Table Of ContentThe hm Learning and
Study Skills Program
Teacher’s Guide Level 2
Fourth Edition
Edited by Judy Tilton Brunner and Matthew S. Hudson, EdD
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CONTENTS
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
UNIT
I. Environment Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
II. Learning to Listen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
III. Note-Taking Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
IV. Organizing the Paragraph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
V. Vocabulary: Getting Meaning from Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
VI. A Way to Read Textbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
VII. Researching, Reading, and Using Online Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
VIII. Multimedia Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
IX. Preparing for and Taking Tests: Objective Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
X. Preparing for and Taking Tests: Essay Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
XI. Learning Independence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
XII. Using Your Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
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INTRODUCTION TO THE hm LEARNING AND
STUDY SKILLS PROGRAM: LEVEL II
The hm Learning and Study Skills Program: Level II is desig ned to provide valuable resources for the teaching and
learning of study skills. Before implementation, read this introduction to gain a sense of the purposes, values, the
means and the ends, and the capacities and limitations of this program.
Please note this is the fourth edition of the hm Learning and Study Skills Program: Level II.
TEACHING THE hm STUDY SKILLS PROGRAM: LEVEL II
Developing Learning and Study Skills: Trial and Error
People learn skills through processes of repeated trial and error. One key to learning and study skills teaching is
providing students with sufficient opportunity for practice of the skill to be learned. If students are to master the
study skills presented by this program, it is essential they are provided with structured and ongoing opportunities
for practice of the various skills. For example, if students are learning to take notes, let them practice their skills
in a wide variety of contexts and for many different purposes. Also, as students practice a new learning and study
skill, help them to see the benefits they will gain from their increasing mastery of the skill.
Learning from Errors
A second key to teaching learning and study skills is the recognition that learning a study skill may require the
learner to err before he or she can succeed. Individuals learn skills by being presented with a new skill, trying to use
that skill, committing errors, identifying errors, learning from them, and then making corrections. The understand-
ing of this process creates several responsibilities for the teacher:
a. The teacher must provide a space within the learning process where students can try out a new skill, experi-
ence a good deal of error, but not feel that they have failed or are “failures.”
b. The teacher must provide usable feedback to students about the effectiveness of the use of the new learning
skill.
c. The teacher must provide students with enough opportunities for practice of the new skill, so they begin
to master it.
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INTRODUCTION
d. The teacher must reward students for work done well in using the new learning skill. With such recogni-
tion, students experience success in the learning process, validated both by their own new ability and by the
teacher’s recognition of this. The experience of success motivates students to continue the development of
mastery of the new study skill.
WHERE TO TEACH THE hm LEARNING AND SKILLS PROGRAM
The learning skills included in the hm Learning and Study Skills Program: Level II are ones that are useful in
the study of almost every content area. Thus, this program can be successfully taught within the context of most
any subject.
BUILDING LEARNING AND STUDY SKILLS INSTRUCTION INTO THE
CLASSROOM
It is recommended instructors teach the units from the hm Learning and Study Skills Program within the context
of an already existing course rather than in a minicourse or homeroom setting. Only in the regular classroom can
the teacher of the hm Program integrate learning and study skills with the curriculum of her or his course, and help
the student see both the immediate and long-term value of mastering and employing learning skills.
PACING OF THE PROGRAM
There is no single pacing for the teaching of the units, so teachers must pace the use of these units in a way that
helps students learn and begin to master the various learning and study skills.
Pacing examples might include the following:
a. One unit per week;
b. A division of the instructional responsibility for the units in the program among different subject area teach-
ers, with each one teaching some part of the program;
c. Three or four units in a one-month period; then, a second month for ongoing practice of these skills, fol-
lowed by the use of another three or four units in a one-month period; and so on.
Designing a strategy that will provide opportunity for the immediate application and reinforcement of the various
learning and study skills is important. Adopting an instructional strategy for learning skills that is suited to the
needs of students is recommended.
USING SMALL GROUPS IN THE CLASSROOM
For several units in the hm Program, the use of small, cooperative groups of students working the various exercises
is recommended for the following reasons:
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INTRODUCTION
a. The interactions within small groups of students working on a common task can facilitate the learning of
skills through shared problem solving. In this way, students can share their talents and experience and learn
from each other.
b. Small-group processes offer a superb method of genuinely engaging students in an activity. Such processes
help both to enhance motivation for learning and to increase interest in the content of a lesson, because they
offer active participation to each student.
c. Membership of small groups should be based upon the teacher’s knowledge of students. Sometimes it works
best if groups are heterogeneous. Other times homogeneous groups may work better. Regardless of the type
of grouping, students need both individual and group accountability.
