Contentsdoing something your brain will be working better and you will be more likely to get ideas. Find your own favorite Art websites to search for Artists. The Tate Gallery has

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Contents EXPECTATIONS FOR SILENT STUDY ................................................................................................... 2

GENERAL ............................................................................................................................................ 2

ART & DESIGN .................................................................................................................................... 2

BIOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 2

BTEC SCIENCE ..................................................................................................................................... 2

BTEC SPORT ........................................................................................................................................ 2

BUSINESS STUDIES .............................................................................................................................. 2

CHEMISTRY ......................................................................................................................................... 2

COMPUTING ....................................................................................................................................... 2

ECONOMICS ....................................................................................................................................... 2

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ......................................................................................................................... 2

ENGLISH LITERATURE ......................................................................................................................... 2

FILM STUDIES ...................................................................................................................................... 2

GEOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................................... 2

HISTORY ............................................................................................................................................. 2

MATHEMATICS ................................................................................................................................... 2

MEDIA STUDIES .................................................................................................................................. 2

MFL ..................................................................................................................................................... 2

MUSIC ................................................................................................................................................. 2

P.E. ...................................................................................................................................................... 2

PHYSICS .............................................................................................................................................. 2

POLITICS ............................................................................................................................................. 2

PRODUCT DESIGN .............................................................................................................................. 2

PSYCHOLOGY ..................................................................................................................................... 2

RELIGIOUS STUDIES ............................................................................................................................ 2

THEATRE STUDIES ............................................................................................................................... 2

EXAM SUCCESS TIPS FROM TOP STUDENTS ...................................................................................... 2

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EXPECTATIONS FOR SILENT STUDY

1. Work must be completed in silence - unless whoever is supervising has expressly permitted pair work. In this case, this privilege can be revoked immediately and at any time, at the staff

member's discretion.

2. Music is not to be played through speakers of any kind.

3. No eating of any kind.

4. No drinking, except for water.

5. Leave the room as you would wish to find it - e.g. any laptops put back on charge where they came from, any loose sheets/rough paper/empty water bottles put in the bin, chairs tucked back in and tables arranged as before. If it is a computer room please log off and ensure

keyboards/mice are left where they should be.

6. No use of mobile phones except for work-related purposes. Staff reserve the right to

confiscate these if they have reason to believe they are being used inappropriately.

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Project Management/’Systems’ Tasks

Write a to-do list, including any deadlines – and then sort it in some way to help you prioritize. Methods to try are the Eisenhower Matrix, or the Energy Line, both of which you should learn to use in your Project Management tutor sessions.

Log into eTutor and check your latest targets. Are you doing what you need to in order to meet these? Will you have physical evidence to show your tutor as proof of what you’ve done?

Go through your subject folders and tidy them up – filing any class notes or handouts in a logical way, and including dividers to sort by topic.

Subject/’Practice’ Tasks

Re-read any class notes/handouts from a previous lesson, highlighting key words and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every lesson anyway!

Start to create revision resources such as flash cards or mind-maps for a topic in one of your subjects.

Use a method such as the Leitner system to help you prioritize your revision – this is most relevant for flash cards, but can also work with other materials.

Download a past paper for one of your subjects and work through it to test the application of your knowledge. Use a mark scheme to check how you did afterwards, or ask a teacher if they are able to look at it for you.

Your future/’Vision’ Tasks

Log into Unifrog and create/update your shortlist of further education providers. Download prospectuses (or order them from WhatUni) and research any courses that sound good.

Work on a draft of your Personal Statement. Even if you are still very early in the process, jotting down things you would like to include can be really helpful.

TOP TIP: ‘Go dark’ for 25 minutes by switching your phone onto Airplane Mode and putting it out of sight –

use this time to get some good, focussed work in, and then check back in with your socials/notifications when time’s up.

GENERAL What independent study looks like in…

6

What independent study looks like in…

Aim to draw every day. Carry a small book around with you for taking notes and making

drawings. You never know when a good idea might come to you.

Look to the every day world for ideas. From a crack in the pavement to a plane flying overhead, look for stimulation in all you see and document with drawing or photography.

Organise gallery visits with fellow art students and note down any thoughts and ideas into your note book. Keep an eye on what is going on in the cultural world. Ideas can come from music, theatre, poetry etc. You should be interested in the here and now and have opinions about the world around you.

You should have a range of art equipment at home. Also, having a folder to take home your work is useful. An independent student will need to finish off work at home and be able to carry their A3 sketchbook around with them.

Before using a pencil, think first what would be the best medium to use for the task. Is there a better way to get what I want?

Be self-critical. Don’t wait for someone else to tell you what you already know. If something is not working, try a different strategy.

When not knowing what to do, just draw. Nothing comes from nothing so as soon as you start doing something your brain will be working better and you will be more likely to get ideas.

Find your own favorite Art websites to search for Artists. The Tate Gallery has a vast selection of work online and has a lot of easy-to-read information on artists and artistic styles.

Don’t be afraid of getting conflicting advice. Feedback is there to help you and offer suggested pathways but ultimately you need to be able to make your own decisions about your work based on a number of different options. Be clear about what you want to do.


ART & DESIGN What independent study looks like in…

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“I don’t understand”

Have You …?

Read the relevant pages in your textbook?

Made a glossary of key words and definitions?

Looked at the pictures (and read the captions)? Biology is a visual subject and many of the concepts are best explained as a picture.

Rewritten your class notes, using the textbook to add more details?

Accessed the Biology Gateway? There are revision notes, videos and animations on there to help explain the work to you.

Tried finding some other helpful resources online? Make sure that they are aimed at the AQA A Level 7402 specification.

Asked a friend? They may appreciate the opportunity to teach it to you.

Attended Biology Clinic? This is an opportunity to get specific help on the topic.

“I can’t remember”

Have You …?

Made flash cards of the KEY information? Remember less is more for flash cards, but lots of repetition is vital.

