Help me please!

Surrealist_Fish

Hello!
I am repeating my leaving cert this year and i have to say i am VERY worried. I did my Leaving in 2006 and i have forgotten alot of what i covered then so i took up quite alot of new subjects. They are Biology, Home Ec, Geography, Business, Ag Science and im repeating Chemistry and Art. You might think im crazy for doing this but i spent 2yrs in ucd doing science so a large chuck of biology and home ec is revision.
Basically whats worrying me the most is the rate at which my teachers are going, im aiming for at least 550 points and the majority of my class are repeating to improve on very poor grades or coming back because they dropped out and never did the LC.
Due to the nature of my subjects i know i can study them on my own, but i find the books im using quite frustrating as there is a lot of info in there that is not needed for the exam. I know this info is important to get a rounded knowledge of the subject, but at this late stage i don’t care about that.
If there are any teachers out there or anyone that really knows their stuff, could they recommend me books /revision books (or even websites) that are concise and straight to what i NEED to know.
The books im using are:
Biology – Biology by Michael O’Callaghan (brand new edition)
Home Ec – Get Living by Edel Conway & Lorna Freeborn (2nd edition, brand new)
Business – A dynamic world by Gregory O’connor
Geography – Dynamic Human Geography by Patrick O’Dwyer & Barry Brunt & Charles Hayes (brand new)
Also could anyone give me recommendations on what/how much i should get coverd before Christmas as i want to set personal study goals aswell as following what im doing in class.
Any advice is HUGELY appreciated. Thank you!:D

li-evo7

your the same as me. I should have done my leaving in 2007 but didnt do it in the end and repeated in 2008 and did crap cause did no work.Did a year of college last year and now im back in school.I need 555 points and I am so worried im not going to get it.For business you should definitely get 21st Century Business by William Murphy. He is the business teacher in the institute and he is brill.I have had him the 3 years i was there before and this year again.He only brought the book out end of 08 and it covers all the essentials and after every chapter he has the leaving cert questions of when the stuff in that chapter came up. I would get the revise wise or rapid revision books for your other subjects.They are very handy and have loads of info in them. Other than that you could go to www.examinations.ie and print out all the marking schemes for your subjects.They show you all the points you need in your answers in the exams and what exactly you get the marks for. Then the rest is just study study study Im afraid!You should consider a grind or maybe a revision course at xmas/easter in the insitute.They are brill.

FridaysWell

Surrealist_Fish wrote: »

Biology – Biology by Michael O’Callaghan (brand new edition)
Any advice is HUGELY appreciated. Thank you!:D

I can give you a hand with biology no probs, I'm using the same book and I have excellent notes if ya want.

By Christmas you should have the following chapters done :
Ch 1
Ch 2
then do,
Ch 20
Ch 21
Ch 22
Ch 23
Ch 39
Then move on to,
Ch 7
Ch 8
Ch 13
Ch 3. Once you have done these, revise and test yourself. All these chapters should take maybe a week or 10 days. Just make sure to review and test yourself at the end of each chapter.
Next:
Ch 9
Ch 10
Ch 26
Ch 27
Ch 28
Ch 29
Ch 30
Ch 31
Ch 32
Ch 34
Ch 35
Ch 36
Ch 37
Ch 38
Ch 42. Test again yourself again.

The reason they are done in this order as it makes them easier to study, as realated chapters are together.

If you follow this, just PM me if you have any problems with any sections or chapters. I have a few sheets/notes that I'll send no probs that make some complicated parts very easy, also some sections of some chapters you don't need to learn aswell.

Just PM for any info I'll be glad to help, as it helps me study! best o' luck

bloopty

Im a secondary teacher but not of these subjects....
I find that the best revision books are the rapid revision books.. Less stress arn't as good....
Make your own notes leaving out the random info.
Get exam papers ASAP and do them as much as possible.....
If your teachers are going too fast tell them! teachers arnt perfect and often if no1 speaks up they assume its ll going in.

Make a strict study plan starting now.. It'll be tough but worth it.

maebee

bloopty wrote: »

Im a secondary teacher but not of these subjects....
.

I sure hope it's not English that you teach !

bloopty

Didnt realise posts were subject to correction or that this was a bitchy site... Advice should be appriciated! This isnt and exam!!!!.... Pity there arnt any exams in social skills. If your not going to be helpful to those asking for it then piss off.

:mad:

Delta Kilo

bloopty wrote: »

Didnt realise posts were subject to correction or that this was a bitchy site... Advice should be appriciated! This isnt and exam!!!!.... Pity there arnt any exams in social skills. If your not going to be helpful to those asking for it then piss off.

:mad:

God I wish my old teachers were like yourself... but I feel an infraction coming on for the last bit, might want to edit it there love,


Btw, were not all bitchy on this site... some of the time:D

lasair

1. Evolution (short and long questions this always comes up)

2. The human reproductive system.

3. The lymphatic system

4. Know the methods for ecology and also the calculations for the experiments.

5. Nerve system

6. Blood

7. DNA (this is also a major topic every year)

8. Know all your experiments (ecology, food, dna testing are the main ones)

9. Methods of conservation are becoming popular due to the global warming and climate change.

10. Be sure you can draw all the diagrams for every section...alot of marks are going for these and be sure you can label them all...

