Study Methods for University Success
Study Methods for University Success
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Section 1
Section 2
Study Habits 83
of Frequency
BTW: Modality 90
Section 3
Section 4
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1 Before you watch. Make predictions. Look at some scenes of the video and
answer.
1. 2.
3. 4.
2 Watch to check your predictions. Watch the video to check your ideas on
exercise 1. Were you right or wrong?
3 Watch for details. Watch the video again and choose the correct options. True or
false?
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3. The student started working on the assignment right that night. T F
4. He could complete the task without any problem. T F
5. Finally, he thought that it was better to start working on the assignment earlier. T F
6. The moral is that you shouldn’t wait until the last day to do a task. T F
1
due date: deadline.
-Do you feel identified with the student in the previous video? Why (not)?
5 Let’s take a quiz to see… Vocabulary. Read and mark with a tick
the expressions that apply to you. Then, calculate your score and
read the results.
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-put off studying/working until later?
-tend to get distracted easily and waste time?
-use your time wisely and get things done?
-write to-do lists and prioritise tasks?
-prefer to multitask?
How to score:
Is your score between 11 or more? Congratulations. You are extremely organized but try to be tolerant with people who are
not as organized as you are.
Is your score between 7 and 10? That’s okay. You are organized in some aspects, but less in others. Are you happy with the
result?
Is your score between 4 and 6? Well, you are a chronic procrastinator! Sometimes it’s good to be spontaneous, but you
definitely need to be more organized!
6 What would you probably say to a friend in each situation? Read, listen
and choose one option.
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a. Reward yourself for every step that allows
you to make progress.
4. I face my work only when it’s unavoidable. I b. Create a detailed timeline with specific
always leave things until the latest possible time. daily goals, they help you to keep motivated.
*GRAMMAR FOCUS*
-It reflects the speaker’s perspective. We use the imperative in many different ways, for
example, to give instructions and orders, to make suggestions and requests, and to
give warnings or advice.
-It has the same form as the infinitive without to and it is directed to the unnamed
subject “you”. Example:
-We make the negative imperative with don’t/do not + infinitive. Examples:
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Source: [Link]
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Many students talk about their academic life on social media and get feedback from
others who are in a similar situation or just want to give them a piece of advice. Read
what Carl says and the comments posted. Which of the three pieces of advice do you
agree with? Why?
Comments
Graham
You should try to find a comfortable and quiet
place to study. It helps you to gain concentration.
Tracey
You shouldn’t waste your time if the exams are
near. You should try to find a motivation. It is
useful when you need to start studying.
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How do Graham, Tracey and Nick introduce their
pieces of advice?
*GRAMMAR FOCUS*
SHOULD
We use SHOULD / SHOULDN’T + verb (infinitive without TO) to give somebody advice or
to say what we think is the right thing to do.
You shouldn’t drink coffee when you study during the night.
You can also use: I think you should… or I don’t think you should… (NOT: I don’t think
you shouldn’t…)
8 What should these people do? Read the messages posted and give them a
short piece of advice. You can use should / shouldn’t or the imperative
form.
You You
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1,550 likes 2,770 likes
Simon I spend most of my time using social Rachel I’m not good at writing assignments
media instead of studying. I don’t know I usually put off doing them; as a
how to figure it out. consequence, I hand in my tasks late.
You You
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……………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………
meet a deadline – do things ahead of time – tend to get distracted – get started –
put off doing something – multitask – use your time wisely – waste your time –
prioritize tasks – leave things until the last minute
done.
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9. ………………………………………...……..: begin a job or a task.
finished.
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2. …………………………………………………………... Work should come before pleasure.
Manage your time effectively; set aside adequate time for homework, study, sleep, etc.
You need not always finish every task all at once.
12 As you are attending English level I, can you give future students pieces
of advice about what to do to pass the first mid-term? Write them down
and share your ideas with the class.
1. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Section 2- Study habits
1 Work in pairs. Which applies to you? Choose yes or no. Discuss them with your
partner and then be ready to talk about you in class.
Yes/No Yes/No
I always take down notes. I prefer a quiet
place to study.
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How does a person show the frequency of an
activity?
*GRAMMAR FOCUS*
Frequency adverbs
We use frequency adverbs to indicate the frequency of an action. Take a look at these
examples:
Now take a look at the triangle below where the symbol + indicates the highest
frequency and the symbol – the lowest frequency:
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When we use the verb be, the frequency adverb comes after it. When we use any other
verb, the adverb comes before it. Take a look at these examples:
- UNLaM’s professors and lecturers are always attentive to their students’ needs
in class.
- The students always have opportunities to work together in the classroom.
Expressions of frequency
There are other expressions that we can use to talk about frequency. These
expressions are longer (2 words or more) and always come at the end of a sentence.
…?
For example: I study in the library twice a week. I attend lessons at university every
two days.
How often do you study in the library? Do you ever study in the library?
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2 Use the information below to write true sentences about you and a
classmate. To know about him/her ask him/her questions using How often
do you…?
stereotype people – use the mobile phone in class – be critical of my / his /her peers’
differences – meet my / his / her classmates in the canteen – take down notes – be
helpful with my / his / her classmates – study in the library – use a study technique –
pay attention to the professor in class
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3 Read and listen tol the different study techniques A-D and complete the
blanks 1-4 with the correct one.
a. THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE c. THE SQ3R TECHNIQUE
b. THE RETRIEVAL TECHNIQUE d. THE SPACED TECHNIQUE
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think would be on a test and trade them with other paying attention to its most obvious elements, such
classmates. 3rd: Create flashcards with the answers. as headings, bolded text, etc. Question:
If you practice this technique, you will remember Formulate questions around the chapter’s content.
