Your science classes may seem like a challenge. The tips and strategies below will help you succeed. Remember, the more effort you put into learning the material as you go (for example, by writing or reviewing notes regularly), the less you will have to do right before an exam.

Setting up a structure for your notes will help you to keep new ideas organized and make information clearer.

	Create structure on the page. Fold the outer edge of your notebook paper to the middle of the page. This creates a narrow column and a wide column. Write your notes in the wide column, and use the narrow column for new terms and definitions. This will make it easy to find the ideas and vocabulary covered in class.

	Leave the bottom three or four inches of your paper blank while taking notes in class. At the end of the day, review your notes and fill it in with a summary of the information on each page. As an alternative, leave a large blank space after each topic.

	For each new topic, include a header written in large letters or all caps (e.g., PHOTOSYNTHESIS). Begin new major topics on a new page. This will help you stay organized and find information easily later.

You will need to learn a lot of new vocabulary in science class. Understanding the vocabulary words will help you understand the concepts being taught. As you learn a subject, create a set of index cards with science vocabulary terms on one side and a definition, picture, and/or example on the other. As an alternative, use a section of your notebook or binder to create a glossary of terms. Keep separate glossaries or sets of cards for each test.

After you review a topic, write it as a story. Stories make it easier to remember a sequence of events. This is particularly useful for learning about changes over time, such as changes to Earth’s surface, the evolution of new groups of organisms, and the formation of stars and planets.

Always keep in mind the basic rules that you have already learned in science. They will come into play in all your science classes.

	Energy is conserved. In a closed system, energy is neither lost nor gained. This applies to chemical equations in which you must account for the change in free energy and in the concept of momentum in physics.

	Energy is lost. In an open system, energy is usually lost in the form of heat. Earth as a whole is an open system that loses heat to the universe. Energy is also changed to heat during energy transfers. This concept applies to understanding trophic levels in ecosystems as well as the impossibility of a perpetual motion machine.

	Energy is gained from the Sun. Earth gains energy continuously from the Sun. This energy powers photosynthesis and drives weather and the water cycle. It makes solar power an essentially free energy resource.

	Matter is conserved. The atoms making up matter on Earth are always recycled (with the exception of nuclear reactions). This concept is important in understanding how plants grow, balancing chemical equations, and describing the rock cycle and changes to Earth’s surface.

	Resources are limited. This concept comes into play in understanding nutrition, natural selection, trophic levels, and chemical equations.