Made a revision poster? A mind map or labelled diagram in a visible location can do wonder

Written a paragraph describing the whole process, or explaining an important fact or concept? Now correct it using your textbook.

Explained what you have learned to family and friends? Ask them for feedback on how well they have understood the information.

Stuck revision notes all over the house: on your cats, in the toilet... they'll pop up throughout the day and remind you of key facts.

Tried the summary/fact recall questions in the textbook? These are designed to test your recall of the important information.

Tested yourself with application questions in the textbook? Remember to check the answers and add any points you forgot to your revision notes.

Tested yourself with past paper questions? Mark them, then leave it a few days, and do it again with different questions.

BIOLOGY What independent study looks like in…

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BTEC SCIENCE What independent study looks like in…

Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting key words and and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every science lesson anyway!

Complement your class notes with some additional notes from a relevant textbook or revision book, adding in anything relevant not covered in the lesson.

Create flow charts of processes making sure to use scientific language and equations (both mathematical and chemical)

Create a glossary of key words, with definitions, for a unit.

Produce flash-cards to help you learn key content for a unit – try and create themed sets of these for each area of the course, e.g. a set on thermodynamics, including the experimental methods for determining enthalpy change, using average bond enthalpies and enthalpy calcutions using Hess’s cycle.

Work through some questions in your revision workbook, and check your answers with the back of the book/make any corrections.

Use online resources to help with your work. Make notes about the topics and practice any questions or quizzes eg.

Chemistry https://www.chemguide.co.uk/ http://www.docbrown.info/page13/page13.htm

Biology See A level Biology gateway for various relevent links.

Physics http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html https://physics.info/

https://www.chemguide.co.uk/

http://www.docbrown.info/page13/page13.htm

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html

https://physics.info/

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BTEC SPORT What independent study looks like in…

Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting key words and and

identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every lesson anyway!



Produce flash-cards to help you learn key content for a unit – try and create themed sets of these for each area of the course, e.g. a set on the respiratory system, a set on fitness training methods, etc.

Use the online classroom (ask Mr Harris for help on how to access this) to find more materials to help you revise and test your knowledge.

Research the latest news in the sporting world online, making notes on any interesting developments. Try to form opinions on the major controversies of the day.

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Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting key words and and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every Business lesson anyway!

Refresh your memory of topics prior to the next lesson

Complement your class notes with some additional notes from a relevant textbook, adding in anything relevant not covered in the lesson.

Use your beige books to analyse news stories that exemplify topics that you have covered in class. Glue in the story, annotate and highlight key aspects of each story to show links with course content and identify further research needs.

Create an overview showing how each business area impacts on different functional areas of a business

Read the past copies of the Business Review available from the home page of the school network

Subscribe to the Tutor2u Business blog and read the articles that are posted.

Read a quality newspaper’s business and economics section, add the article as a case study to your beige books

Test yourself on the different formulae for the course.

Create a glossary of key terms and concepts

Review the knowledge checklists and identify gaps

Create a series of flash cards / set of dominoes on the different business theorists


BUSINESS STUDIES

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Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting any keywords and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a short summary of what was covered.

Complement your class notes with some additional notes from relevant textbooks, adding in anything relevant not covered in the lesson.

Create a glossary of keywords, with definitions, for a unit of work.

Produce flashcards to help you learn key content for a unit – try and create themed sets of these for each area of the course e.g. a set on benzene chemistry, a set on entropy, or a set on required practicals.

Work through some past paper questions and mark your answers using the mark schemes.

Complete some wider reading by visiting www.rsc.org or www.chemguide.co.uk. Make notes as you go and add anything relevant to your class notes.

Visit the chemistry department webpages for Russell Group universities to see what research is being completed, and look into these ideas yourself.

CHEMISTRY What independent study looks like in…

www.rsc.org%20

www.chemguide.co.uk

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C# Programming is the main skill that you acquire during the course. Like any skill, it needs practice. You can work through, repeat and extend tasks from class. Better still is to set yourself challenges based on the other things that you are learning. Implement the algorithms you learn in other STEM subjects as C# programs. Write programs for everything you come across that lends itself to being solved with a program.

You should work on your NEA if you are towards the end of Year 12 or in Year 13. Whether you are planning or writing some of the documentation, or coming up with pseudocode for a section of the project, you should devote as much of your energy as you can to the work during implementation

The big picture approach to the subject means learning what the specification includes. Download a copy from the AQA site or copy from the Q drive. Copy and paste into your own custom design in Word. Comment sections of the specification covered in class. Write questions (different colour) that you have about things that the specification says you are meant to know. Make a note for yourself of anything you found demanding in a topic (like OOP) or that you think is likely to be forgettable (like floating point conversions). Use colours, formats and codes to make it easy for you to search for these annotations and questions for your teachers. Make notes about the exam questions that you have done on each topic – what you had to know and be able to do (e.g. 'have to name the layers of the TCP/IP stack'). Do this once a week over the duration of the course and, when it comes to revision, you have a tool to use to help you to prioritise topics for revision.

The Project Euler web site is full of computational problems. The problems range from being quite easy to very challenging. There are hundreds of them. The aim is to produce a programmed solution that executes in under 1 minute. This means solving the problem and optimising code to reduce execution time. These problems are an excellent, disciplined way to challenge yourself.

Logic Puzzles are part of the examination. You can find examples of grid-based logic puzzles on https://www.logic-puzzles.org/. You can solve them online too. Solving the puzzles not only helps with that aspect of the course but also gets you thinking the right way about problem solving.

Re-reading, reading beyond and reading ahead are useful ways to consolidate and acquire information relevant to the course. Find out more about a topic covered in class.

A micro:bit can be programmed with nothing but a browser and in Python. You can write small, simple programs to make things happen or spend longer on more involved solutions. Electronics is a great thing to dip your toes into and see how far you want to go. It fits in a pocket too.

