#classwork101

Struggling in a particular class? Don't want to ask your classmates for help and risk looking like an idiot? Don't want to ask your teachers for help for fear of looking worse? Fear no more! This is the sixth installment of The Parselmouth's 'How to Succeed in' series - a group of articles helping you to achieve that O grade in each and every one of your classes. Today we're looking at Muggle Studies. Ew. TACKLING LESSONS 1. Muggles are gross. Why would you even want to turn up? Don't turn up. 2. If you do turn up, try not to take anything Professor Gawkrodger says too seriously. Although it might be nice to think of muggles as pointed stick-wielding savages, they just aren't. We're the superior species here. TACKLING HOMEWORK 1. Throw yourself wholeheartedly into every task. If Professor Gawkrodger asks you to stab someone with a pencil, go for it! Those Hufflepuffs could use a lesson or two. 2. Your essays won't require much thought. Like Divination - the wackier it is, the higher your mark will be. TACKLING THE PROFESSOR 1. Take everything he says with a pinch of salt. 2. I've heard he likes to be bribed with 'adult' beverages. 3. Don't try and contact him on any muggle devices. We've all heard of an older student who tried to do that once; I don't think it ended very well for her... Follow these simple tips and you, like me, will pass Muggle Studies with flying colours! written by Eden Beattie

Struggling in a particular class? Don't want to ask your classmates for help and risk looking like an idiot? Don't want to ask your teachers for help for fear of looking worse? Fear no more! This is the fifth installment of The Parselmouth's 'How to Succeed in' series - a group of articles helping you to achieve that O grade in each and every one of your classes. Today we're looking at the achilles heel of many students at Hogwarts: Divination! TACKLING LESSONS 1. Practice! (Whether you take that to mean practising the various forms of divination you've been taught or practising the creation of made up predictions, though, I don't care. Either would work fine if I'm honest). 2. Predict as many deaths as possible. You'll score major plus points, I promise. TACKLING HOMEWORK 1. Just make it up! The wackier it is, the higher your mark will be. TACKLING THE PROFESSORS 1. Bring earmuffs and a change of clothes to every lesson, just in case one of Professor Bond's pranks goes a tad too far. 2. That being said, ignore everything Professor Bond says; his idiocy is rivalled only by Professor Gainsborough's. 3. If you're too nervous to make up your predictions, speaking to Professor Rhodes is probably your only hope of passing this class. So try not to irritate her or fall asleep in her classes. Follow these simple tips and you, like me, will pass Divination with flying colours! written by Eden Beattie

Struggling in a particular class? Don't want to ask your classmates for help and risk looking like an idiot? Don't want to ask your teachers for help for fear of looking worse? Fear no more! This is the fourth installment of The Parselmouth's 'How to Succeed in' series - a group of articles helping you to achieve that O grade in each and every one of your classes. This year's first class is the widely popular Defence Against the Dark Arts! TACKLING LESSONS 1. You think DADA is all about learning to fight bad guys, right? Wrong. There's so much more to this class than learning to emulate the achievements of the wizarding world's favourite hero, Harry Potter. Be prepared to tackle other topics too. 2. A lot of the spells you'll learn in class are commonly used in the chamber. Working hard on your duelling and learning as many spells as possible means you might pick up a decent amount of the syllabus on your own. TACKLING HOMEWORK 1. Do your homework as soon as you get it. You're dealing with Professors James and Trimble, after all. It's best not to forget you've got essays to do when they're your teachers... 2. There are plenty of books in the library you can look at if you're eager for extra information. Including some of it in your essays might boost your grades. TACKLING THE PROFESSORS 1. Don't try and ask Professor James why she's teaching Defence instead of Potions this year. We all know how much she liked the dungeons. It's probably a sore subject. 2. Then again, Professor James is very knowledgeable. So is Professor Trimble. So direct all your subject-related questions to them, if you have any, and not to Professor Gainsborough (see below). 3. Professor Gainsborough is an idiot. Ignore everything he says. Follow these simple tips and you, like me, will pass Defence Against the Dark Arts with flying colours! written by Eden Beattie

Struggling in a particular class? Don't want to ask your classmates for help and risk looking like an idiot? Don't want to ask your teachers for help for fear of looking worse? Fear no more! This is the third installment of The Parselmouth's 'How to Succeed in' series - a group of articles helping you to achieve that O grade in each and every one of your classes. In this year's final installment - don't worry, we'll be back next year! - I'll be giving you some handy hints on how to deal with Herbology! TACKLING LESSONS 1. Don't bother having a shower before you go. You'll get soil all over you and the greenhouses smell terrible. Seriously. Your friends will appreciate it if you shower after class instead of before. 2. Don't be afraid to touch gross things. Maybe work your way up to what you'll be expected to touch in Herbology by touching your friend's horribly greasy hair when they haven't washed it. Or a Hufflepuff. Both are equally gross and equally effective. TACKLING HOMEWORK 1. The advice given for both Potions and History of Magic essays also applies to Herbology. 2. For those special assignments - you know, the ones where you're given a plant to look after for the week or term - the best approach is a very simple one: to make friends with someone who enjoys Herbology. If you don't want to spend all your time talking to a plant, ask someone who likes plants to do it. Problem solved! 3. If your plant dies (which it shouldn't), steal someone else's. Preferably a Hufflepuff's because they're the most likely to fail. TACKLING THE PROFESSORS 1. Try not to spend most of your class time staring at that certain male Herbology teacher. Not listening to what he's actually saying will not help you in your exams. 2. Likewise, don't complain about the lack of said teacher's presence when being taught by the other one. That definitely won't help your grade. Follow these simple tips and you, like me, will pass Herbology with flying colours! written by Eden Beattie

