An effective way to study material is to somehow make it your own.
And you can make it your own by making your own – flashcards, outlines, study guides.
Here’s a start:
- Is there lots of content to study?
Make flashcards (Flashcards are a topic all their own, I’ll just say here that you should make them, and if you can, you should make them by hand – writing out the information on index cards. A word or short phrase goes on one side of the card, the definition and, if possible, the word used in context. Part of the benefit of flashcards is the close attention you pay as you make the card.)
Where to get words to study for the EAS exam? Take a look at the Test Frameworks – here : http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/content/docs/NY201_OBJ_FINAL.pdf
Pile up your index cards, settle in and start reading. Do you see words you don’t know? Write it on a card, on the other side copy out the sentence or phrase it appears in. Later you’ll look this word up.
- Do you see any patterns in the exam itself?
The EAS (the unrevised version, which is still valid as of this writing – Feb, 2018) offers rewards for those who find the pattern in the 3 Constructed Response tasks (and btw, Constructed Response means the Written Response to a Prompt). Take a look at the study guide for the EAS exam. You can find it here: http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/Content/STUDYGUIDE/NY_SG_SRI_201.htm
When you are ready to look at the prompts for the writing you will have to do, take a close look at questions 5, 10, and 15. Notice anything?
There is a pattern to these prompts, and knowing that pattern in advance gives you a book’s worth of information on what and how to study.
Did you find the pattern? If you need a hint, let me know – but try it on your own first.
Eudora Watson, Educational Consultant 