by
Affiliate GlobalScholar
| Mar 07 2008, 12:45 PM
Filed under: General
It's Friday! We tried to get David Letterman to read this list. That did not pan out. Oh well; Dave is a busy man.
With the advent of WASL, we at GlobalScholar.com together with our editor BFF's at GreatSchools.net, have put together a list of the top ten ways to prepare for the WASL test. If people beg and plead, perhaps I can even make a YouTube clip for this ;-)
- Teach Your Parents a Lesson. Turn the tables on a family member and teach them how to do your homework. How did you figure out the answer to a problem? Explain the steps you used to find the answer and see if they understand.
- Find a Study Buddy. Studying can be more fun when you have someone to do it with. Try tutoring a friend, or quiz each other with practice questions from coolschooltools.com. You’ll be helping each other pass the WASL so you can do other fun things, rather than spending time studying for a retake later on.
- Assess your Assets. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses on WASL subjects saves study time and improves your score. There are many resources on the web to assess your skills, including GlobalScholar.com which offers free assessments of your WASL preparedness and free tutoring. You can never be too prepared, but you may find that you already have some subjects down cold.
- Socialize on Facebook. Update your Facebook profile to say “studying for the WASL.” It will let friends know you are busy, and might help you find a study partner. Your buddies will thank you for the reminder. Depressed about the test? Excited? Join a Facebook support group. Share and discuss tips with other people in the same boat, and get advice from tutors!
- Don’t be a Zombie. Do you watch television after school every day? Try skipping a show or two and picking up a book instead. Or record your favorite show, and read about the cast online before you watch it. Find a site where you can post comments about what you thought of today’s episode. Or try writing a script that would knock the show producers’ socks off.
- Have Fun with Fundamentals. Spend some time doing some retro-style studying. Practice your multiplication tables. Time yourself and try to beat your score the next time. Have a spelling bee with your family. And if you win, definitely don’t forget to make the loser do your chores.
- Practice, Practice, Practice. Practice makes perfect. Try some WASL sample questions at sites like bestsamplequestions.com or partnership4learning.org. You probably know more than you think.
- Get Your Gear On. You don’t want to waste test time sharpening your pencil or trying to find a new eraser. Bring extra materials, and maybe even a couple to share with the rest of the class just in case they aren’t quite as prepped as you are. If you want to be prepared to the point of being enviable, get yourself a WASL mug or t-shirt from a site like cafepress.com. Sweet swag can make anything feel more fun!
- Sing Away Stress. If you’re a worried about the test, try some inspiring lyrics to help you relax. Girls, try Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Guys, try Kayne West’s “Stronger.” Just don’t use the grammar for WASL studying.
- Be Kind to Your Mind. There are many last minute things you can do to help you concentrate and be in the right mindset for the test. Some tips you might have heard before: get a good night sleep, eat a healthy breakfast and bring something to munch on during test breaks. Some other things to consider: exercise to wake yourself up instead of having energy drinks in the morning; eat a big breakfast, but not so big that you’re going to feel sick during the test; and put munchies into a sandwich bag so they won’t crinkle loudly if you are eating them during the test.
Any other suggestions? Feel free to share with others by submitting a comment below. Thanks!