Studying with foldables

Building a foldable is a creative, 3-dimensional activity that can make it easier to remember complex concepts. We created one which organizes and explains the phases of mitosis. Here’s how you can make your own:

First, think about how many concepts you want to include in your foldable. That will determine how many sections, quadrants or folds you create. For example, to make our mitosis foldable, we used one sheet of Post-it® Big Pad and created a diamond shape with four quadrants, one for each mitosis phase. (Simply remove one sheet from the Post-it® Big Pad, and with the adhesive/sticky side down, fold in the four quadrants so the corners meet in the center of the sheet.)

Use Post-it® Notes to create layers and include more information in your foldable. For example, we sketched out what each mitosis phase looks like on one layer and wrote a description of each phase on another.

Label the sections of your foldable with Post-it® Page Markers. Try matching each label color to the Post-it® Notes on the inside to keep the information organized. Associating a color with each concept may help you recall information during a test.

When your foldable is complete, you can close up all the sections and quiz yourself on the concepts you’ve just learned. Now you have a great study tool you can use to prepare for a test. Plus, you can make foldables for just about any topic, so use them in other classes to help make remembering tough concepts easier.

The Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR) hosts Camp BIOmed, a summer camp for high school students, offers a variety of programs designed to help future professionals understand burgeoning biological fields. With an emphasis on hands-on lessons and experiments, students are treated to a comprehensive understanding of how biomedical research is conducted and exposed to challenges faced by scientists every day. Learn more about Camp BIOmed here.