ABCs of Winning Good Grades Have you ever heard Vince Lombardis (an American football coach) opinion

about wi nning and losing? He said, Winning is a habit, unfortunately so is losing. This qu ote stated that everyone wins, but everybody also loses once in a while. Of cour se winning and losing happpens in our daily lives and causes sadness or happines in our lives, but before understanding this quote, let me define the words winn ing and losing. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, to win means to get possesion of something by effort; to obtain something by work. Whereas to lose means the opposite which is to fail to win, gain, or obtain something. These two definitions clearly exposed a lot about the nature of winning and losing. Every one certainly wants to win more because as stated in the definition, winning mea ns to achieve your goal. A person wants to achieve his or her goals and get what ever the goal rewards him or her. However, winning isnt something that suddenly p ops in your life. Like what the definition specified, winning requires effort an d work, or in other words, a long process. This process towards winning has a lo t of obstacles and difficulties to it and that is exactly why people need some k eys to win. The same thing as students. There is a long process towards winning the goal in a students life, which is mainly to get good grades at school. To win these good grades students also needs keys or tools to help them. I will tell you the keys of winning a good grade by simply reciting letters in the alphabet. Let me show you. A is for Assistance No man is an island. Humans are social beings, they need to socialize wi th others and they also need help from others. That is why we need assistance to win the good grades. If you need any help, dont be afraid to ask your teacher or your friends. Im sure they will help you. B is for Believe In the process towards winning you need to believe. Try to believe in yo urself and believe that you can get a good grade. Like Marie Curie has said, Life is not easy for any of us, but what of that? We must have perseverance and abov e all confidence in ourselves. If there are obstacles our problems during your pr ocess towards success, be confident and believe that you can reach your goal. C is for Creativity During making a project, be creative. Try to make something that is diff erent from the typical project; make it unique and special. If you have a hard t ime thinking how to put creativity in your project, try to imagine the typical t hings people will do. Then, try to think of something else that less people does but nonetheless still remarkable. Be creative in studying too. Try to invent wa ys to study that suits you. If you like music, make the facts in your textbook i nto the lyrics of your favorite song. If you like to draw, make diagrams with pi ctures that describes the facts. If you like to dance or move around, make gestu res for each fact to help you remember. D is for Do It If you are given a project or homework, never procrastinate. Try to do i t right away except if you have other more urgent things to attend too. Leaving studying for a big test the night before it is not very smart either. Try to bre ak a project into small parts, divide and conquer. For a test, try to study days before a big test so that you dont feel stressed when cramming everything in for one night. E is for Endurance A Japanese proverb stated, Fall 7 times, stand up eight. In your studyin g process, you need to endure the obstacles and persevere. If you feel bored and tired when studying just be patient and believe that by doing it you will get a good grade. When you studied hard but you still get a lowwscore, dont give up. T ry to endure it and keep moving forward. F is for Focus When studying, you need to focus to it. Dont let distractions such as the TV; your laptop, or the constant PING! of your blackberry distract you. Focus o n your studies. By doing this, you can absorb more of the things you learned tha tn multitasking from learning to browsing the Internet to chatting and then to l

