Note-taking Organization

Note-taking Organization
April 10th, 2015
Grace Brewer

       The benefits of keeping notes are numerous. Skillful note-taking will improve your concentration, retention and comprehension.Well-trained note-takers develop their own strategies and methods for recording and revising information.

        Effective note-taking includes a few key components. Your main goals are to identify the purpose of the text, recognize main ideas, and paraphrase essential information in your own words.

Keeping an Organized Portfolio

Keeping an Organized Portfolio
April 10th, 2015
Grace Brewer

        If you are home-schooled or have home-schoolers, you may already be keeping a simple portfolio. The word portfolio is a loose term; some students keep detailed transcripts, while others keep basic folders. Either way you like to keep record, you should follow a few key steps to maintain organization of your assignments, notes and progress of the year.

        Portfolios are tools we use to assess academic growth and keep records. They can be kept digitally on your computer, or uploaded to Dropbox or Google Drive for added security. Employ a yearbook or scrapbook format if you would like to get creative. Other alternatives include 3-ring binders, accordion files, or a simple notebook. Whichever format you choose, make sure to include the following.

My Review of Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Caught in a swirl of confusion of a school shooting, Valerie saves another student's life, getting shot in the process. When she awakes in a hospital bed, she discovers from detectives and news coverage that her boyfriend, Nick Levil, was the Garvin high school shooter and she was suspected to also have a role in the crime.

     Valerie and Nick were relatively average teens, with normal angst and drama. They were picked on in school, which led to them beginning a notebook of all the people they hated, dubbed the 'Hate List.' Valerie had no idea that Levil would later on pick his targets from the very same list.

      The book is set during Valerie's senior year, with flashbacks to the shooting and her life before it. She is confronted by animosity and bitterness from her classmates. She becomes a true outcast, until she begins an unlikely friendship with the girl she saved, who is also the most popular girl in school. 'Hate List' brings to light the effects bullying can have, on not just the victim, but everyone involved.