September 01, 2010

Physical Success

This year, my goal is to get an A in Physics. Physics is vital towards understanding my future science classes in both high school and college, and those classes determine my future for the rest of my life - in other words, being a physics expert is incredibly important. There are five main steps I will follow in order to succeed.

To begin, I have to value my class time. No one can expect knowledge to automatically fill their brain; One must actually be prepared to take notes and listen to the teacher. I'm going to bring the supplies I need to learn as well: My assignments, notes, calculator and pencil. My assignments and notes show me what I have learned in previous classes, and I'll use my calculator and pencil to work on new lessons. Also, I will bring my ruler - in Physics, there is a huge difference between a curve and a straight line!

Next, I will read the information given to me. It's important to both listen and see what you are learning, because using more senses makes you remember the information more. Reading the notes can provide you with helpful images and guidelines towards what you're learning. I'm also going to highlight my notes. The highlighter makes the major information stand out, and in pretty colors, too!

A major part to maintaining an A in Physics is carrying out what you learned outside of the classroom. This is done through assignments. Writing your assignments down in a planner is a great way to stay organized. Also, the teacher can post the assignments online; For example, Mrs.Gende uses a Homework Wiki for her students. Another thing about assignments is understanding the topic. If you just copy the answers, you won't learn anything about the topic, and most likely will fail any future quizzes or tests. Have courage and ask questions!

Finally, I am going to be a great problem-solver. First, I'll learn the vocabulary and symbols necessary for each topic. In Physics, it is key to label everything and use the right vocabulary! Second, I will take each problem one step at a time. There are four steps for solving a problem:
Write down the data given and what you're solving for, solve the equation, substitute your answer into the original data, and check. Substituting and checking will verify that your answer is correct. Also, I have to become one with my calculator. We will be graphing often, and especially on our calculators. This means I can't be slow and clueless about how to use my graphing calculator, or I won't get any work done. I also have to label, because labeling is majorly important in understanding graphs.

Overall, I need to be organized, prepared, knowledgeable, and open to communication in class. Organization keeps my lessons and assignments in their proper places, alongside my class tools. Preparedness allows me to take notes, turn in my assignments, and work the class problems. Being knowledgeable of the topics means that I will be able to do my assignments and help others understand Physics as well. Finally, being open to communication makes me ask questions and understand the topic even further, and helps me demonstrate my understanding. With these steps by my side, Physics will be a fun, educationally enriching class, filled with pixie dust and rainbows. Basically, I'll pass the class. Thanks to Mrs. Gende for providing us all with her helpful Physics hints - I'm now confident that I can get an A!