1. education
2. homework and study tips

Name ____________________________________
Due Date _________________________________
PLANNING A STUDY SCHEDULE OR
HOW TO IMPROVE GRADES AND STILL HAVE TIME FOR LEISURE
There are many exercises in this packet that must be self-corrected. Indicate with a red pen
your answers that are different from the key. Be sure to put a score wherever indicated. You
will not get full credit for doing the work if you have not done this. All corrections that are to
be done by the instructor must be done before the due date.
Activity
Points Possible
 ANALYSIS OF YOUR OWN STUDY HABITS
(5)
 ANALYSIS OF ANOTHER’S STUDY HABITS
(10)
RECORD OF WEEKLY SCHEDULE
(25) Due
_____________
ANALYSIS OF WEEKLY SCHEDULE
(20)
PLANNING A STUDY SCHEDULE: PART II
(20) Must be
initialed by
_____________
 EVALUATION OF STUDY SCHEDULE
(15)
TOTAL (95)
Though this unit is short, the impact it could have on your study habits is immense. One of
the most difficult adjustments college freshman or vocational students have is managing
their time. In high school administrators, teachers, and parents program you for six hours a
day. In college you may attend classes for three hours Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and
for two hours Tuesday and Thursday. That leaves the vast majority of your time
unscheduled. Many students who go on to post-high school training are totally unequipped
to handle what at first glance seems like an incredible amount of free time. Not until final
examinations do those students realize the error of their habits and even then many do not
know what to do about it. This unit will give you a number of worthwhile hints for effective
management of your time so that your schedule can include school, work, leisure activities,
and study. Too many high school students who have part time jobs omit study. Both can be
worked into a carefully structured scheduled.
OBJECTIVES
When you complete this unit, you will be able to:
1. Recognize the weaknesses in your current study schedule.
2. Structure a weekly study schedule based on specific guidelines.
 ANALYSIS OF ANOTHER’S STUDY HABITS
1
Compare yourself with Randy Reader.
It’s Monday, his psychology teacher announces a unit test on Thursday, his math
teacher assigns 25 problems for Tuesday, and his book report for English is due Friday.
Randy, of course, has not yet started the book. He leaves school at 2:55 determined to
study at least four hours that evening. When he arrives home, he has a snack, listens to the
stereo, and opens the novel he is supposed to read for English. His little brother comes into
the room and invites him to play some broom hockey. Since he has several hours after
supper available for study, he is glad to oblige.
After dinner Randy decides he better call his friends before they call and interrupt his
marathon study session. His phone calls are finished by 7:30, but now it’s time for a snack.
He wanders into the kitchen and there on the table is the newest People magazine. He
browses through the pictures, raids the refrigerator, and finally munches his way towards his
room and books. He passes through the family room where his Dad is watching “Monday
Night Football.” “Just one quarter,” he tells himself. At 9:30 he gasps and charges to his
room feeling considerable guilt and worry.
It takes him an hour to finish the math problems that are due the next day. He
decides to let the psych go and to start the novel. He turns on the stereo, props himself up in
bed and begins to read. Almost immediately he feels drowsy and finds himself rereading
paragraphs. “What a boring book!” he concludes, ‘I’ll start it tomorrow.”
Randy studies for exactly one hour, three hours less than he had planned.
Check below for Randy’s mistakes.
____ He had no clear schedule of exactly what he was going to study and when.
____ He did not find a place to study free of interruptions and distractions.
____ He is not able to work on long-range assignments.
____ He lacks self-discipline.
____ He is too tired to concentrate on the novel and blames his fatigue on the contents of
the book rather than on his schedule.
Randy definitely needs to learn how to schedule his time so that he can accomplish his
academic goals and also enjoy leisure time activities without feeling guilty.
 ANALYSIS OF YOUR OWN STUDY HABITS
The Now Student, a text many of you will use during this course, includes a “Study Habits
Inventory.” It is reprinted here so that you will be able to refer to it from time to time and
assess your improvement.
Directions: Consider each of the following questions carefully, and answer each with a yes
or no. Those answers which fall in the no column indicate areas which need to be improved.
Item
Are you able to study for a sustained period (at LEAST twenty minutes)?
Are you in the habit of getting right down to serious work at study time?
Do you arrange your study time and area so that distractions and
interruptions are minimized?
Are you in the habit of reviewing each subject regularly during the term?
Do you prepare for examinations without cramming?
When preparing for exams, do you outline your course work?
Are you able to anticipate important topics that might be covered on
exams?
2
YES
NO
Item
Do you make it a habit to prepare possible answers to essay questions in
advance?
