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Algebra Made Easy, Issue #003 -- Quick Reference Guides
October 04, 2009

Welcome to Algebra Made Easy!

Wow! Can you believe it has already been a month into the new school year? I hope that everyone has gotten off on the right foot and is doing well!

This is about the time when most students finish the first unit of Algebra 1. Some of you may still be doing a little review of pre-algebra and others may already be working on or finishing Solving Equations!

Either way, many of you may be gearing up for your first test! So, for this issue of Algebra Made Easy, I have a list of study skills and test taking skills that may help get you through that first test!

I also have a new addition to the newsletter! Each month you will see a new Quick Reference Guide! This is one way that I'm going to try to make Algebra easier for you to understand!

As always, please feel free to contact me if you have a question or comment!

I wish you well in your Algebra studies!

All the best,

Karin





Here's What You'll Find in This Issue



Quick Reference Guide for Solving Equations

Studying For Your Algebra Test

Test Taking Skills

What's New on Algebra-class.com?




Quick Reference Guide - Solving Equations!

I've promised you that I would make Algebra easier to understand! I've thought long and hard about how to do this! It's sometimes difficult to explain things in print! I wish I could teach you in person each day, but that's not possible!

So, I've come up with something that you can take with you to school or use to study with at home. I'm calling it a Quick Reference Guide!

Each month I will put out a different Quick Reference Guide on a new unit. The quick reference guide is a one-page sheet with tips to help you with that particular unit! Please use it and share it with your friends and teachers at school! I hope it helps if you are one who struggles with Algebra!

I would love your feedback too! Let me know how you like this months' Quick Reference Guide, so that I may improve future guides if necessary!

The Quick Reference guide is in pdf format. Click here to access this month's Quick Reference Guide on Solving Equations!





Studying For Your Algebra Test

Now that you've been in school for a month, you are probably getting ready for a big test!

In many schools, tests compromise between 60-80% of your final grade! That's huge! So, you MUST do well on those tests!

So, the question is, "What Can I Do to Perform Well on My Math Test?

The Very First Thing You Can Do is STUDY for Your Test!


How Can I Study For My Test

Most likely you've been studying your most recent Math unit for a few weeks. So, you probably know what concepts are going to be tested! In many schools, your teacher or professor will also tell you which concepts to focus on or study!

Hopefully you've saved all of your classwork and homework papers from the unit!

The following are steps that you should take to ensure proper studying for Algebra or any Math Test!

  • Gather all of your notes, classwork, and homework papers from the unit.

  • Find 2 or 3 problems from each concept that you have the answers to. This is very important! Make sure that you have the correct answer to each of the problems that you select!

  • Highlight or put a star next to these 2 or 3 problems that you chose.This way you'll be able to easily find them at the end to check your answers!)

  • Write these problems down on a separate sheet of paper. Then put your notes away for now.

  • Complete the problems that you wrote down on the separate sheet of paper, without using your notes!

  • Check your answers with your notes.

    • Make a note of any mistakes that you made while solving the problems.

  • If there's a particular skill that you had difficulty with, go back and repeat this process again for that skill! Practice until you feel comfortable with the skill!

  • You can even make yourself a little test. Go back and choose problems from previous quizzes or classwork problems and make yourself a test. You could also have your parents or an older sibling make a test for you from your notes!

    • Remember – you are responsible for your success, so take the time to study! If you do take the time to study, make sure that you use your time efficiently!







    What Can I Do While Taking The Test to Be Successful?

    Let’s take a look at a few test taking strategies that will help you as you are taking the test.

  • The first strategy is managing your time! Most tests are timed and any problems that you don’t finish are considered wrong. So, your first strategy should be to go through the test and complete all the problems that you are confident with solving. (It would be a shame to get the last five problems wrong because you didn’t finish – especially if you knew how to solve them!

  • The second strategy is used with multiple choice problems. With most multiple choice problems, at least two of the answers can be eliminated immediately because they won’t make sense. Try to eliminate any answers that you are confident could not be the correct answer. This narrows your choices down to 2. Now at least you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right!

  • Always check your answers to make sure they are correct. For most Algebra problems, you can substitute your answer into the original equation to check! If you are allowed to use a calculator on the test, you can do this quick check in a matter of seconds.

  • For word problems always highlight the important information first. Then write how you might solve the problem in words first to gauge your understanding of the problem.

  • Make sure you answer all parts of the question. For word problems, there are often 3 or four answers that you are asked to provide. Make sure that you’ve not only provided the answers, but that they can be easily found. Writing your answers in complete sentences is the best way to show your answer.

  • Be Confident! If you studied, you should do well!





    • What's New on Algebra-Class.com?

    I've been working on improvements to the Solving Equations e-book and Video Tutorials that I currently have for sale! I know that most of you are asking for more practice problems and that's what I wanted to provide for you! There are over 120 practice problems in the ebook with step-by-step answers for every problem! You also get 2 quizzes and a Chapter test to help you in your studies!

    I then thought about those of you who are really struggling and need someone to walk you through each problem! So, I took on the task of creating videos!

    Since I am new to web building, and video making, this took time, research, and a definite learning curve to conquer!

    The videos that are included with the ebook give you step by step tutorials of how to solve every problem in the solving equations unit! There are over 30 problems solved for you!

    I've also included a video tutorial workbook, so that you can work right along with me!

    It's really quite a package, and it only costs $12! So if you are having trouble with solving equations, check it out here!






    Questions?

    AGAIN, if you didn't get the link for the Solving Equations Quick reference, Click here!

    Thank you to everyone who completed my survey on Algebra-class.com. It really helps to know my audience as I continue to add lessons to the website!

    If you have a question or comment, please contact me. I will be glad to help you in anyway that I can!

    I hope that you have a wonderful start to the school year! Work hard and be a Success!
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