand the relationship of dependability, productivity, and initiative to
academic success
MA5. Understand individual assessment results in relation to educational progress
Measurable Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Use memory aids
2. Learn how to determine what will be on tests
Materials:
Computer & Schoolhouse Rock Video
Whats on the Test? worksheets
(7 minutes) Anticipatory Set: As students walk in, I will ask to see if they wrote their
homework last week. Ask the students what a conjunction is. Tell them its a word that
hooks up words, clauses, or phrases. Tell them that I know that, I can recite the
preamble of the Constitution, and I always remember how a Bill gets to be a law because
of watching cartoons. Then show them Schoolhouse Rock.
(5 minutes) Guided Practice 1: People often use tricks to help them remember things.
Creating lyrics to a song is one way like Schoolhouse Rock or singing the days
of the week
Write & read flashcards
Create your own worksheet
Say things as fast as you can over and over (milli, centi, deci, deca, hecto, kilo)
Acronyms & Acronymic sentences
(5 minutes) Activity 1: Ask students to share with me ones they have used in the past.
Is there anything they currently are studying that we can help them create a memory
aid?
(5 minutes) Activity 2: Handout Whats On the Test? and tell students to fill in the
blanks based on the information discussed below.
Your Teacher: Sometimes teachers provide study questions. If not, you can always
ask your teacher to identify important concepts or textbook chapters covered on
the test.
Your Textbook: Look at the main concepts within chapters, words in bold (new
vocabulary words or concepts), and end-of-chapter questions.
Your Notes: Look for key points in your notes. After all, if your teacher spent time
talking about it in class, you know she thought it was important.
Your Classmates: Ask classmates what they think were the most important points.
It may help to compare notes.

 Yourself: Consider what questions you would you ask if you were the teacher, and
write down a list of your own questions.
(5 minutes) Closure: Ask to look at one students notebook and see if together we can
determine what to study.
(3 minutes) Evaluation Measure: Ask for them to describe the different memory aids
we went over and ask which they would prefer to use the most.
Lesson Extensions:
Counselor Extension: Create a wordle based on the responses from the Evaluation
Measure.

WHAT'S ON THE TEST?

Before you start studying for a big test, make a list of the main points that will be covered.
How will you know? Complete the following sentences to identify five important sources
for figuring out whats on a test.
1. Your Teacher: Sometimes teachers provide ____________________. If not, you can
always ask your teacher to identify important concepts or textbook chapters covered on
the test.
2. Your Textbook: Look at the main concepts within chapters, words in bold (new
vocabulary words or concepts), and end-of-chapter ________________________.
3. Your Notes: Look for key points in your notes. After all, if your teacher spent
________________________ talking about it in class, you know she thought it was
______________________.
4. Your Classmates: Ask classmates what they think were the most
_____________________ points. It may help to compare notesyou may have missed
something.
5. Yourself: Consider what questions you would ask if you were the teacher, and write
down a ________________ of your own questions.

Study Skills for Middle School Session 5

Grade Level: 6-8
Time: 30 minutes
Purpose: Review
VSCA Standards:
MA1. Understand the relationship of personal abilities, goals, skills, interests, and
motivation to academic achievement
MA2. Understand the relationship of dependability, productivity, and initiative to
academic success
MA5. Understand individual assessment results in relation to educational progress
Measurable Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. Review what they have learned
2. Celebrate their accomplishments
Materials:
Treats for eating
(5 minutes) Anticipatory Set: As students walk in, I will ask to see if they wrote their
homework last week. I will show the tally of who did the best of keeping up with writing
down their assignments, and award them the winner.
(10 minutes) Guided Practice 1: Review all our topics:
Review Super Studier worksheet now and see if they feel they have improved
Following an assignment tracker
Know importance of a study time & space
Review following directions
The value of taking good notes
Memory Aids
Knowing what will be on a test
(15 minutes) Closure: Enjoy food and rest of time together!

References
Dorough, B. (Writer) & McCall, D. (Creator). (1975). Conjunction junction. Schoolhouse
Rock. In McCaffrey & McCall (Producer), New York: ABC.
Feinberg, J. (2013). Wordle. Retrieved from http://www.wordle.net/
First Steps Training and Development, Inc. (n.d.) Quick Draw. Retrieved from
http://www.firststepstraining.com/images/pdf/quick_draw.pdf
Keady, C. (2014, October 31). Boo! Its good for you. Time For Kids. Retrieved from
http://www.timeforkids.com/news/boo-its-good-you/189006
Roads to Success (2010). Study Skills. Retrieved from
https://www.waytogori.org/images/ri/pdfs/rts/Facilitators_Guides/Grade_7/G7
_Unit4_StudySkills.pdf
TFK Staff. (2014, September 26). TFK Poll: Should college athletes be paid? Time For
Kids. Retrieved from http://www.timeforkids.com/news/tfk-poll-should-collegeathletes-be-paid/178636