Struggling in a particular class? Don't want to ask your classmates for help and risk looking like an idiot? Don't want to ask your teachers for help for fear of looking worse? Fear no more! This is the second installment of The Parselmouth's 'How to Succeed in' series - a group of articles helping you to achieve that O grade in each and every one of your classes. Next up is the least favourite class of many students here at Hogwarts: History of Magic! TACKLING LESSONS 1. If you find the content too boring, keep yourself awake and entertained by throwing screwed up pieces of parchment at the back of a Hufflepuff's head. 2. Alternatively, invest in a winged catapult. 3. Don't get too excited about the amount of field trips this class offers. Most of them aren't worth the excitement. TACKLING ESSAYS 1. Try to do your essays as soon as possible, especially if you're likely to get bored by the content. The sooner it's over the sooner you're free. 2. Consult your textbooks closely and pay close attention to what they tell you. If you get the year of an important event wrong you'll definitely lose marks. 3. ...Actually, I'm not even going to bother telling you where to find extra information to boost your essay grades. I know no one will take the hint. TACKLING THE PROFESSORS 1. Don't listen to a word Professor Grimsby says. He used to teach Potions here; he's clearly a jack of all trades but a master of none. 2. Professor Bourdelle clearly knows more than her co-Professor. Perhaps try asking her for support if Professor Grimsby isn't delivering. 3. Never tell them you think their class is boring. They'll probably give you detention. Follow these simple tips and you, like me, will pass History of Magic with flying colours! written by Eden Beattie

Struggling in a particular class? Don't want to ask your classmates for help and risk looking like an idiot? Don't want to ask your teachers for help for fear of looking worse? Fear no more! This is the first installment of The Parselmouth's 'How to Succeed in' series - a group of articles helping you to achieve that O grade in each and every one of your classes. The first class up is the nemesis of numerous students: Potions class! TACKLING LESSONS 1. Read your textbooks slowly and carefully. This minimises the risk of you blowing up the castle by getting your ingredients mixed up or stirring your potion the wrong way. 2. Don't be afraid to start over. If your potion looks the wrong colour or seems to have gone wrong, getting rid and starting again is a much better option than carrying on and poisoning the entire class. 3. Never check your potion against a friend's. They might not have followed the instructions carefully enough and you don't want to cheat off them if their potion is no good. TACKLING ESSAYS 1. Write them with plenty of time to spare. Especially since they like to give out long ones in Potions class. 2. Hand them in on time. Especially to Professor James. 3. There are some more advanced textbooks in the library. Check them out and include some of the content in your essays to really boost your grade. TACKLING THE PROFESSORS 1. Don't annoy Professor James. 2. Seriously, don't do it. 3. No, really. 4. Don't. Follow these simple tips and you, like me, will pass Potions with flying colours! written by Eden Beattie

The start of a new school year can be difficult. Deadlines upon deadlines are piled up before your very eyes and it often isn't long before you're overwhelmed and start to get behind. So, here are a few quick tips to make sure you keep on top of your homework and don't get too stressed this year! 1. Create a homework timetable. Ensure you've set aside enough time to complete your homework. Two or so hours every evening should suffice for younger students (perhaps even one if you're as intelligent a student as myself) while older students might like to go for three or four. Using the same scheduled time every evening to complete your homework will ensure you settle into a structured routine, enabling you to meet those all important deadlines without getting stressed. 2. Get rid of any distractions. Select a place to complete your homework that isn't going to distract you. If the common room is a little too noisy for your taste, head down to the library! Or if the library has too many interesting books that might distract you, find an empty classroom. More importantly, make sure you are working on your homework alone (unless it's a group assignment, in which case make sure your group is alone together). You don't want to end up procrastinating by talking to someone during your homework time - you'll only get behind and end up with a list of Troll grades if you do... 3. Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you don't understand a concept, consult your class Professor as soon as possible. Spending too much time struggling to understand the nature of a homework task may lead to unnecessary stress, which might eventually cause you to run out of time to complete the set assignment. As an alternative to your Professors, consult a prefect, older student or classmate if you're desperate. 4. Reward yourself. If you've completed a piece of homework, make sure you reward yourself for it - because you deserve it! And the idea of going down to the chamber for a duel or opening up a packet of karaoke licorice provides an incentive for completing your homework, too, which will ultimately prevent you from procrastinating and encourage you to work harder. It's a win-win. Follow these four tips and it's certain that you will have a successful year. written by Eden Beattie