earning again. Focus to your work and studies to make learning more effective an d more efficient. It is best to be in a quiet environment, preferably alone. Mak e sure you have plenty of space and good lighting. G is for Goals Robert J. McKain was a real estate planner who was also an inspirational author. He said that, There is no achievement without goals. In studying and gett ing a good grade you need to set goals or objectives. However, dont set goals tha t are to high for you. Set it step by step. For example, if you normally get a 6 in maths, aim for a 7. Then, when you already get 7, aim for an 8. Dont just aim for a 9 right away. It could make your goal seem to be unreachable. After setti ng a goal make a plan to achieve that goal in a certain amount of time. H is for Health Health is a very important key in our lives. As said by Plato, a Greek p hilosopher, Attention to health is life s greatest hindrance. Usually students are too absorbed in their work and forgot to take care of themselves. Resting and e ating is very important. Before a test sleep early so that you get enough sleep and eat plenty of breakfast so you have enough energy for the test. During a tes t, be relaxed and try not to be stressed. I is for Instructions Always follow instructions on assignments, tests, problems, projects, et c. It may not seem necessary sometimes, but reading instructions beforehand is c rucial. By reading instructions you know what your teacher really wants in your assignment. By knowing that, you give them what they want so that you can get a good score. The same thing as tests. Sometimes, just one misperception of the in struction or question could casue your whole answer to be wrong. J is for Join Join or get involved when working in groups. Normally, a teacher would ask things that are related to your groupwork. By getting involved in groupwork, you would understand the topic better (because you work and research about it a lot) and you can practice and improve your skills. Furthermore, you c an socialize more with your friends as well. K is for Knowing Knowing here refers to understanding about your own personality. Try to fit your way of study with your interests such as music, art, or dance. It could be combined just like it had been explained in C is for Creativity. You also have to know your own limits of studying and your strengths and weaknesses so you kn ow when to ask help from others and when to help others. L is for Listen In class listen to your teacher speaking and pay attention. Sometimes, t he answers of some questions in a test come from the teachers explanation not fro m your textbook or the notes youre told to copy down. While listening, also try t o take some notes. It will help you to study or review the topic later at home. M is for Memory In learning, sometimes there are some facts that need memorization. You could use memory tricks. There are a lot of tricks that could be found in the In ternet. A common trick is acronyms. It is a way of making a piece of information i nto an acronym. For example, Roy B Giv is an acronym of red, orange, yellow, blu e, green, indigo, and violet. Its an acronym for the colors of the rainbow. Anoth er trick is The Method of Loci. It combines the techniques of visualisation, assoc iation, and organization. First, you must pick a common path that you walk. For example, from your class to the lab. After that, imagine yourself walking on tha t path and identify the key landmarks that you pass through. For example, the fi rst landmark on your walk to the lab may be your class, the teachers room, etc. T he number of landmarks you chose will depend on the number of things you want to remember. Once you have determined your path and visualized the landmarks, you are ready to use the path to remember your material. This is done by associating each piece of information that you need to remember with one of these landmarks . For example, if you are trying to remember a list of animals, you might rememb er the first animal for example a fish by picturing fishes swimming in your clas s, then you will picture a lizard (the next animal) in the teachers room, and so

on. There are lots more tricks that could be found. Choose one that is suitable for you. N is for Notes If your teacher draws a diagram on the board, co py that down - it can help you remember the information. However, dont just copy what they write on the board either, take extensive notes on everything. Notes s hould be short, and if possible get pens with colored ink because it helps the m emory. Try to make your own symbols that help you remember, namely, circling or highlighting important points, use red color for subtopics, etc. These are usefu l and fun tricks that help with note taking and studying. Try to copy what your teacher says too, it might be vital information that could come out in the tests . Here are some tips for note taking: Take notes that are easy for you to read- use an outline format. Dont be afraid to use as much paper as you need. Use a pencil or erasable pen, so you can change any mistakes later. Try to keep notes neat- this will help you when you study. Leave a margin on each side of the page in case you need to add things later Go over your notes as soon as possible, making additions and corrections. Get copy of another student s notes if you are absent Some people sometimes completely rewrite their notes, to keep them better organi zed and prepared as a study guide for later on. This rewriting process is an oppur tinity to make your notes into more interesting such as making it into a mindmap , charts, diagrams, etc. O is for Organize Organize specifically means to organize your notes and belongings. Keeping and m aintaining a checklist is one of the ways of organization. Everyone needs to do this, even adults. Without it, you can easily forget your assignments, or fail t o study for upcoming tests, or do the work necessary for long-term projects. One of the best uses for a checklist is to help you learn how to manage your time, and break down big tasks into smaller ones. It also gives a sense of completion and pride. Another way is to use folders for schoolwork. These are essential for reviewing later. Also keep numbers for classmates, in case you have any questio ns or dont understand an assignment. Furthermore,keep your locker and backpack ne at. This means you ll be able to find what you need, when you need it! Last but not least, get organized for the next day before you go to bed- pack up books, l ibrary books, and homework. P is for Practice A Roman author, Publilius Syrus, said that, Practice is the best of all instructo rs. It is indeed true. Practice is very important because by practicing something we become accustomed to it. There are subjects such as maths that cant be studie d just by mempory. It requires practice. A common saying,practice makes perfect, s hows that the more you practice, the more perfect you results will be. Thus, pra ctice is very vital to win a good grade and it is best to keep doing it everyday . Q is for Questions In class, dont be afraid to ask and answer questions. Even if you get a q uestion wrong, it s an opportunity to learn. Writing down any questions you thin k of while doing your homework gives you a way to participate even if you are sh y in class. And remember, there really is no such thing as a dumb question. Many other kids may have the same question, but are afraid to ask. Dont be afraid to get your questions asked and answered. Be confident because asking questions to your teacher doesnt mean that you are stupid. R is for Review Reviewing the things you just studied is very important especially if you know t hat you cant remember things for a long time. Studies show that you need to repea t information many times to encode it into your long-term memory. Cramming your st udieds in one night only leads to quick forgetting. Another great trick is to ma ke a study guide or new notes while reviewing. The act of making the guide or no

