Tips & Tools
Getting Organized

Useful Study Techniques

Getting Organized

Suggestions are in approximate order from easier to more challenging.

Vocabulary

  • Use flashcards to learn vocabulary: Flashcards for Vocabulary
  • Create sentences on your own: When you learn new vocabulary, make up a sentence for each of your new words.
  • Keep track of new vocabulary in a notebook: Notebook Systems

Grammar

  • Use flashcards to learn grammar: Flashcards for Grammar
  • Write out sentences that contain the new grammatical concept you are learning.
  • Read sentences aloud that contain the grammar you want to learn. After reading out loud, close the book for a few minutes and create several new sentences to say to yourself.

Conversational Fluency

  • Read about Improving Your Speaking
  • Create sentences on your own: When you learn new vocabulary, make up a sentence for each of your new words.
  • Act out a dialogue from your book. Prepare for a role play by acting out both parts.
  • Pick a person, event, or topic and describe it out loud, without writing anything down.
  • Improvise a role play or dialogue without using your book.
  • While watching a TV show, choose a character to follow closely. Pause the show after they speak and reply to what they say, or comment on their actions.

Pronunciation

  • Using the IPA to Learn Sounds
  • Introducing Yourself to Sounds
  • Listen carefully to the audio in your book and repeat the dialogues and exercises out loud.
  • Record yourself on your phone or on a computer program saying something out loud (a word, a sentence, a dialogue). Compare your pronunciation to a recording of a native speaker.
  • Use Forvo.com for recordings of words to that aren’t in your textbook audio. Forvo.com has native speaker recordings of many words in various languages. (Not all languages offered at FCCSWL are available.)
  • Backchaining is a pronunciation technique that involves sounding out each syllable of a word, starting with the last syllable. This article from Fluent Forever is a helpful guide.

Listening Comprehension

  • See the articles under Learning Beyond the Textbook.
  • Listen to your textbook audio.
  • Make listening flashcards with digital flashcard apps, such as Anki. See Resources for Making Flashcards.
  • Watch a TV series in the target language. Watch first without, then with subtitles. If possible, try to find a version with subtitles in the language first, then use English subtitles.
  • Listen to the radio in your target language.

Reading and Writing

  • What is extensive reading?
  • Introducing Yourself to a Script
  • Flashcards for Learning Combinations of Letters
  • If you are comfortable writing in the language, start learning how to type.
  • If your course has written assignments, use the corrections you receive to practice concepts you struggle with.
  • Find basic reading material online, such as children’s stories.
  • Read advertisements for products you’re familiar with.
  • Read news articles you find online.
  • Write a paragraph of response or reflection on a cultural topic in your textbook.