Guide to Studying over the Summer (Without Burnout)
No title (Two women sleeping on a picnic rug)
1977-1978; printed 1979
from the Christmas Holidays with Bob's Family, Mermaid Beach, Queensland series
The summer holidays leading to Year 12 can either be a period of procrastination with a sprinkle of cramming, or it can be a place of stress-induced panic. Neither is great for one’s mental health nor for their academic life. What we need instead is a restful break with a consistent peppering of English work. Here are 10 steps on how to do that:
Get to know yourself as an English Student
Ask yourself, how confident do I feel with the following and get to colour coding (red - not confident, yellow/ orange - somewhat confident, green - confident):
General Skills
Timed conditions
Articulating ideas into writing
Spelling, grammar and vocab
Text Response
Reading and comprehending texts
Analysing text and its structure
Breaking down Essay prompts
Planning under timed conditions
Introductions
Structuring Body Paras
Using evidence in Body Paras
Conclusions
Creating Text
Writing creatively
Experimenting with language and expression
Writing about a topic you care about
Writing specific forms/ types of writing
Argument Analysis
Reading and comprehending a text
Analysing a text and its structure
Finding and explaining the arguments made
Finding and analysing the impact of language
Analysing images
Writing intros for
Writing BPs
Oral Presentation
Drafting and planning an oral presentation
Presenting your oral
Great, now you have a comprehensive list of areas you know need a bit more attention and areas that can be left aside for now.
2. Set a Flexible (& Realistic) Plan
Plan for short bursts of study
Short bursts of quality study (20 minutes at a time)
Try cycles that don’t overload your brain
Day 1/ Step 1 - Read your text
Day 2/ Step 2 - Annotations and dot points
Day 3/ Step 3 - Write short analytical responses (50 - 100 words)
Plan for the point of holidays (rest, fun, socialisation and recharge)
Be flexible, but don’t ignore - just shuffle things around when you need
3. Begin with Low-Pressure Revision
If you love reading, just read your text casually (don’t stress about the perfect annotations or notes)
If you are more of an “I’d watch the movie version” kind of person, then go for it (check for the most accurate adaptations)
If you like audiobooks or would prefer that, go for that option
Aim to just gain some exposure to your texts.
4. Learn How to Read your Text
Madame François Buron, 1769, Jacques-Louis David (French, 1748–1825)
For your second read (or maybe you’d like to just jump straight to it for your first read), learn how to read your text in a way that helps boost your efficiency. Lucky for you, we already have that guide covered here.
5. Multi-Modal Revision
Try varying the type of revision you do, it keeps the brain more entertained
YouTube videos
Podcasts
Audiobooks
Quizzes
Mind maps
Character Charts
6. Focus on Building Skills, not the Perfect Essay
Break down the essay type you want to study into parts. E.g.
Text Response: Small bursts of analytical writing (quote, passage, text construction, etc.)
Argument Analysis: Read an article, fill out an introduction acronym
Creating Text: Grab a sentence starter and practice writing creatively for 20 minutes in association with your Framework of Ideas
General: Write introductions, topic sentences rather than whole essays
7. Dabble with a Deep Dive
Don’t overwork yourself by trying to improve everything; focus on deep diving into one thing
One key theme, character
Outline a skeleton of your preferred Creating Text Form
Rewrite a previous year’s Argument Analysis paragraph
8. Build Resources Now, no tears later
Crying Girl (1963), Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997), printed by Colorcraft, New York, published by the Leo Castelli Gallery, New York
Save your future self the stress and start with easy resources
Basic quote banks
Create folders for each section of study
Collect practice essays and prompts from study guides and past exams/ examiner’s reports
Compile a definition list for English
Gather templates
9. Protect your mental rest and holiday time
The summer holidays are holidays for a reason - make sure you enjoy yourself also and focus on:
Resting
Socialising
Working that Summer job
Recharging
10. Remember, some study is better than no study
Year 12 is a big year in a short amount of time.
Save your future self some stress by doing small tasks now rather than later
It is not about being ready to ace the end-of-year exam, it is about reducing some of the later pressures