tes gets you to use all the material in a new way, helping you to remember it. S is for Strategy There are a lot of important strategies to help you win a good grade. On e crucial strategy is to plan. Manage your time wisely so that you can study ahe ad well before the test. Here are some strategies for studying in class or at ho me: Get to school, on time, every day. Getting to school on time, makes you feel rela xed and better prepared. Learn how to adapt to different teachers. Each teacher has his or her own standar ds. Some like lots of participation some like neatness. However, the most import ant thing is that you follow the rubric given by your teacher in every assignmen t. Take care of your own bidy. Sit near the front of class, if you can. This makes it easier to pay attention an d stay involved. Always do your homework. As said earlier, Practice makes perfect. Participate in class. See if you can make studying fun or a game. T is for Time Management Time management is important for school and life. Time management is har d, but its a big key to being successful, both in school and in life as well. Lea rning how to manage your time now will pay off in big ways for the rest of your life. Manage your time carefully and divide the time for studying and entertainm ent according to your needs fairly. Here are 2 tips related to time management: Leave enough time to get ready without being rushed. When people feel pressured and rushed they are vulnerable to mistakes.The less you feel rushed, the more re laxed you are, and the more you focus to the task given. Break down big assignments into smaller pieces. Just like studying for a test, d oing a little work each day on a project works much better than leaving it all t o the end. Other than keeping you from overwhelmed and stressed, you can also us e the extra time to ask questions to your teacher if you have a problem. You can also check your friends progress to make sure you made it correctly. U is for Understanding For subjects with a lot of facts such as Social Studies or Biology, memo ry is needed. Even so, understanding is more important than it. Try to understan d not memorize. You remember something that you understand longer that something you memorize. By understanding, even if your teacher changed the words in a que stion or changed the structure of a sentence, you can still comprehend the quest ion and give the perfect answer. With understanding, you can also rewrite the fa cts with the same main idea although with different words. V is for Visuals Creating visual notes with diagrams, charts, and pictures is very effect ive for learning. There are lots of diagrams to use, but Ill tell you the most fa mous one. It is called as mindmapping. Mindmapping is a way to map your thoughts out to make it interesting. The first step is to write the topic in the middle. Add some sub-titles connected to the title. For each subtitle, add main ideas a nd supporting details. Finally, let your imagination run wild and add pictures a nd doodles to make the facts easier to understand. Remember to use coloured pens and write the words in different sizes to make it stick in your mind. Another w ay of making your notes visual yet effective is to: first, divide your paper into two parts. The left side is for writing the main ideas. The right side is for wr iting the supporting details. You can add pictures and squiggles all around it t o make it interesting. Lastly, use colored pens to underline important keywords. There are lots more diagrams available, feel free to choose any that is suitabl e and it could help you in the process towards winning a good grade. W is for Working Hard The first woman to become the British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, once said that, I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work . That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but it will get you

pretty near. Her statement is indeed true. Hard work is the key to achieving any kind of goal. You have to be diligent and hardworking to practice a lot. You ha ve to be hardworking to rewrite your notes. You have to be hardworking to pay at tention. That is why hard-work could be said as the foundation of most keys to g et to the top. Thus, try to work hard and be diligent so you can get to the top as well. X is for X-tra In an assignment, your teacher surely gives you some guidelines and requ irements. For example, your teacher asks you to give 3 characteristics of mammal s. If its possible, give extra. Give 5 characteristics of mammals. Not only this fulfills the requirement, usually there are extra points given for your effort o f giving more than the requirements. It is significant if you want to get your a ssignment scores up a little. Y is for You You are the one who is in control of your own situation. In this case, s tudying. It is your own choice whether you want to study or not to study. Just r ealise that and know that you are in control. This relates to the gossip and rum ours tha circulates around school. Dont let anybodys opinion about you sway you fr om your position. Keep in control and keep moving forward. Z is for Zealous Zealous means being enthusiastic and keen. Enthusiasm is very important as stated by Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American Poet. He stated, Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. To win good grades you need to be enthusiastic about studying. If youre uninterested, the things you learned wont even get into y our head moreover get stuck in it. So, you have to be zealous in studying so you can get the most of your effort. After those alphabet keys I gave you, you surely can win good grades. Those tips are useful but nonetheless, the most important keys are of course the simple an d basic keys of winning shuch as goals, confidence, pereseverance, and so on. As stated in the introduction, winning requires a process. Thus, if anybody wants to win it is most likely they will have to go through a long process. To make th at easier for you, you may use the 26 tips or keys I gave you before. Last but n ot least, if you lose, remember that you actually win more. Just keep fighting a nd persevere to get a better result next time. Therefore, let me close this manu al or instructional guide with one last quote taken from Vince Lombardi, Winning isnt everything, but the will to win is everything. Therefore, keep willing to win , use the keys in this manual and win good grades.