•                          Studying a foreign language

     

    ü    You need to study all four skills of speaking, listening, reading & writing.

     

    Example:  Use flash cards.  You can write English word on one side & the Spanish word on the other. First flip through the Spanish side & just read the words & guess their meaning.  The next time have a buddy say the word in Spanish & you guess the meaning.  Take turns so you can practice speaking as well.  Then, when you think you are good at it, look at the English side & guess the meaning in Spanish.  You should be able to do all four of these skills or you truly do not know the vocab.  You may understand if someone is talking to you, but may not be able to respond back.  The goal is conversation! If you have trouble with spelling, go back to learning the sounds of the letters.   You shouldn’t have to memorize spelling.  You do need to know accent marks though.

    Make two piles:  the ones you know & the ones you don’t.  You can only switch them into the “know” pile when you can do all 4 skills with the word.

     

                                  Or

     

    ü    Make flash cards with Spanish on one side & pictures to represent the words on the other.  That way English is NOT playing a part in your studying.  Ex: You could label your closet when studying clothes etc. (with the permission of your parents of course J)

     

    ü    If you don’t have a partner or can’t call one on the phone, use a tape recorder.  Say the word in Spanish & pause.  Then go through the vocab. again & say the words in English and pause.  After you study, play the recording back & have notes handy to check & see if you are correct.  But no peeking when you’re guessing!

     

    ü    Practice with a Spanish app like Quizlet which can be used on a cell phone or on a computer. It's a great study site.

     

    ü     Use your notes.  Fold them in half.  Look at Spanish/ English one at a time & guess the meaning.  If you’re really struggling with a few words, make flash cards for just the hard ones.

     

    ü     Last but not least, study in small increments (chunks) daily for about 10 minutes.  Count the

    number of vocabulary words & divide it by the

    number of days until your quiz.  Only count words

            you don’t know yet.  This will tell you how many to study       
            per night so you study 5 or so instead of 25!!!