The SQ3R Reading Method

By following this method, readers can retain more information and be better prepared for tests or quizzes.

SQ3R is a reading strategy which means:

                        Survey

                        Question

                        Read

                        Recite

                        Review

Survey

Look at all maps, pictures, charts, and captions

Read the titles, headings, and subheadings

Look at review questions or any study guides

Question

Ask yourself, “what do I already know about this?”

Turn titles and headings into questions

Ask yourself, “what would my teachers say about this?”

Read

Write down the answers to questions as you find then

Stop and reread parts that are unclear or vague

Read aloud answers to questions to help you remember

Review

Reread notes written in your own words

Look at all highlighted or underlined sections

Orally recite notes from memory

Create flashcards with important dates, ideas, and vocabulary

Review answered study guides

Take an oral quiz with a friend or family member

Studies have shown that following this method helps with information retention, and prepares users to think critically about what they have learned. 

Understanding Your Child’s Learning Style

What are learning styles and why do they matter?
Learning styles were created as a tool to attempt to understand the ways different people think and learn. Visual learners do well with things like diagrams, charts, and presentations. Auditory learners must hear information in retaining it, so they excel in group discussions, oral presentations, and engaging lectures. Traditional teaching styles are geared towards visual and auditory learners when in reality they are only a small part of the student population. We have now discovered that creative learners make up a significantly larger portion.

What is a creative learner?
Creative learners are often mislabeled at an early age as difficult or unmotivated when in reality they just haven’t found an environment that challenges them correctly. Creative learners succeed when they can combine standard things like reading and lecture with things like art projects, and mental puzzles. Understanding your students learning style can be the key to helping them in their academic career, and can set the stage for future success.

Study Tips

There is no magic potion to make students better test takers, but here are some simple ways to help even the most nervous student confident before any test.

Study Setting
    Research has found that things like color, sound, lighting, and movement can have a significant effect on how we retain information while studying. Using a location like at the kitchen table, at a desk, or on the floor work better than comfortable places like in bed or on the couch.
Controlling the background noise can also help stimulate your brain, like classical and jazz music, but if you don’t prefer those, music without lyrics or low lyrics can help. Music with lyrics can cause you to lose focus on words your reading or writing, then cause you to not retain information. Color is also another useful element in studying for a test. Using different colors while taking notes helps to stimulate your eyes for information retention. Using bright colors on dark backgrounds helps your eyes to focus on the information. Lighting also helps with focus; natural light allows a person's eyes to focus.

Answering Questions
    If you don’t have a study guide or example questions, make up your test questions before reviewing. See how many you can answer from memory to see where you may have gaps in your subject knowledge, then you can fill in the answers while going over your notes and reading.

Taking Breaks
    Taking breaks doesn’t mean you aren’t focused on the information you’re trying to retain, studying is more like a marathon than a sprint. Moving around and getting the blood pumping can help wake up your brain and prepare it for the information that is about to come. You can also read aloud or walk around to engage your brains muscle memory. No matter how you chose to take breaks when you split information into chunks helps your mind remember more details and facts than cramming information in one big piece.

Outline
    When writing an outline, start by writing the main ideas first. Make sure you have a firm grasp on the big picture information before you focus on the smaller details. Outlines are an excellent tool for organizing information for future use or if you want to give yourself a last-minute polish before a test.

Operation Sandwich

This time of year its important to be thankful for all that we have and to be mindful of the need for others. Luckily for us at TrinityPrep, we’ve got some amazing parents who found a way for us to give back to our community through Operation Sandwich and The Urban Ministry Center.

For those of you who don’t know, Operation Sandwich, which is run by The Urban Ministry Center, encourages people to make sandwiches to feed the homeless in our community. They serve around 300,000 sandwiches annually and are hoping to serve more every year.
Here at Trinity, we became involved with The Urban Ministry Center thanks to the involvement of our PTSO members. Thanks to donations from our parents and the work of our students making sandwiches, we have been able to donate around __ sandwiches to benefit the community.

If you’d like to know more about Operation Sandwich or The Urban Ministry Center and the work they do, check them out at
Operation Sandwich.