Setting yourself a personal project is a good way to be disciplined when practising your programming. You might choose to write a program that can solve a Sudoku puzzle without backtracking, or a program to 'solve' any triangle, given sufficient information (3 items, at least one side).

Low-level programming using a Little Man Computer simulation is a great challenge. Write something that requires you to emulate complex high-level constructs (like iteration) and you have to work hard to keep the size of the program down. Play against a peer and see who can make the shortest program, which takes up the least memory.

Programming in other languages is not a problem for you. The same techniques come up and, whilst syntax varies from language to language, there is much cross-over. C family languages like Java, JavaScript and PHP have very similar syntax to C#. Languages like Python and Ruby are not a problem.


COMPUTING

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Gather experience of a completely different programming paradigm by learning a little bit of Prolog. There are some guides on Multiwingspan and a large document explaining how to solve grid-based logic puzzles using an online, browser-based implementation of Prolog. Prolog is an example of a declarative language. You write facts and rules, the platform's inference engine does the rest of the work to find solutions to your queries. This is a nice outside interest to add to the personal statement as well as being a reasonable primer for the functional programming you learn at A2.

Design the structure of a web site, using HTML and CSS, writing in a text editor. Adhere to the standards for HTML 5 or HTML 4.01 (Strict) as well as for the CSS. Learn how to validate your scripts and why this matters. Think carefully about the file structure of the site. Write up notes on each section of the specification. Include examples of work using screenshots, photographs, whatever. Useful areas to work on are those aspects of the subject that rely more on your memory than on your ability to solve problems and calculate. Law and hardware can be dry topics in places and come down to learning facts and understanding them in context. Making pages about the site adds some challenge to the task of reading and collating revision notes.

Find out and read about Alan Turing, not just the WW2 cryptoanalysis and the legal persecution, but the theories that make him the 'father of modern computing'. Most of these were published in the 1930s and are short. Find out what a Turing machine is, or practise making them if you have already covered the topic. Consider the time in which they were conceived and how accurately Turing was able to describe the basic principles of operation that are still behind every computer. Read about the 'universal Turing machine' and the 'halting problem' and appreciate just how significant these discoveries are to modern computing. Remember that, at the time he was writing, a computer was a person, not a machine.

Explore and extend ideas from the classroom and take them a little further. Use logic gates to design a circuit for adding together 4 bit numbers. Work out how to perform two's complement on a 4 or 8 bit number using a logic circuit. Use the output from the circuit to turn your adder into a subtractor. Use D-type flip-flops to make a 4 bit shift register (tie the output from one flip-fop to the input of the next and so on). Work out the minimum number of inputs you could use to control 4 LEDs in a logic circuit using D-type flip-flops.

Make a database. Design all of your interactions using SQL. Do this on your own laptop using MySQL on a WAMP server installation or work with Access on the desktop. Learn how to use aggregate functions to sum, count and do calculations when returning data. You could store meaningful information if you wanted to or simply spend time practising using SQL to select, insert, delete and update records in a database. Make sure that you work with 2 or more linked tables.

Plan, design and implement a complex electronics project. Use the micro:bit or Arduino. You could design the ultimate shortcut keyboard or games controller. You might make the best binary clock ever, the sparkliest, most controllable mood lamp of all time or the most fully featured robot friend that there has ever been. Circuits are pretty easy to make for all of the aforementioned but the user interactions can be complex. A digital clock would normally use 1 or 2 buttons for all user control, time/date/alarm setting and viewing.

Implement algorithms, the classic ones, the standard ones. You have to learn 2 sorting algorithms for the specification. There are literally dozens of them out there. Work out how to use diagnostic tools to time execution. Run trials to compare the performance of the different algorithms (quicksort, heapsort, merge sort, shell sort, bubble sort, insertion sort, binary tree sort, selection sort, shuttle sort and many more). You can find pseudocode for all of these online and it's good practice to implement and test them all. For extra interest, work out a way of representing the sorting process visually so that you can see how it works. Implement your own versions of data structures (stacks, queues, trees, graphs, linear and linked lists) and find yourself really familiar with how they work for exam questions and comfortable using them in your own work.

Implement and extend one of the Windows Forms project on Multiwingspan. Look in the Visual Basic section as well as in C#, you won't find it too hard to write up a VB project directly into C#. Fractals and Conway's Game of Life are fun to do and extend. If you do Conway's Game of Life, it's not a big leap to look at similar things like WireWorld or Langton's Ant. The Sudoku can be taken a lot further, implementing all of the strategies described on Multiwingspan and a few more. It would then be able to solve, through your hand-coded logic alone, most puzzles published in newspapers.

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Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting key words and and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every Economics lesson anyway!

Refresh your memory of topics prior to the next lesson


Use your beige books to analyse news stories that exemplify topics that you have covered in class. Glue in the story, annotate and highlight key aspects of each story to show links with course content and identify further research needs.

Create an overview showing how each business area impacts on different functional areas of a business

Read the past copies of the Economics Review available from the home page of the school network

Subscribe to the Tutor2u Economics blog and read the articles that are posted.

Read a quality newspaper’s business and economics section, add the article as a case study to your beige books

Test yourself on the different formulae for the course.

Create a glossary of key terms and concepts

Review the knowledge checklists and identify gaps

Create a series of flash cards / set of dominoes on the different economics concepts

ECONOMICS What independent study looks like in…

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Make sure you have gone over your recent lesson notes. Ensure you have understood the main ideas.

Write up notes to ensure that they become clear documents from which you will be able to revise key language concepts and theories.

Read the textbook chapters relevant to what you have been studying in class to support your understanding.

Listen to podcasts and radio programmes which support what you have been studying, for example, Radio 4’s Word of Mouth or the British Library’s podcasts on the English language.

Research for and read articles on the English language – use the BBC, quality newspapers or the British Library as a place to begin.

