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General Guidelines
- Do your studying in relatively small chunks (ca. 40-60 min).
- Do take breaks while studying.
- Be an active and interactive learner.
- When studying, use as many senses as possible: speaking, listening,
writing, and reading.
- Spend 45 minutes each day reading.
- Practice with a friend.
Specific Suggestions
- Practice saying new words out loud (or writing them).
- Study vocabulary several times a day for 5-10 minutes at a time.
- When learning vocabulary, practice conjugating new verbs or declining
new nouns and adjectives.
- Practice using new vocabulary in simple sentences so that you get
used to seeing the word in context.
- Practice with a friend, making up sentences about the pictures, asking
questions about the story, creating short questions and answers, and
quizzing each other on grammar and vocabulary.
- Imagine a specific context (e.g., the home, the market, the symposium,
the agora) and create sentences that describe what is happening in that
setting.
- Review old vocabulary and grammar before doing the written homework.
- Study new vocabulary and grammar before attempting the written homework.
- Re-read an old reading passage to get you thinking Greek before attempting
the homework.
- Read a new passage for content first, guessing at words that you don't
know, looking for key words to help you unravel the meaning of the paragraph.
- Read a new passage quickly on the first try while listening to the
tape, trying to get the gist of the passage (aural and visual reinforcement).
- Read the passage aloud, trying to speak the story in phrase groups
that belong together (recognizing sense units).
- Better to read through the passage several times rather than just
once.
- Rewrite a paragraph or two of a reading passage by changing the time
(tense) or the point of view (person and number).
- After reading the passage carefully, try listening to it on tape without
looking at the text (testing comprehension).
DON'T
- Don't panic. It's normal for language students not to master new grammar
or vocabulary on the first try. Language learning is a cumulative process.
- Don't study for several hours in a row without a break. You'll go
nuts, and it will be less likely to become part of your long-term memory.
- Don't be a passive learner. If you use all your senses, if you use
the language to create new sentences, you will learn it better.
- Don't just read an assignment to yourself: say the words or write
them.
- Don't study vocab for more than 15 minutes at a time, preferably no
more than 10 minutes at a time.
- Don't begin your written homework without first reviewing old
vocabulary and practicing old grammar (you'll end up having to
look up too many words and forms and you'll feel like you are spinning
your wheels).
- Don't begin your written homework without studying the new
vocab and grammar (ditto).
- Don't refer to grammar charts and vocabulary lists as you do your
homework. If you have already reviewed the material, try to work from
memory. Then go back and check your work after you have completed the
entire exercise.
- When doing a reading passage, don't read the passage just once. This
is a foreign language, not your native language. Give it time to sink
in.
- Don't write out a literal translation of a reading passage. Better
to spend the time re-reading the passage
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