7 HABITS FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS.

                                                 BY ISRAEL JAMES

Success can only be achieved through the effective use of our time and resources by following regular patterned activities that is in harmony with our goals.

These seven habits for academic success are very essential to every student who desires to be the best in his or her academics.

1. HAVE A GOAL:

 How motivated will you be if asked to run a race without a destination? That’s what a goal does, it keeps you focused and motivated.

Set goals for yourself, either to be among the best in your class or to have a distinction in every subject offered. Putting your goals on paper,  set your inner wheels in motion to fulfilling them.

2. BE PRESENT: 

60% of success in anything is being present and punctual. Being present in class gives you the opportunity to understand better or at least, the opportunity to ask questions when you don’t comprehend the subject matter.

3. WRITE NOTES:

 Can you effectively recall all that you’ve heard in a day or even in a lesson? I doubt. Statistics has shown that people remember 5% of all what they hear, 25% of what they see and 60% of what they do. By taking notes in class, you hear, see, and do and you can make reference to it whenever you want.

4. LOVE YOUR SUBJECTS AND THE TEACHERS:

There is an ancient quote which says “Love never fails”. When you like a subject, every challenge becomes a stepping stone that you passionately want to climb. But if otherwise, you’ll see it as a stumbling rock. And statistics have shown that people listen to the ones they like and absentmindedly to those they don’t.

5. HAVE A READING PARTNER/GROUP:

 Reading together as a group makes it more fun. It also gives you the priviledge of teaching someone what you understand and learning what you don’t. Also most are more comfortable seeking assistance from their colleagues rather than their teachers.

6. STUDY REGULARLY:  

  As a student, you should spend 70% of your time studying. Regular studies make you a sharpend sword- makes you ready anytime. It also brings boosts your confidence.(1Tim 2:15)

7. BE PERSISTENT:

    No matter how complex any subject matter seems to look, never give up the hope of succeeding. Work at it until your good becomes better and your better becomes best.

There is no limitation to the mind except the one we acknowledge.

 Israel James currently teaches chemistry at livscas. He also writes motivational articles. You can reach him on this page or through e-mail: izyjj@yahoo.co.uk

   

                FOOD WEB  By  Marcus Chukwu.

Food web is a set of interconnected food chain by which energy and materials circulate within an ecosystem. The food web is divided into two broad categories:

1.     the grazing web- which typically begins with green plants, algae, or photosynthesizing plankton and

2. the detrital web- which begins with organic debris.

These webs are made up of individual food chains. In a grazing web, materials typically pass from plants to plant eaters (herbivores) to flesh eaters(carnivores).

In a detrital web, materials pass from plant and animal matter to bacteria and fungi (decomposers), then to detrital feeders (detritivores), and then to their predators (carnivores).

Generally, many interconnections exist within food webs. For example, the fungi that decompose matter in a detrital web may sprout mushrooms that are consumed by squirrels, mice, and deer in a grazing web.

Robins typically feed on earthworms, which are detritivores that feed upon decaying leaves.

                                TROPHIC LEVELS

The food web can be viewed not only as a network of chains but also as a series of trophic (nutritional) levels. Green plants, the primary producers of food in most terrestrial food webs, belong to the first trophic level.

Herbivores, consumers of green plants, belong to the second trophic level. Carnivores, predators feeding upon the herbivores, belong to the third. Omnivores, consumers of both plant and animal belong to the second and third.

Secondary carnivores, which are predators that feed on predators, belong to the fourth trophic level. As the trophic level rises, the predators become fewer, larger, fiercer, and more agile.

At the second and higher levels, decomposers of available material function as herbivores or carnivores depending on whether their food is plant or animal material.

Marcus Chukwu teaches and writes on biology. He is currently based in Ibadan, Oyo State ,Nigeria and can be reached on – marcus.ifeanyichukwu@yahoo.com  tel:07032594088