Prepare notes for a presentation on an area of interest – this will especially help you when you come to decide on what you wish to research for your coursework in Year 13.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE


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What to do when you have ‘got nothing to do’ Ok, so…picture the scene. You are in the library, or at home, working in silence. Then something great

happens. You have finished all of your work! Time to sit back and take it easy, right? You’ve earned it, after all.

Obviously not. You need something else to do, but what? Luckily for you, here is a handy guide on What to do when you have ‘got nothing to do’ for English

Literature.

Reading

Read the set texts

If you have read the set texts, then reread the set texts.

Read something else by the authors of your set texts: poems, plays, short stories, novels, essays etc.

Read something else by the contemporaries of the authors of your set texts (people who were writing around the same time)

Read some critical opinion on your set texts. Start with the books in the school library. Then decide to what extent to agree with/disagree with their views. Find evidence to support or challenge your views

Develop your understanding of context. Start with the books in the school library and decide how this understanding relates to the study of your texts: make it relevant

Planning, reflection, revision

Write up class notes. Spend at least 10 minutes reviewing what you have done.

Revisit your past essays and look over the feedback provided. In light of this, you could re-plan the essay or rewrite a section of it. Then you could self-mark it using the AOs. Then hand it in to your teacher.

Practise planning some essay questions (ask your teacher or see examples on the exam board website). Ensure that you have a clear argument and that you address all of the relevant A.Os in the right proportion

Learn some quotations and decide how you can use those quotations within your work

Create a self-test/peer test on your learning (for example key quotations)

If you have done all these things and you still have nothing to do, then… ASK YOUR TEACHER!

ENGLISH LITERATURE


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FILM STUDIES

Watch other films (the exam board says you should study at least one additional film): Del Toro – Devil’s Backbone Yimou – Hero Asif Kapadia – Senna Your documentary filmmaker theorists – Divorce Iranian Style (Longinotto) and speak to your teacher for your other filmmaker theorist Chazelle – Whiplash Granik – Leave no Trace (& one each from your filmmaker theorist, or clips failing that) Hitchcock – Psycho & Marnie Foreman – Amadeus & research his career OR Curtiz – Research his career & speak to your teacher Penn – Research his career & speak to your teacher

Wright – Hot Fuzz Boyle – Sunshine Keaton – The General Tarantino – Speak to your teacher

Rewatch your films, making notes/ adding to your screening booklets etc. If looking to test yourself, try Miss Morris’ ‘dice method’ of putting yourself on the spot at random intervals.

Watch video essays either by topic (eg intertextual references, ‘auteurship’, filmmaking techniques) or go to a well-known content provider (Every Frame a Painting)

Find filmmaker interviews online with the directors/ actors etc you are studying, looking for contextual material to bring into your essays

FAQs – come up with your own frequently asked questions by unit (e.g. narrative for British cinema, digital technology for documentary) and….

…attempt essay plans.

Look through the textbook, adding to your notes. You can also use headings from films you aren’t studying (eg representation) and apply to the films you are studying.

Go through the independent task boxes in the textbook.

18

Create a quiz for yourself (look at quizlet for example) to help you learn o Key terms o Key theorists o Key quotes o Key scenes o Anything else relevant to your exam

Work on ‘quickfire questions’ sheet to get your brain working on developing arguments.

Use the storyboard sheets in room 22 to quickly create a storyboard for a key sequence in your films.

Prepare for and against columns for key concepts/ films (eg for and against auteur; Hall’s potential readings of a scene; de Sassure vs Barthes on signs and signfiers; binary oppositions).

Create Todorov graphs/ Propp character types for your films.

Create Venn diagrams for units (Amy and your two filmmaker theorists, your classic Hollywood films etc) to assess similarities and differences.

Look at Suzanne.morris.wordpress.com, clicking on the Film Studies tab.

Go through your most recent notes, heading backwards in time, highlighting and annotating relevant points.

Remake the foley sounds for one of your films (Shaun of The Dead works well for this).

Look at Sight and Sound and The Media Magazine in the library for filmmakers, genres etc you are studying.

Create Venn diagrams for units (Amy and your two filmmaker theorists, your classic Hollywood films etc) to assess similarities and differences.

Look at Suzanne.morris.wordpress.com, clicking on the Film Studies tab.

Go through your most recent notes, heading backwards in time, highlighting and annotating relevant points.

Remake the foley sounds for one of your films (Shaun of The Dead works well for this).

Look at Sight and Sound and The Media Magazine in the library for filmmakers, genres etc you are studying.

19

Create a glossary of key words, with definitions, for each sub-section within a topic. Ensure there are clear headings.

Be reading ahead and making notes from the revision guide and textbook, before being prompted by your teacher. Ensure there are clear headings.

Re-read any notes/handouts from your previous lesson and the notes you have made independently, highlighting key words and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up.

Produce a mind-map of a specific area of the course, or even an entire unit, to help embed your overview of the topic and relevant linkages. Structure it according to sections of the specification, include diagrams of processes and maps as appropriate.

Bring your copy of the Geography Review magazine to school (or access the copy in the library); back issues can be accessed on-line through the library resources on the TBSHS website. Add to your notes where relevant, or explore new topics.

Work through some past paper questions (by Year 13, you should have a bank of these; if you’re in Year 12, hunt through a textbook or ask a teacher!) by producing plans/mind-maps to help you answer them. Depending on how far into the course you are, write these plans up into full written answers in timed conditions.