There is a range of biology books available but I always recommend Biology Today (€38). This book is the best!! it cuts out all the bull and waffle and only concentrates on what you need to know for the exams.

Keep going through test papers...they are the only way you will improve on answering questions and your knowledge. Try doing them without the book..

If you have any trouble let me know Im a bio/chem/maths/irish teacher....I'll get back to you ASAP everytime...I am usually online most of the day...

Also check out www.skoool.ie

Niamhf

I wouldn't start panicking at this stage, just read a chapter and make notes, then start into the exam papers accordingly! I found that when I started the exam q's everything started to come together! If you ever need any advice or book reccomendations pm me and I'll do my best to help! I was through it all last year and I know how you are feeling! Stress is an understatement!

randylonghorn

maebee wrote: »

I sure hope it's not English that you teach !

Cop yourself on.

bloopty wrote: »

Didnt realise posts were subject to correction or that this was a bitchy site... Advice should be appriciated! This isnt and exam!!!!.... Pity there arnt any exams in social skills. If your not going to be helpful to those asking for it then piss off.

:mad:

No, Boards doesn't set an exam in social skills, but think of it as continuous assessment ... and you just lost some marks.

Surrealist_Fish

li-evo7 wrote: »

your the same as me. I should have done my leaving in 2007 but didnt do it in the end and repeated in 2008 and did crap cause did no work.Did a year of college last year and now im back in school.I need 555 points and I am so worried im not going to get it.For business you should definitely get 21st Century Business by William Murphy. He is the business teacher in the institute and he is brill.I have had him the 3 years i was there before and this year again.He only brought the book out end of 08 and it covers all the essentials and after every chapter he has the leaving cert questions of when the stuff in that chapter came up. I would get the revise wise or rapid revision books for your other subjects.They are very handy and have loads of info in them. Other than that you could go to www.examinations.ie and print out all the marking schemes for your subjects.They show you all the points you need in your answers in the exams and what exactly you get the marks for. Then the rest is just study study study Im afraid!You should consider a grind or maybe a revision course at xmas/easter in the insitute.They are brill.

Yes, thank you i will def check out this book! you are so lucky to be going to the institute, i really wanted to go there or yeats, but alass im not made of moneys!:(
and best of luck getting the points you need, i feel your pain!;)

Surrealist_Fish

FridaysWell wrote: »

I can give you a hand with biology no probs, I'm using the same book and I have excellent notes if ya want.

By Christmas you should have the following chapters done :
Ch 1
Ch 2
then do,
Ch 20
Ch 21
Ch 22
Ch 23
Ch 39
Then move on to,
Ch 7
Ch 8
Ch 13
Ch 3. Once you have done these, revise and test yourself. All these chapters should take maybe a week or 10 days. Just make sure to review and test yourself at the end of each chapter.
Next:
Ch 9
Ch 10
Ch 26
Ch 27
Ch 28
Ch 29
Ch 30
Ch 31
Ch 32
Ch 34
Ch 35
Ch 36
Ch 37
Ch 38
Ch 42. Test again yourself again.

The reason they are done in this order as it makes them easier to study, as realated chapters are together.

If you follow this, just PM me if you have any problems with any sections or chapters. I have a few sheets/notes that I'll send no probs that make some complicated parts very easy, also some sections of some chapters you don't need to learn aswell.

Just PM for any info I'll be glad to help, as it helps me study! best o' luck

wow your so organised! when you say 'All these chapters should take maybe a week or 10 days.' how many hours in that week are you talkin!?
yes i would hugley appreciate notes, ill PM you my email! thank you !

Surrealist_Fish

lasair wrote: »

There is a range of biology books available but I always recommend Biology Today (€38). This book is the best!! it cuts out all the bull and waffle and only concentrates on what you need to know for the exams.

yes that is EXACTLY what i want, thank you sooo much!
ps can you recommend a good biol revision book?

Surrealist_Fish

ANY GEOGRAPHY TEACHERS OUT THERE???
The book im using is Dynamic Human Geography (newst edition). I find this book very frustrating, it is all over the place! And my teacher never refers to it even though its the one she told us to get!! She gives out bits and bobs of notes everywhere. Most of the class are repeating geog so they are ok, but im taking it up and i need a good book so i can flesh things out between the notes! what book do you recommend? Also what revision books? Thank you !

FridaysWell

Surrealist_Fish wrote: »

wow your so organised! when you say 'All these chapters should take maybe a week or 10 days.' how many hours in that week are you talkin!?
yes i would hugley appreciate notes, ill PM you my email! thank you !

Well on the hours front emmm, maybe an hour a day or so. Also it would be really good for you if you got someone to talk you through things once or twice a week, like osmeone else doing bio. Just ask each other questions and talk about 1 or 2 sections. Trust me this will help alot.

And that is how we are doing it in school maybe its the best way maybe not but it is good because it puts all the relevant chapters together. Also use the book and a revision book be very good. GET THE PAPERS, and make yourself familiar with the exam layout etc.

Hope I helped