Do you study regularly at a regular study time?
Do you schedule your time intelligently to cover all subjects?
Do you schedule social activities so that they won’t interfere with studying?
Do you rest properly so that fatigue does not reduce efficiency?
Do you recognize the need to devote extra time to ‘over-learn’ certain
subjects?
Are you able to concentrate in class?
Are you able to listen while taking notes?
Do you use the library regularly?
Are you able to isolate and learn definitions?
Do you make it a habit to review daily for each class?
YES
NO
How many did you answer no? __________
Read over the questions that you answered no and list three problems you plan to work on
first.
1.
2.
3.
Be sure to occasionally reread this inventory and assess you progress.
TACTICS FOR AVOIDING SCHOOL WORK
In College Reading and Study Skills (New York: Holt Rinehart & Winston, 1978, pp
7-8), Wood lists tactics that students frequently use to avoid schoolwork. Put a check by
those that you have used on occasion.
______ Idle Conversation. If you have talked to your friends when you really have other
things which should be done, you must learn to say, “l have to study—I’ll see you later.”
many college freshman have talked their way right out of college, and many students have
idled away their study halls only to find they weren’t going to pass a course required for
graduation.
______ Rationalizing. Common rationalizations or excuses you hear students use are, “The
professor is no good”; “The textbook is boring”; “This place doesn’t really care about
students”; “That teacher’s test questions sure don’t come out of the book or his lectures”; ‘I
studied everything for ten hours and still got an F”; and, “Everyone in the whole class
flunked the test, so it must have been a bad test.” It’s all right to say these things if they
make you feel better temporarily. After you finish rationalizing, however, you should take a
good look at the real reason why you said what you said and then do what you can to make
the situation better. There will be a lot of suggestions in this course to help you solve your
real problems in school.
______ “It’s not relevant.” High schools and colleges are not training grounds for a job.
Instead they provide you with an opportunity to explore various fields you might not
otherwise know about. What seems irrelevant to you today may turn out to be very
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significant in the future. In any case, the more varied your course work, the better-rounded
individual you will be come.
______ Drugs and Alcohol Students who say they can study better when they are drinking
or high need only to try studying when they are fully alert to be convinced that this is an
avoidance tactic.
_____ Get sick. If you frequently feel ill at study time, take your books to bed with you and
study there. If going to bed does not result in “escaping” study, perhaps you will be healthier.
_____ Taking naps. If you sleep a lot in the daytime, you are probably dodging your
schoolwork. If you feel so sleepy you can’t think, take a fifteen-minute nap then get back to
work.
How many of the tactics did you check? ________
Being aware of these avoidance tactics should help you stop using them.
RECORD OF WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Before you can schedule your time, it is important for you to know how you are presently
spending your waking hours.
FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS:
1. Beginning today on the schedule grid (page 7), record how you spend your time. You
need not be specific about your leisure time activities: just write “Leisure” in the box.
2. FiII in those hours that are set each day, for example, school, wrestling practice,
dinner, etc.
3. For the school day, write the name of each class.
4. Record your study time specifically; for example, “Read history, chap.5, answered 8
questions.”
5. Fill in this grid at the end of each day so that your records are accurate.
6. Look at the sample grid on the page 12 of this unit. Randy Reader followed the
directions. Be sure that you do the same.
7. Complete your “Record of Weekly Activities” grid before continuing.
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ANALYSIS OF WEEKLY SCHEDULE
You must have filled out the grid on page 7 of this unit completely and specifically before
working on Part II. Until you have finished that page you will not be able to complete this
unit.
Refer to your completed weekly schedule on page 7, and answer the questions below.
Item
1. Did your week include any study time?
2. If you answered yes to #1, how much time did you use for study
during this week?
½ - 1 hour
1 ½ - 3 hours
3 ½ - 5 hours
More than 5 ½ hours
3. Did you specifically complete what you planned to work on? If
no, why not?
4. Did some assignments take you longer than you had planned?
5. Did you use a free period for study?
6. Even if you had no specific assignment, did you spend time on
schoolwork during the week?
7. Did you do any recreational reading outside of class?
8. Do you think it is important to do some reading during your spare
time?
9. Did you systematically review the week’s notes and readings at
the end of the week?
10. Did you spend any time working on assignments that are not due
for several weeks, e.g. research papers, novel, or projects?
11. Did you waste any time this week that you might have used for
study?
How much
½ - 1 hour
1 ½ - 3 hours
3 ½ - 5 hours
More than 5 ½ hours
12. Were you at all surprised by the way you spent your time last
week? Explain.