Complete some wider contextual reading to add breadth and depth to your subject knowledge. This is a must if you are hoping to achieve top grades.

o Listen to Costing the Earth: These BBC Radio 4 podcasts “explore the effect of humans on the environment and how it reacts, questioning accepted truths, challenging those in charge and reporting on progress towards improving the world”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006r4wn/episodes/downloads

o Read The Guardian or other highly respected newspapers. We would encourage you to

read and contrast reporting of news across different publications; The Guardian is flagged up here as it is free to access and covers environmental and development issues more comprehensively than other media outlets. Google Guardian + topic. The links below are to help you get started. https://www.theguardian.com/world/earthquakes https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/water https://www.theguardian.com/world/globalisation https://www.theguardian.com/society/regeneration https://www.theguardian.com/global-development


GEOGRAPHY

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006r4wn/episodes/downloads

https://www.theguardian.com/world/earthquakes

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-change

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/water

https://www.theguardian.com/world/globalisation

https://www.theguardian.com/society/regeneration

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development

20

• Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting key words and and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every History lesson anyway!

• Complement your class notes with some additional notes from a relevant textbook, adding in anything relevant not covered in the lesson.

• Create an overview timeline of a specific area of the course, or even an entire unit, to help master a clear sense of chronology. Include (obviously) dates, and precise key details such as who, what, when, and where.

• Create a glossary of key words, with definitions, for a unit.

• Produce flash-cards to help you learn key content for a unit – try and create themed sets of these for each area of the course, e.g. a set on the 1905 Revolution for Russia, a set on Edward the Elder for Anglo-Saxons, or a set on the Indian Mutiny for Empire.

• Work through some past paper questions (by Year 13, you should have a bank of these; if you’re in Year 12, hunt through a textbook or ask a teacher!) by producing plans/mind-maps to help you answer them.

• Depending on how far into the course you are, write these plans up into full written answers in timed conditions. You could then ask your teacher if they are able to mark these for you.

• Complete some wider contextual reading to add breadth and depth to your subject knowledge. This is a must if you are hoping to achieve an A/A*. Read through the text and note down any useful details you come across. Some suggestions, by module, are below – ask your teacher for more.

Russia, 1894-1941 Figes, Orlando (1996) A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891-1924 Westwood, John N. (1981) Endurance and Endeavour: Russian History 1812-2001

Alfred and the Making of England, 871-1016 Pollard, Justin (2006) Alfred the Great Whittock, Martyn & Hannah (2013) The Viking Blitzkrieg, AD789-1098 From Colonialism to Independence: The British Empire 1857-1965 Ferguson, Niall (2009) Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World Aldred, John (2004) British Imperial & Foreign Policy 1846-1980

You can also find useful material online – Wikipedia is good for a fairly basic overview, and there are online translations of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that are good to gain further context for Anglo-Saxons. Figes’ website also contains some simplified material from his work and you can access copies of Modern History Review magazine via our school library.

HISTORY What independent study looks like in…

21

You

Many topics will need diagrams or graphs sketched eg trigonometry, polynomials and other graphs, and basically all of Mechanics.

Make use of software such as wolframalpha.com (equations, calculus, etc) or desmos.com (graphs) To help you.

Every question in the textbook done should be checked with the answers at the back.

Before you move on from a question, check that you have actually answered the question asked and given your answer in the correct format.

Ensure work you hand in is presented clearly, working down the page in columns, and with sufficient space for feedback or comments.

When you receive work back, make any corrections and then seek out similar questions to practise the skills further.

Books

Complete questions that were not attempted in class.

Read the chapter and make summary pages of important formulas or methods.

Compare your summary to the end of the chapter summary.

Read through work examples, then try to answer them without looking in the book.

Keep trying until you do not need the book to help.

Work through questions in revision guides (will be ordered via school in November/December)

Websites

drfrostmaths.com (see your teacher if you need a login)

Work through the practice questions, review questions and tests for topics already done in class.

Try some past paper questions (these may be from old spec or other exam boards but you should be able to find some that are suitable.)

mymaths.co.uk (login tbshs password bidmas)

Ask your teacher if you want your personal log in and password.

Read the lesson and work through all the questions. Complete the ‘online homework’ task.

Other Humans

Attend Maths clinic and ask teachers/other students.

Email/talk to teachers to get help.

Ideas for ‘Extension’ Work

On drfrostmaths.com there is access to UKMT Maths Challenge questions (all levels) and Oxford Maths Admissions Tests.

Read a ‘popular maths’ book. The Maths department keeps a small collection and book list. You can easily find up-to-date suggestions and reviews on Amazon.co.uk.

See also this reading list: http://mei.org.uk/books2


MATHEMATICS

wolframalpha.com

drfrostmaths.com

http://www.mymaths.co.uk/

http://mei.org.uk/books2

22

Theories and theorists:

Jean Baudrillard – hyper-reality – find an image that constitutes Baudrillard’s theory of hyper-reality and write up a 50 words explanation.

Explain Judith Butler’s theory of gender and underline key words used. Compare her theory with Leisbert Van Zoonen’s theory of patriarchy.

Create a visual guide of all the feminist theorists to do with media, linking their ideas.

Humans are typically divided into two distinct categories: men and women. She argues against these binary categories, stating that gender should be seen as a human attribute that shifts and changes rather than remaining fixed. She contends that women have been lumped together in a group with shared characteristics and interests, and this limits their ability to choose their own unique identities. Who does this theory belong to? Apply it to newspapers, music videos and advertising.

The idea that more socially diverse patterns of ownership help to create the conditions for more varied and adventurous media productions – who came up with this theory and what is it linked to?

The idea that the increasing power of global media corporations, tougher with the rise of convergent media technologies and transformations in the production, distribution and marketing of digital media, have placed traditional approaches to media regulation at risk – who came up with this theory and what is it linked to?

Download the list of key words and add new words and explanations.

Create a quiz for yourself to help yourself to learn key theories/theorists

Newspapers/Long form-tv.

Read the Guardian and the Daily Mail newspapers every week. Pick one or two headline stories that adhere to their political bias and write a short summary. How have these two newspapers created an audience?

Go to the BBC Entertainment bar of the BBC News website and pick two stories that are relevant.

Go onto the Guardian website and choose a corresponding story with the Guardian newspaper. Write up the similarities and differences between the two providers and make a note of how quickly the online version is updated. Do the same for the Daily Mail.

