How to succeed in science

To do well in science, you need to develop effective study skills and learn to participate in class. If your science class includes labs, you should learn to do well in the labs as well. If you have good study skills that you have acquired in other courses, you can use many of these skills to do well in science.

Take clear, well-organised notes. The notes you take in class will help you know what you need to learn between classes. Do not try to write down everything the teacher says. Instead, pay careful attention to any information your teacher suggests as exam material. Read through your notes again after class. If you find anything in your notes that confuses you or that you think might be wrong, ask your teacher or a classmate to make sure you have the right information. If you wait too long to read your notes, you may not remember enough of the lesson to make sense of them. It may help you to rewrite your notes in a condensed form. This way you can check whether you have really understood the material.

Learn the reasons behind the facts. Science may seem like a lot of facts, but every fact was figured out by someone trying to answer the question "Why?". Learning how things are connected can help you make sense of the facts you learn in science class. For example, if you imagine a cannon being fired, you may better remember Newton's Third Law: 'For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction'. But what does this mean? Because a cannon is larger than a cannonball, when it is fired, the bullet is pushed over a great distance. But at the same time, the bullet exerts its own force on the cannon, so the cannon is also pushed back a few centimetres in the opposite direction. This is an example of Newton's third law.

Imagine you are teaching someone else. When you think you have understood the material, try to explain it to someone else. Teaching someone else is the best way to see if you really understand the material you have learned. If you can test your knowledge on a friend or family member, it will help you to assess your own knowledge. It can be helpful to imagine what kind of questions you would ask if you were the teacher. Try to find new examples of the information you have learned based on your own experience or knowledge.

Pay attention to demonstrations. In science classes, there are often demonstrations done by the teacher or other students that they want you to copy. If you want to do well in science subjects, pay close attention to every demonstration in class. Make sure that your view of the demonstration is not blocked by other people. Adjust your seat if you can to see. If you need to stand up or move to another seat, ask your teacher for permission. Prepare for the lab. Many science subjects have labs that demonstrate techniques you learned in your textbook or lecture. Your teacher will expect you to be ready to start the lab. Read the instructions for the lab before class. Mark the parts you need to clarify. Also read through your notes from the last lesson as the lab may be the same as the previous lesson.

Refer to several sources. When studying your notes, do not just refer to the textbooks you were given, but also use internet research to supplement your understanding. Sometimes your material will be better explained by another source. You can use these sources to supplement your work. Using visual information, graphics, videos, or other media can help you understand the lesson. If the sources you find contain information that contradicts what you have learned in class, take careful notes, and ask your teacher. This could be the basis for further discussion.

Useful resources include:

Activate online textbooks and resources shared in the files section on MS Teams.
www.educake.co.uk 
www.quizlet.com 
Science KS3 (solutions, examples, worksheets, videos) (onlinemathlearning.com)
Nord Anglia Global Campus Steam section