HOW TO STUDY 56 Now you have a general idea of what the new word could mean. For example, crumpet could mean a small piece of food that’s not important. To be sure, you may want to check your definition with the dictionary’s definition. For example, the dictionary definition of crumpet is “a light bread, often toasted.” By coming to your definition first, you’ve made what you learned meaningful to you. And you’ve used cognition. You used what you already knew! IN SHORT The first step in studying is to recognize what you know. You know when you know something when: • You can make clear images in your mind of what you’re studying. • What you’re reading or listening to follows a clear order. • You’ve answered all your own questions. KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW 57 Practice Tips The next time you study, test if you really know a paragraph: • Draw a picture or a cartoon of what the paragraph was about. Then, write a paragraph describing your picture or cartoon. How are they similar? The more similar your paragraph is to the paragraph you’re studying, the more you know the paragraph. • Make a timeline, showing the order of events in the paragraph. Check by going back to the paragraph. • Draw lines connecting the pictures to the events listed on the timeline. . in the paragraph. Check by going back to the paragraph. • Draw lines connecting the pictures to the events listed on the timeline.