Are you looking to do better in Spanish? Do you want to raise your grade? Are you not getting it? Here are some things for you to try should help you do better.

  Talk to your teacher. If you come to me for help, I can try to look over your work and should be able to see where you’re struggling. From there, we can figure out what to do to make things better. Come see me during lunch, Focus, or after school (during the times I’m available). You can also email me at aparker@osd.wednet.edu  I really want to help you succeed, and encourage you to come see me as often as you need. Of course, I also encourage you to get help during class. Don’t be afraid to raise your hand and ask a question if you don’t understand. Chances are, there are others in the class that don’t understand as well!

  Pay attention in class. I mean, really pay attention. You may think that you’re doing what you should by being in class and sitting in your seat, but it takes a lot to really focus and try to soak up the learning. Time spent thinking about other things, doing other homework, visiting with classmates can bite into your learning time. In the end, you end up having to put in the time anyway, as it will take you longer to finish you’re homework, study for a test, complete projects, etc. because you don’t understand. I’m not lying when I say that I have plenty of students every year that never really study and still earn good grades because they pay attention (and I’m not just talking about the people who are naturally smart). Put in the quality time in class and it will certainly pay off.

  Study a little bit every night. Too many students make the mistake of only studying the night before the test. Who wants to waste a couple of hours cramming and stressing and feeling all that pressure? If you can find just ten minutes or so per night to review your vocabulary and grammar, that will go a long way towards your learning. You’ll get more out of class, feel smarter, and really learn (as opposed to short-terming it for the test).

  Set aside a Spanish time. As I mentioned above, you should study a little bit every night. To do that, it’s probably easier to pick a regular time that you can commit to, like right before you go to bed, or right when you get home. Even during commercials would be a good time. Not that I encourage a lot of television watching, but for every hour of shows you watch, there’s about 18 minutes of commercials. If you hate watching advertisements as much as I do, then have your flashcard stack or a copy of your vocab. handy and just try to quiz yourself. This may even be to your benefit, as you can practice during one commerical, then watch your show and take a break from Spanish, and then during the next break see if you still remember the words.

  Make flashcards. Flashcards can be one of your best tools for learning a language. However, not everyone knows how to use them effectively. One side should have the Spanish word (with the article) and the other should have the English translation, or even a picture. If the word is a verb, maybe have the conjugations on the Spanish side, especially if it’s an irregular verb. When you study it’s probably best to look at the English side, then think to yourself (or say aloud) the definition, and then flip the card. Too many students flip the card without the thinking part, which is how you work your brain. Quickly flipping the card is fine if you don’t know the word yet, but still try to think before you flip. Then, after going through your stack, take a break for awhile. Then, come back and see what words you know. As you go through this time, set aside the ones you already know and practice with the ones you don’t. Eventually, all the cards should be in the pile that you know. The next day, start all over again and see if you still know them all. An alternative to flashcards is to fold your vocabulary list in half vertically and flip from the English side to the Spanish side.