13. Did you watch TV last week?
How much
½ - 1 hour
1 ½ - 3 hours
3 ½ - 5 hours
More than 5 ½ hours
5
YES
NO
Item
14. Did you plan ahead what you were going to watch?
15. Do you think it is important to have a study schedule?
16. If you almost never study in high school, do you think you will be
able to change those habits when you begin your post high
school work? Why or why not?
YES
NO
17. Were you unprepared for any classes this week?
18. Did you do poorly on any test last week?
19. Did you use any of the tactics for avoiding schoolwork listed on
pages 2 and 3?
20. Is there room for improvement in your study schedule?
Total up the number of hours spent in each of the following activities for the week.
Sleep
Study
Class (do not count study hall if you didn’t
study)
Meals
Work
After school activities (sports, clubs)
Total
Now subtract your total from 168, the number of hours per week.
168 - __________________ (Total from
above)
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=
___________ (Average
unaccounted hours).
_____________________________________
Based on your answers to the questions and the average above, evaluate your use
of time over the past week.
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Date: From _______ To ______ (Due _____________________)
RECORD OF WEEKLY ACTIVITIES
Before filling out this sheet, carefully read and follow the directions on page 4 of this unit.
You will STOP WORKING FURTHER on in this unit UNTIL THIS SHEET IS COMPLETE.
TIME MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
5:00
–
6:00
a.m.
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PLANNING A STUDY SCHEDULE: PART II
GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING AN EFFECTIVE STUDY SCHEDULE
Learning to schedule your time is an important study skill. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT
SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS USE TIME SCHEDULES. Though each person must work out a
scheduling system which best suits individual needs, several guidelines apply to all study
schedules. Read and study the guidelines for planning an effective study schedule.
1. Choose a place to study free from distractions. This includes music. Research shows
that students learn better without background music. You might think you are the
exception, but the chances are you’re kidding yourself. Perhaps as a high school
student you always do your studies with the stereo on and have done fine. Your
success might be due to an unchallenging schedule, to an above average ability to
handle high school material, or to spending more time reading and studying than
necessary. Your college schedule may prove to be considerably more challenging
and playing your stereo while studying might well be your undoing.
Conduct a mini experiment. On two consecutive evenings, read similar length chapters
of the same textbook. Read one chapter with music playing; read the next chapter
without music. Be sure to use SQ3R. Keep record of the amount of time each chapter
takes. Take notes for your recite step of SQ3R. Then ask someone to quiz you on your
notes and keep record of your responses. If you conduct this experiment in an unbiased
fashion, then chances are that the chapter you studied without music took less time and
resulted in better retention.
2. Plan to use “dead time”. --Short periods of time which are normally wasted: this
might be homeroom, the five to ten minutes a teacher doesn’t use at the end of the
hour, the ten minutes before school, or while waiting for the bus in the morning
and/or afternoon. In college this might be the time between classes, the fifteen
minutes before the professor arrives, or the twenty minutes while you wait for the
bus. Short-term periods can be very effective for study. During this “dead time,” you
can review notes, go over flash cards, look over a textbook chapter, or plan a day’s
schedule.
3. Schedule one-hour blocks of study—fifty minutes to study, ten minutes for a break.
Research shows that one-hour blocks of time are most efficient.
4. Schedule as much time as possible during daylight hours. Research shows that one
hour of daytime study is equal to one and a half hours of night time study. Get your
homework done right after school, and you will have more time in the evening for
recreation and relaxation.
5. Prepare for discussion/recitation courses before class. Material will be fresh in your
mind, and you will be able to participate intelligently. Nothing is more boring than a
discussion of material which fifty percent of the class has not read. Students often
complain about boring classes but are often unwilling to make them more
interesting by participating in discussion.
6. Schedule time to go over lecture material immediately after class. This will give you
an opportunity to review your notes and fill in details and recognize sketchy parts. In
high school many teachers outline their lectures on the overhead. Many students
copy this outline and then “tune out” while the teacher covers each point. Most
teachers, however, expect you to add details as they go over their outlines. Try
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listening and adding details. You may be surprised to find that you do better on the
next test.
In college few professors provide any note taking help. And not all professors are
dynamic or organized lecturers. Boring or interesting, organized or disorganized, you are
responsible for the material covered. Reviewing notes while the lectures are fresh in
your mind will prove to be a valuable tool, particularly in those lecture courses where the
lecturer is not very well organized. Remember, too, that forgetting takes its greatest toll
every within 24 hours.