Individual work is of critical importance to the learning of study skills. When a skill is introduced in a group
setting, it becomes crucial to provide for individual work with that skill through homework and/or other class
activities.
USING THE hm LEARNING AND STUDY SKILLS PROGRAM:
PRE-TEST, SUGGESTED DIRECTIONS, ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS,
AND UNIT SUMMARIES
Pre-Test
Begin by administering the pre-test to all students. It is located at the conclusion of this introduction. The purpose
of the test is to activate prior knowledge of students as well as to help teachers understand what students know and
do not know related to studying effectively. The pre-test should not be used as a grade; it should be utilized to begin
a serious discussion related to what works and does not work when learning challenging and complex information.
Remember, an important part of the discussion is not whether questions are true or false. Rather, students need to
understand why something is true or false. By understanding why, they will be more likely to make adjustments in
their current study skill regimen in the hopes of improving grades and learning.
Suggested Directions
The Teacher’s Guide offers “Suggested Directions” for the teaching of each unit in the program. The program of-
fers content where students may practice the various skills; however, the teacher may wish to substitute the content
of a course in its place if desirable.
Additional Suggestions
Additional teaching suggestions are provided in each unit. These are supplemental teaching activities to be used as
reinforcement and additional practice or for the purpose of enriching the unit content.
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INTRODUCTION
Unit Summaries
Each unit includes a summary. These unit summaries are included both in the Student Text and in the Teacher’s
Guide. While the use of the summaries has not been included in the suggested directions for instruction, teachers
should discuss the information and use the summaries as part of the lesson closure.
SUGGESTED RETRIEVAL ACTIVITIES
Each unit includes a list of suggested retrieval activities. When a unit comes to closure, these suggestions and
activities are meant to further students’ understanding of the material by applying new or enhanced study skills to
additional related work. The suggested retrieval activities scaffold students’ learning by using the study skills they
have listened to, read about, and completed exercises on, to applying that information learned in context. This ap-
plication provides the highest level of learning for the student.
TECHNOLOGY ADAPTATION
The suggested uses for technology have been included for two primary reasons. First, technology is appealing to
students and teachers; it sparks an interest when the learner might otherwise disengage. Secondly, the use of online
resources adds a dimension to learning both vast and global. While none of the lessons within this series requires the
use of technology, many can be enhanced using websites and other resources. Teachers should be familiar with www
.classroom20.com. This invaluable resource provides new and innovative programs for classroom use. When possible,
teachers should use all the technological resources available within the school. If students are truly to be college and
career ready, the appropriate use of technology must be part of each day’s lessons. However, because many schools
have limited technological assets, all lessons can be implemented without the use of an electronic component.
The challenge for educators will be enhancing their own knowledge related to technology while maintaining
a commitment to innovative and engaging instructional strategies. The following are samples of web-related re-
sources that can facilitate instruction and learning.
SELECTED TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES
Animoto: an online service that helps create videos from images and video clips.
Blabberize: animate images and make them talk.
Blogspot: allows users to create a simple blog.
Diigo: an online bookmarking service that supports students as they work on a research project.
Edmodo: a resource that provides a method to share classroom content in a way similar to Twitter.
Educreations: a tool for sharing video lessons.
Gliffy: a collaborative tool for designing flowcharts and diagrams.
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INTRODUCTION
Glogster: an online web service that helps create virtual posters through the use of multimedia.
Google Docs: a word processing resource to facilitate sharing, creating, and editing documents.
Google Plus: facilitates the use of video chats.
Lucidchart: create online diagrams and flowcharts.
MyFakeWall: fake Facebook-style profiles for historical figures.
Photovisi: photo collages for downloading and printing.
PicMonkey: photo editing.
Plurk: a social network similar to Twitter.
Posterous: an easy tool for blogging.
ProConLists: an electronic listing of positives and negatives of an issue.
Queeky: an online drawing application.
ReadWriteThink: creates cartoons with images and thought bubbles.
RubiStar: an online tool to help design scoring rubrics.
Schoology: a website designed to manage lessons, engage students, and share content.
Shape Collage: facilitates in making an electronic collage.
StudyBlue: online flash cards, quizzes, and study guides for sharing.
SurveyMonkey: creates a survey and analyzes the results.
TeacherTube: a video-sharing website designed specifically for classroom use.
Tumblr: an easy tool for blogging.
Twitter: an easy-to-use microblog.
Wallwisher: creates a multimedia wall for students to brainstorm ideas, notes, etc.
WebQuest: facilitates students as they research content online.
Wordle: a resource that generates word clouds from text.
Zapd: a tool for creating a website.
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