Guide
The following contains suggestions for studying for a chapter test in a first or second-year language course. Keep in mind that your study path may change, depending on what your instructor tells you about your test, depending on information you receive on a review sheet, depending on your own learning style, and depending on the language you are studying! Adapt the following suggestions to suite your own needs and skills.
(at least 1 hour)
Important! Do not do the following activities in one sitting. Practice for 5-10 minutes throughout the day or in between other study activities.
Make flashcards on index cards – English on one side and the language you are studying on the other (including articles for nouns, if relevant, and all verb forms) on the other. Repeatedly drill yourself on the cards. When you feel like you know a word thoroughly, remove it from the stack.
Separate your flashcard stack into nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Study them for a while separately and then mixed together.
If you are studying a gendered language, like German, separate your noun stack into masculine, feminine, and neuter words. Study them for a while separately and then mixed together.
Identify words that are particularly difficult for you. Write these words and definitions repeatedly on a piece of scrap paper.
Practice the vocabulary activities in the book or on-line (answer keys accompany many of the on-line exercises!) Can you put vocabulary words into context? If not, you do not know them yet!
If you have had vocabulary quizzes in class, use past quizzes as a study tool. Spend extra time studying material from the quizzes that you found most challenging.
(at least 1-2 hours)
Practice, practice, practice. Unless it has been a successful method for you in the past or unless your instructor specifically tells you to do so, do NOT spend time memorizing grammar rules. Instead, open the book to the proper grammar page and do practice exercises, using the grammar page as a reference.
Go back to the online, graded homework. Do you understand what you did incorrectly? Use the grammar reference pages in your textbook as a helper. If not, on a separate piece of paper, go through the exercise again. You can always contact your instructor if you run into trouble – most online textbook programs have an “instructor help” option.
For grammar topics that include charts (for example, dative pronouns and their endings, in German), run drills for yourself, just as you would with vocabulary. Create flashcards or write out the charts. When you study, ALWAYS reference the chart to check your answer – there is no reason to guess when you are studying. Referencing the charts WHILE you practice will help you internalize them.
If you need to, go BACK in the book. Language learning is comprehensive, which means that information and skill builds on TOP of earlier information. If you did not understand or master a skill from a previous chapter, it might be impacting your understanding of the current grammar concept or skill!
Again, practice, practice, practice – with the help of the textbook, online textbook component, other online resources (ask your instructor, if you aren’t sure which ones to use), handouts from class, your instructor, and even classmates, there will be no shortage of extra activities to help you practice and understand grammar topics.
(at least 30 minutes - 1 hour)
Review the reading/videos/cultural material that your instructor has indicated will be on the test (or that is contained in the assigned chapter[s]). If it is a text, for example, re-read it. Note words you do not know. Go through the reading questions provided in the book. Can you answer them? If not, go back to the text or contact your instructor/tutor with questions.
As you read, make note of grammar constructions you recognize in the text. For example, if future tense is a grammar topic in the chapter, find sentences in the future tense in the text. Or are you studying conjugations? Where do you see them in the text? How do they impact the structure and the meaning of the sentence? This exercise will help you understand the reading AND will help you learn to recognize grammar concepts in context.
(at least 30-45 minutes)
If your instructor has provided you with writing topics that will be on the test...
Practice! On a piece of scrap paper jot down either notes or full sentences as a response to the essay question you choose.
If you are using words that are new (and not on the chapter vocabulary list), make a separate set of flashcards.
When writing full sentences, ask yourself questions like “Am I using the correct helping verb here?” “Is my verb in the correct position?” “Is this noun in the accusative or dative?”. These questions will help you formulate better sentences, and will ALSO help you study for the grammar portion of the test.
If your instructor has not provided you with a topic, but you know there will be a writing section...
Practice! What themes does the chapter contain? What have you discussed in class? What have the topics of group work been during this chapter? The writing topic will most likely be related to what you have been practicing in class! You can also use question prompts from activities in your textbook as a practice topic.
Create a topic for yourself that relates to the theme of the chapter and write a model paragraph – at least 6-7 sentences.
If you are using words that are new (and not on the chapter vocabulary list), make a separate set of flashcards.
When writing full sentences, ask yourself questions like “Am I using the correct helping verb here?” “Is my verb in the correct position?” “Is this noun in the accusative or dative?”. These questions will help you formulate better sentences, and will ALSO help you study for the grammar concepts on the test.