7. Schedule a weekly review. This might best be done on Sunday and should be at
least thirty minutes. Use this time to read over your notes or look over readings from
the week before, periodic reviews aid memory and eliminate a need to cram before a
test. If you have a lecture class, review your notes each day.
8. Allow sufficient time for sleep, a well-balanced diet, and leisure activities. If you keep
up with your schoolwork on a daily basis, there should be no need to cram for exams
and you should have plenty of time for play. While your dormitory friends are perking
pots of coffee to keep them awake while they cram for the final exams, you will be
able to take in a movie and still get an “A” on the next day’s test.
9. Prioritize assignments. If you have a paper due the next day, a reading assignment
for a science class, a test in German, and a research paper due in two weeks. You
obviously need to prioritize and do the “first things first.” Complete the assignments
that must be done by the next day in order of importance. Study German, complete
the paper, read the science, work on the long-range assignment. If you have no time
to work on the long-range assignment or even to carefully complete the science
reading, you will at least met the two most important deadlines. Learn to prioritize.
10. Be careful not to become a slave to your schedule. If something comes up during
your study time that you really want to do, go ahead and do it, but be sure to make
the time up later in the week. If your teacher gives you an unexpected short-term
assignment. Change priorities for that week. Don’t make that schedule so concise
that you have a guilty conscience if you deviate from it. Though you should not be a
slave to a schedule, it is important to have one. Without a schedule, things tend to
pile up. Long-range assignments get postponed until it becomes impossible to
complete them on time. Lecture notes are a jumbled mess and studying them the
day before the exam is very ineffective: texts are not read, making class discussions
meaningless: and with each nonproductive day, you become increasingly more
anxious or miserable.
GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING AN EFFICIENT STUDY SCHEDULE
Directions: Carefully examine Randy Reader’s study schedule on page 12. He has listed his week’s
assignments at the top of the sheet. Be sure that he worked each of these assignments into his study
schedule. Check below those guidelines for an effective study schedule guideline that Randy has
violated. After each check mark, specifically write out his mistakes. When completed ask the
instructional aide for an answer sheet and for his/her initials. Check your answers and make
necessary corrections in another color ink.
Choose a place to study free from distractions.
9
Plan to use “dead time”.
Schedule one-hour blocks of study
Schedule as much time as possible during daylight hours.
Prepare for discussion/recitation courses before class.
Schedule time to go over lecture material immediately after class.
Schedule a weekly review.
Allows sufficient time for sleep, a well-balanced diet, and leisure activities.
Prioritize assignments
Be careful not to become a slave to your schedule.
STEPS FOR PLANNING YOUR WEEKLY SCHEDULE
You have studied weaknesses in your study habits and the mistakes Randy Reader made
with his schedule. You are now ready to PLAN a study schedule that will improve your
grades and still leave time for play. Before you begin, review the evaluation of your week’s
schedule on pages 4 and 5 and the guidelines for an effective study schedule on pages 6
and 7. A form for your schedule is on page 10. REMEMBER: RESEARCH SHOWS THAT
SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS USE TIME SCHEDULES.
FOLLOW THESE STEPS
1. On page 10 of this packet, write down all your assignments, both long and short
range, and estimate how much time is needed to complete each one. Add additional
assignments as they are given, and if necessary modify your schedule to complete
these.
2. Fill in those hours that are prescheduled for school, work, sleep, and meals.
3. Carefully follow the guidelines on page 8 and 9 as you plan your schedule. Each of
these guidelines must be accommodated in your schedule. In other words, make
sure you plan to use some “dead time,” review your lecture notes, and prepare for
discussions ahead of time.
4. Don’t forget your weekly review.
5. Remember you do have to read two books for this class. Schedule 30 minutes of
reading per week. Do not forget the due date for your vocabulary cards, and review
of your vocabulary cards. Be sure all of your Reading assignments are included in
your plan.
6. When you have finished filling out the sheet on page 13, discuss your plan
with the teacher. This must be initialed before the planned week begins. Very
little credit is given to plans that have not been checked and approved by the
teacher.
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7. Follow your schedule as closely as possible. At the end of each day write “OK” at the
bottom of the column if you followed your schedule and “NO” if you changed it in
some way. At the end of the week, evaluate the success of your plan. An evaluation
sheet is on pages 14 and 15.
11
Date: From _______ To ______
SUBJECT
Psychology
Psychology
Lit
Statistics
Composition
ReCaRe
ReCaRe
ReCaRe
TIME
7:008:00
8:008:15
8:159:15
9:1510:15
MONDAY
Eat/ Bus
Talk to
Friends
Psych
Lecture
Study/
Talk to
friends
10:15- Lit
11:15 Discuss
11:15- Lunch
12:15
12:15- Comp.