Read a copy of The Times and The Daily Mirror. Make a note of their political bias and base your responses on what you know about The Guardian and The Daily Mail.


MEDIA STUDIES

23

What is the difference between a broadsheet newspaper and a tabloid newspaper? Write up your findings then come up with five questions asking about similarities and differences, for example The Sun, The Mirror and The Daily Mail all rely on sensationalist headlines to grab the readers’ attention – such as Freddie Starr ate my hamster. Why do broadsheets avoid these tactics?

Regulation – IPSO – look up five complaints made to IPSO about stories that have appeared in The Daily Mail and make a note of the outcome. Do the same for The Guardian.

What does ASA stand for?

Refer to the ‘250 quick-fire questions’ sheet – break it up into 20 questions and ask yourself these, writing down the answer.

Seek out an outdated Media Studies textbook on the bookshelf in room 22. Read through a chapter either on audience, representation and stereotypes, narrative and/or genre and consider whether things have changed in the last 10-15 years.

Compare the Video Game (Minecraft) industry with the film (DISNEY) industry. How is each institution regulated?

Music videos are all about promoting the star and not about the music – how far do you agree with this statement? Refer to two artists in your response.

Netflix has created the ‘binge viewing’ phenomenon. Write a short speech about the dangers of binge viewing.

Media is all about distraction. Create a poster warning people of the dangers surrounding Media.

You are part of a policy unit working for the Government. Your aim is to suggest ideas about how the internet can be regulated. Link freedom of speech and democracy to your ideas.

What do Gerbner, Shirky, Jenkins and Hall all have in common?

What do Barthes, Todorov, Propp and Levi-Strauss all have in common?

24

Learning a language cannot be limited to the lessons you have with your teachers and the language assistant every fortnight. In order to boost your vocabulary and aim for mastery of the language, you need to be working independently. It is not necessary to spend long periods of time on the suggestions below; short repetitions on a daily basis are just as effective. You should have a section if your folder where you keep a record of everything you do. This will be checked by your teacher.

Consolidate material covered in lesson by reading through everything discussed, i.e. reread the texts, the vocabulary lists, the listening transcripts, grammar covered to ensure absolute understanding.

Work on vocabulary covered in lessons (using textbook or Mot à Mot / Wort für Wort)

Work on particular aspects of language you have found difficult

Read articles related to the topic, create a glossary/vocabulary list, summary, translation etc.

Spend time organising notes on the different topics

Design revision cards/mindmaps etc. based on the topics

Re-read any class notes/handouts from previous lessons/topics, highlighting key words and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up.

Update your notes with recent statistics/facts using INSEE (French) or Statistisches Bundesamt (German)

Indepen dent research on the topic (see independent research form)

Literature/Film: Work through some past paper questions by producing plans/mind-maps to help you answer them. Depending on how far into the course you are, write these plans up into full written answers in timed conditions. You could then ask your teacher if they are able to mark these for you.

Literature/Film: Select relevant quotations for the characters/themes of the studied work. You could write explanations interpreting these.

Literature/Film: Reread/Rewatch key sections of the studied work. Be able to explain their significance in light of the themes.

Listen to the news in French/German (ilini / die langsam gesprochenen Nachrichten)

Read news articles

Watch a film/TV series in the target language

Listen to songs in the target language

Change the language settings on phone to the target language

Read a novel/short story in the target language

Speak French/German outside lessons – meet up with classmates! Have a day where you speak only French/German with your classmates.


MFL

25

• Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting key words and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every music lesson anyway.

• Complement your class notes with some add itional notes from a relevant study guide (we recommend the official AQA(Y12)/Edexcel(Y13) study guide from Rheingold), adding in anything relevant not covered in the lesson.

• Create an overview timeline of the history of AoS 1: Western Classical Music, to help master a

clear understanding of chronology. Include dates of composition of set works and wider listening pieces, alongside other relevant events and musical developments.

• Create a knowledge organiser of key words, as per the exemplar you have been given for The Baroque Solo Concerto (Y12).

• Produce flash-cards to help you learn key content for a unit – try and create themed sets of these for each element of music, e.g. a set on texture across AoS 1, a set on melody; harmony and tonality; structure and so on.

• Create a list of questions on an element of music. Listen to a 1 minute extract from a piece of ‘wider listening’ and try to answer your questions. E.g. how has historical context informed the compositional style? Explain thoroughly the use of texture in this extract. How does the melodic composition compare to one of your set works from the same area of study?

• Listen to an episode of BBC Radio 3 podcast, ‘The Listening Service’.

• Listen through to your set works, following the score. Pick out key features (such as a circle of 5ths chord progression, or an ascending sequence) and use it to compose your own short musical ideas in the style of the music you are studying.

• Record a short section of one of your performance pieces. Listen back to it using the AQA mark scheme and think critically about where your current performance would sit. Create targets for your practise sessions that will help you work towards improving on areas of weakness.

• Complete some wider contextual reading to add breadth and depth to your subject knowledge. This is a must if you are hoping to achieve an A/A*. Read through the text and note down any useful details you come across. Note down any questions and bring them to lessons to discuss with the teacher.

MUSIC What independent study looks like in…

26

Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting key words and and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every lesson anyway!



Produce flash-cards to help you learn key content for a unit – try and create themed sets of these for each area of the course, e.g. a set on sports psychology, a set on exercise psychology, etc.

Use one of the folders of work kept in the Library to give you practice papers and additional other exercises to complete. Ask Mr Harris where to find these.

Research the latest news in the sporting world online, making notes on any interesting developments. Try to form opinions on the major controversies of the day.

P.E. What independent study looks like in…

27

Review notes, annotate them using recommended texts and other resources.

Make full use of online platforms: Kerboodle, Hyperphysics, Seneca, Phet, walter-fendt, Flipped Around Physics, Qbit (via IOP).