Read: Begin reading the full chapter and look for
the information later on.
answers to the questions you formulated. Recite:
Summarize in your own words what you just
2. …………………………………………………….. read. Try recalling and identifying major points and
encourages students to study over a longer period of answering any questions from the second step.
time instead of cramming the night before. Review Review: When you finish the chapter, it’s important
your material in spaced intervals similar to this to review the material to fully understand it.
schedule: Day 1: Learn the material in class, Day 2:
4.……………………………………………….. is a popular time-
Revisit and review, Day 3: Revisit and review, After
management method invented by Italian Francesco
one week: Revisit and review. It’s important to start Cirillo. The technique is easy to learn. 1st: Pick one
planning early at the beginning of the course. If your project or task you want to focus on. 2 nd: Set a timer
exams are months away, this will help you hold for 25-30 minutes and get to work. 3 rd: When the
yourself accountable. buzzer sounds, take a two-to-three-minute break.
4th: Repeat after four sessions, take a longer break.
3.…………………………………………………….. is a reading 5th: Record each session with a tick or X in your
comprehension technique that helps students notebook. This Technique will be useful if you get
identify important facts and retain information distracted while working on a project or want to
within their textbook. The acronym stands for the understand how long a task takes.
five steps of the reading comprehension process.
Survey: start by reviewing the assigned text by Remember! If you organize your time, you will have
better academic results.
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Students work with a text following five different THE SPACED TECHNIQUE
………………………… to understand and remember it.
This technique shows the students a simple way to
increase their understanding of a text.
5 Answer:
to…………………………………………….
*GRAMMAR FOCUS*
First conditional
-To make suppositions about the future, the first type conditional can be used.
Example:
We use the present simple in the IF clause to talk about a possible situation, and the
simple future (WILL / WON’T + INFINITIVE) in the main clause to mention its
possible consequence.
The IF clause can come first or second. If the IF clause comes first, we usually put a
comma before the next clause as it is shown in the previous example. If it comes
second, we omit the comma.
You’ll have better academic results If you organize your time.
Main clause IF clause
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Look for more examples in the previous text!! Write them down here:
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c. A student will understand the topic 3. He/She will learn in a more effective
way.
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if………………………………………………………
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4. A fresher will know how to prepare for an exam if
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8 Put the words in order. Then, complete with the missing clause.
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By the way …
MODALITY
Modal verbs are used to communicate a personal attitude towards the message. They
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are always the first word in a verb group and are written before the subject in
questions.
They do not normally indicate the time when something happens. Below there are
two
9 Extract sentences with modal verbs from the text about study techniques
and from the second part of Harrison Bergeron. Let’s look at other modal
verbs. Remember those worked in Module 1 page 21.
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Read the clues to discover what study problem each student has and what
study technique they have chosen to deal with it.
CLUES: 1. Adam’s and Linda’s study techniques are the Spaced technique and the
Pomodoro technique, not necessarily in that order.
[Link] student who uses the SQ3R technique is a procrastinator.
3. Dominic isn’t organized with his subject material.
4. Adam doesn’t need motivation.
5. The student who has bad academic results didn’t choose the Pomodoro technique.
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Log in for more practice.
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Section 3 – Fiction time: Harrison Bergeron
The dancers weren’t very good because they had been handicapped for the
audience.
On TV, an announcer with a speech impediment tried to read a news report. He couldn’t control
his impediment, so he gave it to a ballerina to read. Hazel admired the announcer for working with
his natural abilities and said he should get a better salary for trying so hard. The ballerina began
reading in her natural, beautiful voice, then apologized and switched to an awful voice. The news
report said that Harrison had escaped from prison.
A photo of Harrison appeared on the screen. He was wearing the handicaps to reduce his
strength, intelligence, and good looks. The photo showed that he was seven feet tall and covered in
300 pounds of metal. He was wearing huge earphones, not a small radio, and big glasses to blind
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him and give him headaches. He was also wearing a red rubber nose and black caps over his teeth.
His eyebrows were shaved off.
3 Vocabulary. Label the picture with the words from the box.
a red rubber nose – black caps – big glasses – 300 pounds of metal – huge earphones – shaved eyebrows
1……………………………………………………
2…………………………………………... 3……………………………….
4…………………………………
5……………………………………
6……………………
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4 Answer.
1. The ballet was interrupted for important breaking news. text video
7. The news report said that Harrison had escaped from text video
prison.
8. The announcer mentioned the reasons for Harrison’s arrest. text video
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[Link] announcer said that Harrison was extremely dangerous. text video
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Section 4 – Introduction to Academic Literacy: The Abstract
b. That inner pattern is organized into what Swales called stages / moments /
moves.
e. All / Not all the moves appear in abstracts and their order can / can’t vary.
f. There is / isn’t a connection between the moves and the number of sentences in
2 Focus on the title of the abstracts below and anticipate their content.
3 Read and identify the moves that appear in them. Then, highlight the
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Abstracts 5 and 6
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Source: [Link]
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SPEAK YOUR MIND
1 Listen and complete the opinions with the expression according to the
point of view given.
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2. Students at university are almost always helpful to disabled students.
a. ………………………………. ; a lot of students are indifferent to disabled
students or even act negatively towards them.
b. ……………………………….. . When I was at college, I had a friend with a hearing
impairment and the other students and professors were so helpful to her.
c. ……………………………….. ; I’m disabled and this topic really gets me
emotional. It's difficult, and I often felt isolated and ignored by other students.
3. Students don’t always accept age diversity in the classroom because they prefer
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