Ten Ways to Improve Your Grades

1.   Sit at the front of the class.
Sitting up front makes you pay better attention and you'll be able to see everything the teacher does.

2.   Take notes in class.
Taking notes helps you remember things. Write down whatever your teacher says that you know is important. Always write down your homework so you won't forget to do your assignment. Always having your homework is a great way to improve your grade.

3.   If you don't understand something - ask.
When you ask questions, you test your understanding and you end up learning even more. If you don't want to ask a question in front of the class, wait until after class or set up a time to come in before or after school for extra help.

4.   Study with friends.
Sometimes studying with friends makes studying more fun and that means you'll be more likely to want to study! You have to choose who you study with carefully so it doesn't become social time instead of study time.

5.   Study alone.
Study with your friends some of the time, but study alone other times. It's a good combination to study in a quiet, peaceful place!

6.  Read carefully.
Be careful not to rush because you'll end up skipping words or sentences and not truly understanding what you've read. Try putting what you've read into your own words. If you can do that, you'll know you're on the right track!

7.   Visualize what you read.
When you visualize, you imagine what you're reading. Try to see everything in your head just like you were watching a movie. For example, make the numbers in math problems different colors or different sizes or see the plants or animals you are studying about in science.

8.   Take notes while you read.
Keep track of the important things to get the most out of reading. One idea is to read a page or two and then write down a few notes with the page numbers so you can look back later when you are reviewing. Don't try to write everything down - you're looking for the key concepts and main ideas.

9.   Read your homework out loud.
When you read out loud you may think you sound silly, but it'll help you catch mistakes in your writing.

10.   Use memory tricks.
If you have to memorize a list, turn it in to something easy to remember. For example, Roy G. Biv stands for the colors of the rainbow in the correct order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet). Make a song out of a definition or imagine an actor in a movie saying a tricky phrase you need to learn. Be creative!