Use display resources in room 47 to become familiar with frequently examined concepts, and to keep track of progress through specification.

Access resources prior to lessons (flipped learning).

Review formulae to increase familiarity – don’t come to rely on data sheet.

Access past examination questions via AQA website and others.

Regulalrly use examiners’ mark schemes to self-mark questions.

Attend after school support classes on a regualar basis.

Read magazines and recommended books (other than textbooks).

Attend lectures outside of school.

Question, question, question.

PHYSICS What independent study looks like in…

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• Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting key words and and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every Politics lesson anyway!


• Create an overview mind map of a specific area of the course, for instance features of the UK constitution, or even an entire unit, to help master a clear sense of theory, process, and current examples. Include (obviously) dates, and precise key details such as who, what, when, and where.

• Create a glossary of key words, with definitions, for a unit.

• Find an exam question and produce flash-cards which includes key details that would help you to answer the question– try and create themed sets of these for each area of the course, e.g. 1) Evaluate the arguments for the introduction of a codified constitution in the UK. 2) Evaluate the arguments for reforming the House of Lords. 3) Evaluate the view that the President dominates foreign policy.

• Work through some sample paper questions (by Year 13, you should have a bank of these; if you’re in Year 12, hunt through a textbook or ask a teacher!) by producing plans/mind-maps to help you answer them. Depending on how far into the course you are, write these plans up into full written answers in timed conditions. You could then ask your teacher if they are able to mark these for you.

• Complete some wider contextual reading to add breadth and depth to your subject knowledge. This is a must if you are hoping to achieve an A/A*. Read through the text and note down any useful details you come across. Some suggestions, by module, are below – ask your teacher for more.

General Politics Review (Copies in the library, with your teacher, and via the school gateway) UK Government and Politics Heywood, Andrew (2017 4th Edition) Essentials of UK Politics Knight, Julian (2015) British Politics for Dummies

Political Ideologies Heywood, Andrew (2017 6th Edition) Political Ideoligies: An Introduction US Government and Politics Hill, Matthew (2014) American Politics for Dummies A Very Short Introduction Series on: American Politics, American Political History, The US Constitution, The

US Supreme Court

You can also find useful material online – Firstly, news websites such as BBC Politics, The Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian, CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times are critical reading in keeping up to date with current affairs. The @TBSHSPolitics Twitter Feed will regularly tweet relevant news stories. Useful revision material can be found at http://alevelpolitics.com/. Further, the school has subscribed to Pre-Chewed Politics which contains useful case studies and clips for revision – ask your teacher for log-in details.


POLITICS

http://alevelpolitics.com/

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjHubj18YjeAhUPKewKHZc8AlUQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/mps-vote-to-keep-having-the-shit-kicked-out-of-them-by-newspapers-20180510164470&psig=AOvVaw1O3eZ8hJeRc3GQA6-3JJtd&ust=1539704049202007

29

and homework (Please ask your teacher for the login details)Politics which contains useful case studies and clips for revision and homework (Please ask your teacher for the login details)

Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting key words and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every Product Design lesson anyway!


Create a timeline for an iconic product e.g. Coca-Cola, mobile phone, vacuum cleaner etc. Research into how and why the design has changed over time. You could consider socio-economic factors and material and technological advances.

Build up a glossary of key words, with definitions for the topic you are currently studying. Use your textbook to supplement lesson information.

Watch videos of how different products have been made. Make a story board to illustrate the main stages.

Produce revision resources e.g. flash-cards to help you revise past and current topics.

Build up a bank of past paper type questions. Create an essay plan/spider chart.

Research into new emerging technologies and make revision notes on what it is/how it works. How these technologies might be applied to commercial products.

PRODUCT DESIGN


30

Learn your key words. Practice spellings – look, cover, write, check.

Read over your notes from class. Mark anything that you find difficult to understand. Look up the topic in one of the textbooks and make notes.

Come up with rhymes/mnemonics/sayings to help you remember key information.

Practise describing a study in a succinct scientific style – then state what the study shows.

Write about your day in psychological scientific style (without using we, I he, she etc)

Log on to the website and find some past paper questions to answer. Mark them and go back to revise areas where you went wrong.

Find an essay question. Plan with bullet points how you would answer. Look at the mark scheme and compare your answer. Add anything that’s missing and circle anything that is irrelevant.

Look at your last end of unit test. Cover up the answers and attempt the questions again. Check whether you obtained all the marks for each question (especially in relation to the corrections you wrote in while going over the test in class)

Find a book on one of the specialist areas of the specification in the psychology section of the library. Find a chapter relevant to what you have studied and read it. Make notes on relevant information.

Read and summarise an article from Psychology Review.

Identify and define any terminology you didn’t understand from the article.

Identify AO1 and AO3 skills within the article


PSYCHOLOGY

31

Key Texts : Mr. Etheridge’s resources utilise these fully, but you can and should deepen your

personal understanding with direct engagement. The two green books are very detailed and

contain so much depth. They are:

OCR Religious Studies A Level Year 1 and AS, Hugh Campbell Michael

Wilcockson and Michael Wilkinson (Hodder)

OCR Religious Studies A Level Year 2, Michael Wilkinson and Michael

Wilcockson (Hodder)

This revision guide is good for basics:

Oxford A Level Religious Studies for OCR Revision Guide, Libby Ahluwalia (Oxford)

Three new revision guides are:

My Revision Notes OCR A Level Religious Studies: Philosophy of Religion, Religion and

Ethics and Developments in Christian Theology, Julian Waterfield and Chris Eyre

(Hodder)

Exam Board website: https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce/religious- studies-

FOCUS Above: James Knudsen, 7:15 am, revising before an exam in Room 7A at

TBSHS. Final grade: A* star.


RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Paper 1: Philosophy 4 JUNE 2019 AM

Paper 2: Religion and Ethics 11 JUNE 2019 AM

Paper 3: Developments in Christian Theology

17 JUNE 2019

Year 12

Teleological Argument

Cosmological Argument

Ontological Argument

Religious Experience

Life after death

Plato and Aristotle

The Problem Of Evil

----------------------------------

Year 13

Religious language

Attributes of God

Year 12

Natural Law

Kantian Ethics

Situation Ethics

Utilitarianism

Business Ethics

Euthanasia

---------------------------------------

Year 13

Sexual Ethics

Conscience/Freud

Meta ethics

Year 12

Bonhoeffer

Augustine

Christian Ethics

Jesus

Life after death

Knowledge of and arguments for God

----------------------------------------

Year 13

Feminist theology

Liberation theology

Theology of religions

Secularism

Checklist: Key Questions

Do you have your own detailed revision resources (cards, factsheets, power points or mind

maps) for each topic based on Mr. Etheridge’s resources? Are you proud of these

resources? Are they personalised and in your style?

Have you written extra essays?

Have you planned every past paper question? Do you have views on topics?

Are you prepared for every topic combination in the four question exam?

https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-a-level-gce/religious-studies-h173-h573-from-2016/


32

h173-h573-from-2016/

• Re-read any class notes/handouts from your previous lesson, highlighting key words and and identifying any areas you still don’t quite understand so that you can follow them up. At the end of your notes from that lesson, write a 30-word summary of what was covered. You should be doing this after every Theatre Studies lesson anyway!


• Complete wider research on drama practitioners and theatre companies. Some of the ones you could focus on are Steven, Berkoff, Bertolt Brecht, Antonin Artaud, Konsta ntin Stanislavski, Frantic Assembly, DV8 and Knee High.

• Get ahead of the game by reading A Cat on A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams and Saved by Edward Bond.

• Create an storyboard highlighting significant moments from the plays A Cat on A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams and Saved by Edward Bond. At the bottom of each picture, write a synopsis of why these sections are significant to the play.

• Go through the texts of A Cat on A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams and Saved by Edward Bond and write a list of the character names. Next to each character, write their super objective, followed by their intentions/motivations for each significant scene you put above.

• Create a director’s log for each of the significant scenes stating how you would direct that scene with regards to: staging, lighting, props, theatrical style (Physical Theatre, Brectian etc.) and what the impact of your choices are.

• Create a glossary of key words, with definitions, for a unit. A booklet is available under T:/Drama

• In Year 13 work through some past paper questions create plans to help you answer them.

• Depending on how far into the course you are, write these plans up into full written answers in timed conditions. You could then ask your teacher if they are able to mark these for you.

• Complete some wider contextual reading to add breadth and depth to your subject knowledge. This is

a must if you are hoping to achieve an A/A*. This book would be a good place to start – A Cat on Hot Tin Roof: Your Notes. Make note on the Historical, Political, and Cultral context of the play. You should also do the same for Saved.

• Read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon, adapted by Simon Stephens, in preparation for Component 3. Make notes on the plot and characters’ intentions.

• See as much live theatre as you can. Even better if it is one of the play texts listed above.


THEATRE STUDIES


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EXAM SUCCESS TIPS

FROM TOP STUDENTS

999999887 in GCSEs I would probably say that getting into the right habits, and general hard work throughout the duration of the course was a big help for me. This made the later revision so much easier as it felt like the content was very familiar. Also, I found practice tests closer to the exams very useful. When I was doing these and marking them, I would then make a note of all the things I got wrong and write extra notes on those topics (or even just the corrections themselves on a flash card). Finally, I also found talking to people about my subjects (actually saying aloud the information) really helped me to learn the content. This was really useful the closer I got to the exams. It also helped me to know what the things were that I needed to revisit. A*AAA in Gateway Exams, A*AAA projected Personally, I would say I find past papers a lot more helpful than anything else as it tests how to apply the knowledge to different questions/situations. Also doing them regularly leading up to the exams to keep reinforcing the information, including redoing the same paper when there’s none left. 9999999987 in GCSEs My best tip in terms of revision would probably be to test yourself regularly, particularly on the bits you find most difficult. Not necessarily a past paper but just giving yourself an honest representation of where you are and how you can improve. Also, more generally, I would say it’s best to get into the habit of doing work to your highest standard possible throughout the year/two years rather than saying ‘oh I’ll just work hard when it comes to the exams’. It will be much easier to revise come the end of the year if you have done the work well. 9999998887 in GCSESs Don't get too bogged down in re-writing your notes in pretty colours and highlighters, make quick lists and start using that time to memorise the details. They don't have to look perfect either. 999999966 in GCSEs I found doing past papers and marking them myself helped me as it gave me a good idea of key points and phrases to include in my own answers.It also prepared me for the type of questions that might come up. I noted all questions I got wrong down and then worked on revising them and then doing more questions like it. A*AAA in Gateway Exams, A*A*A*A projected I would recommend you cover all aspects of the specification whilst focusing on the topics you find most struggling. Use as many past papers and practice questions as possible to become more adept at answering exam style questions, but always leave plenty of time relax and do something fun.

A*AAA in Gateway Exams, A*A*A*A projected I'd recommend trying to make sure you are comfortable with what you cover in a lesson before the next lesson. Also I think it is important to try not to forget things you learn as you move on to other topics through the year, this reduces the amount of work you need to do during the run up to the exams. With regards to revision, you should definitely look at the specification before you start revising so you actually know what you need to know and what you need to be able to do for your exam. Additionally, study mark schemes closely so you know what things are looked for in your answers that earn marks.

999999988 in GCSEs I would say that my tips for doing well in exams would be flashcards (making then testing), mind maps/writing

general notes as well as answering questions on the topic to consolidate knowledge when revising.

Contentsdoing something your brain will be working better and you will be more likely to get ideas. Find your own favorite Art websites to search for Artists. The Tate Gallery has

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