how to answer questions to get good grades
TRANSCRIPT
Answering Questions and Getting Good Grades
René M. Lafayette, M.Ed.World History
November 16, 2016
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Answering Questions & Getting Good Grades
Background
These directions were developed by me as an aid to my 8th Grade World History students who uniformly submit work product that is unnecessarily inferior to what they should be producing. These directions seek to reinforce what they have learned but apparently choose to ignore in a misguided attempt to finish an assignment first - regardless of what their grade ultimately is.
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Answering Questions & Getting Good Grades
1. Read the directions.
2. Focus on the question.
3. Read the question carefully.
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Answering Questions & Getting Good Grades
4. Understand the question.
5. If you have to, chunk it into words.
6. Remember, if you don’t understand the question, chances are that you will not be able to answer it.
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Answering Questions & Getting Good Grades
7. The length of your answer, unless otherwise directed, should fully answer the question.
8. Take whatever length you need to answer the question. (Again, unless there is a specific limit or minimum.)
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Answering Questions & Getting Good Grades
9. This is not a race.
10. Take your time to organize your thoughts (meaning, you should think before you write).
11. Be careful - pay attention to details like spellcheck, if using a computer; grammar, punctuation, spelling.
12. Before submitting your work product, re-read it.
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Answering Questions & Getting Good Grades
Our school uses MLA (Modern Language Association) format.
The system of citation is introduced during Eighth Grade ELA (English Language Arts), though often is not considered by them as transferable to other classes, such as Social Studies. Wrong.
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