1:00
1:00Reading
2:00
Rate
2:00Stats.
3:00
3:00Bus /
4:00
Snack
4:00Out with
5:00
friends
5:00Out with
6:00
friends
6:00Dinner
7:00
7:00Stat.
8:00
Homework
in TV
room
8:00TV
9:00
9:00TV
10:00
10:00- Bed 8
11:00
ASSIGNMENT
Unit test
Research paper
Finish THE HOBBIT
Daily homework
Daily homework
Vocabulary cards
Read outside book
Group day assignment
TUESDAY
Eat/ Bus
DUE DATE
Tues, 3/9
May 5
Friday 3/8
Everyday
Everyday
Wednesday
Everyday
Thursday
TIME NEEDED
5 hours
2 hrs. This week
5 hours
½ to 1 hr. day
½ to 1 hr. day
20 min.
30 min.
1 hour
Talk to
Friends
Psych
Lecture
Study/
Talk to
friends
Lit
Discuss
Lunch
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
Eat/ Bus
Eat/ Bus
Eat/
Bus
Talk to
Talk to
Talk to
Friends
Friends
Friends
Psych Lecture Psych
Psych
Lecture
Lecture
Study/ Talk to Study/ Talk Study/
friends
to friends
Talk to
friends
Lit Discuss
Lit Discuss
Lit
Discuss
Lunch
Lunch
Lunch
Comp.
Comp.
Comp.
Reading
Vocab.
Stats.
Reading
Group
Stats.
Reading
Skills
Stats.
Bus /
Phone
Nap
Bus / Phone
Bus / Phone
Out with
friends
Dinner
Phone
Eat/Get
Dressed
Comp.
TV
Cartoons
Reading Out with
Skills
friends
Stats.
Out with
friends
Bus /
Out with
Snack
friends
Phone
Phone
Dinner
Dinner
Comp. In TV
Room
TV
Phone
Get
Leisure
Dressed
Leisure Leisure
TV
Leisure
Leisure
Leisure
Leisure
Leisure
Leisure
Stats. /
Homework
Stats. /
Homework
Bed
Dinner
Phone
Stat.
Homework
in TV
room
TV break
Stats.
Comp.
TV
Reading
Rdg. assign
Bed 8
Reading
Rdg. assign
12
HOBBIT in
TV Room
HOBBIT in
TV Room
HOBBIT in
TV Room
HOBBIT in
TV Room
SATURDAY SUNDAY
Bed
Bed
Bed
Eat
Bed
Bed
Get
Dressed
Church
Bed
TV
Dinner
Lunch
Lunch
Nap
Phone
Out with
friends
Out with
friends
Dinner
TV
Date: From _______ To ______(Must be initialed by _____________________)
SUBJECT
ASSIGNMENT
DUE DATE
TIME NEEDED
TIME MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY
7:008:00
8:008:15
8:159:15
9:1510:15
10:1511:15
11:1512:15
12:151:00
1:002:00
2:003:00
3:004:00
4:005:00
5:006:00
6:007:00
7:008:00
8:009:00
9:0010:00
10:0011:00
13
 EVALUATION OF STUDY SCHEDULE
You cannot complete this sheet until you have followed your schedule for one week. At the
end of the week, answer the questions below.
Yes No
Did you follow your schedule? If you answered no, what were some of the
problems with your schedule?
Did you allow enough time to complete assignments?
Did you use “dead time” for study? Explain.
Did you study in a place free from distractions? Where?
Did you complete your weekly review?
Did you review each day’s lecture notes the same day you took them?
Total up the number of hours spent in each of he following activities for the week.
Sleep
Study
Class
Meals
Work
After school activities (sports, yearbooks)
Total
Now subtract your total from 168, the number of hours per week.
168 - __________________ (Total from above)
_______________________________________
unaccounted hours).
=
___________ (Average
7
Write the total number of hours unaccounted
for from page 6
Write the total from page 14
Were there fewer hours unaccounted for
during the second week?
Explain.
Did you accomplish more this week than you
normally do?
Yes
No
Yes
No
14
Generally summarize how you felt about following a schedule.
Do you plan to use a study schedule in the
future? Explain.
Yes
No
NOTE: Additional planning forms are available on your Black Board website. Help yourself.
You may want to fill in a blank form with all the activities that are set each week, including
classes, job, sports, commuting time, chores, sleeping, and eating. The blank spaces that
remain on the sheet are the hours available for day-by-day, or weekly planning.
CONGRATULATIONS’ YOU have completed the first study skill unit.
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