The ABCDE Method: Accomplish Tasks more Efficiently

I recently came across the ABCDE method that’s similar to what I do to stay productive each day: instead of lumping up all your tasks, sort them into categories and tackle each of them differently. Here’s an outline of the method. Hope it helps :)

i’m starting a habit of journaling daily

I spent my entire school career afraid of being wrong because I was taught that to make a mistake was embarrassing. Now I’ve discovered that making a mistake just means you are one step closer to the right answer, and everyday I have to work to shake the mindset that a single wrong answer equals failure.

I wish you

Hello! So watching studytubers has always been my favorite pastime, but I always want to find more new ones out there. So, I thought that I would make a masterpost of all of the studytubers out there, big and small. If you would like to add yours to the list, please comment it below and I will edit it for you! Lol, I had to explore the depths of tumblr/youtube to find this many people, and I’m probably missing a lot.

Even though StudyTubers can be fun to watch, please remember that the content that they create is to help you in your studies, not to keep you from your studies. ^^

(Alphabetical Order)

21-10-15 / 17:15 / New bullet journal spread!

april 17th, tuesday a photo from a sunny weekend

AP Gothic

ig: booksnjournals

Back to School: How to Get an A*/8 or 9 in an English Lit Essay!

Happy September, everyone!

As we all get our gears in motion to start a new year, I thought I would share my top tips for scoring the highest marks in English Literature essays. 

(P.S. Lots of these tips are applicable to other subjects too)

1. Don’t write about the character as if they are real

Unfortunately, this is a common error in English Lit essays. It is absolutely imperative to remember that a character is not a person, but is a construct of the writer in order to present an idea or theme. No matter the question, you should be linking your answer back to the writer’s ideas and theme of the text, even if it doesn’t seem obvious what the theme is on the first inspection of the question. Using the author’s name frequently in your essay will demonstrate that you recognise the character is not a real person - ‘Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle as…’

2. Don’t analyse the plot

Avoid analysing the plot or when things happen in the text. Don’t write ‘When X happens it makes us think Y’. Instead:

3. Keep your answer relevant throughout

You need to be explicitly answering the question - not going off on a tangent nor trying to change the question to suit an answer that you want to write. One way of avoiding this is by starting each paragraph with a topic sentence, summarising what that paragraph is going to be about and how it answers the question. Another method is simply by rewording the question into your answer at the start and end of every paragraph. At least. For greater impact, include synonyms of the word, which can also help with the readability of your answer.

4. Avoid PEE/PEEL/etc. where you can

Thousands of students are taught the same, basic Point-Evidence-Explain (or variant) analytical paragraph structure. If you want to stand out, show academic strength, and achieve the highest marks then you must break free from the chains of PEE! (This also applies for your introduction format. ‘In this essay, I will argue…’ gets pretty dull after reading it 100 times)

For my students, I will be teaching them to write What-How-Why paragraphs:

This way, your focus is always on why the writer has chosen to use that specific language/structure/form, but it allows you to be creative in crafting your response. Being able to discuss the ‘why’ of literature is the key to unlocking the highest grades. Reading through examiners’ reports this summer has made one thing clear - it is not enough to merely spot linguistic devices or structural features. You must explain why the writer has chosen them and why that is an effective choice (or not).

5. Avoid sweeping statements about context

The main advice here is to only include comments about the context of the text if it adds to the analytical point that you are making. They should not be a bolt-on sentence, but they should enhance your answer.

Further, sweeping claims like ‘All Jacobean women were oppressed by society’ is far too vague. On the other hand, a comment like ‘Lady Macbeth is a disturbing example of womanhood because she denies her gender at a time where the role of a woman was clear-cut, even patriarchal, in Jacobean society’ suggests that you have a greater understanding of how context can influence the writer’s choices.

6. A plan is your best friend

Always, always make time to plan your answer. A method I recommend is, first, circling the key words in the question (character/theme, what you are asked to do, where in the text you are asked to look, etc.). Secondly, write all of your ideas down onto the page, highlighting parts from the extract if you have that in front of you. Finally, select a judicious number of points that you are going to talk about (quality not quantity here) and number the order in which you are going to make them.

If you are writing a comparative essay, each paragraph must start and end with a comparative point about whatever it is you are comparing (characters/themes/etc.) I suggest the following format:

‘X is presented in both text A and text B. However, in A the author uses devices 1 and 2 to demonstrate X. On the other hand, in B, the author demonstrates X via use of devices 3 and 4.’ Then write one paragraph for each text. Repeat this again for another similarity. And again for a third - if you think that is appropriate.

AUG 22 2018 [TUES] — i finally started university and here’s me taking notes for my first set of college readings !!

weird study tip:

if u don’t feel motivated, pretend ur in a movie or tv show. you know the scenes where they’re on their bed with their feet tucked up and crossed at the ankle, and they’re cracking open highlighters with their teeth and poring over a textbook with smooth rock music playing? that. bonus points for a perfect messy bun and spencer hastings outfit.

concept: going to bed early and getting eight, maybe even nine hours of sleep. the bed has clean sheets and the room is a perfect temperature for sleep. all important work is finished. you can wake up whenever without any pressure or impending activity the next day.

yesterday’s revision: making summary sheets for compsci before doing some practice papers! i also got an essay assignment back that i was really worried about but i managed to get 88 ;u; | studygram: 97note

you guys really just don’t check your fucking phones huh? you don’t give a fuck and a half about your notifications? you just carry it around with you everywhere but don’t actually go on it? maybe someone texted you. maybe you received an email. maybe you need to take your daily duolingo lesson. but no, you really just can’t be bothered. fuck you

The Duolingo owl wrote this post

im literally convinced if i dont do my spanish the duo owl is going to kill me