Posts Tagged ‘reading’
December 10th, 2009
It sounds like a simple enough task to do. Read over instructions and follow what the words on the page tell you to do. Unfortunately, there are plenty of students who struggle with following directions accurately. Telling your teacher, “I missed that part in the directions,” or, “I didn’t completely understand the directions,” will not fix your grade or create any empathy from your instructor. When it comes to assignments, it is not merely a case of reading the instructions once and starting on your project. Many students fail to complete some step in the prompt that can greatly impact the grade on the project. There is hope, though. With a few simple steps to follow, you can greatly improve your ability to follow directions with great success.
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July 10th, 2009
The task of analyzing a poem can be daunting for many students because poetry, by its nature, is symbolic and subjective and we are trained in school to think concretely and objectively. But at some point in your academic life you will likely be asked to analyze a poem. If and when that day comes, don’t panic. Eduify is here to help.
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June 2nd, 2009
Proofreading, like many things, has never been my strong suit. Over the years, however, I’ve picked up some tricks on how to proofread more effectively. By no means a professional editor, I still occasionally gloss over and miss errors in my writing from time to time. But the tricks I picked up really help me in my writing, whether in finding spelling errors that spellcheck doesn’t pick up (like quickly typing “by no means a professional dieter” instead of “by no means a professional editor”) or in correcting grammatical construction or in simply rephrasing sentences to make them sound better the second time around.
Hemingway once advised writers to write drunk and edit sober. While I don’t advise anyone to imbibe whilst writing (especially you underage students), I see some wisdom in that remark. Write with an open mind and a creative spirit, without too much thought to making things 100% perfect. Unplug yourself from doubt and fear and engage in some stream-of-consciousness freedom! That way, you stay as creative as possible. The real work comes afterwards, after you already have your thoughts on paper. Proofreading and editing is when you turn your thoughts in writing. Proofreading is that crucial step in transforming everything you’ve thought of and everything you’ve written down into something legible that makes it fun for readers to read.
Here are my 5 tips for proofreading most effectively.
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May 22nd, 2009
Congratulations! The school year is done (or almost done) for most of you. For all you college bound seniors excited for the next stage of life, this is your last real high school summer. You probably want to spend your summer hanging out with your friends at that one 18-and-over club within driving distance (Eduify does not endorse illegal activities), but you should know two things. First, try not to get arrested. Second, try to read something at some point in the next three months.
I know it’s seriously cramping your style to have to do any sort of mind exercise after you finished your whirlwind year of APs, SATs, and college applications, but college is an entirely different game than high school, and it’s important to keep your minds sharp and fresh. Contrary to popular belief, you won’t melt like the Wicked Witch if you walk into a library. To ease the process of reading, here are some great summer reading (i.e. not too heavy, nothing Pynchonian or Foster-Wallacesque) books ABOUT college life. Some are optimistic, some are pessimistic, and in some, people actually die. All are great books set in a realistic collegiate atmosphere – perfect for those incoming college freshmen looking for hints of what is to come. Not to be ominous or anything.
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