Why a one-pager is an effective learning strategy for science students

Need a simple way to review and remember what you've learned in science class?

Imagine you've just learned about the force of gravity and you want to commit the topic to memory.

Why not use a one-pager?

A one-pager is powerful and effective learning tool for students that will help you summarize your knowledge of a scientific topic with a mix of helpful text and images on a single page or slide.

✔ Characteristics of terms/concepts

✔ Formula

✔ Dates

✔ Scientific laws

✔ Worked examples

✔ Definitions of terms/concepts

✔ Drawings/images

✔ Comparison and contrast of related terms/concepts

✔ Brief summary of lab reports or experimental observations

To make it effective and easy to grasp:

• Keep information simple and concise, with bullet points and/or short paragraphs.

• Use a template and/or rubric to organize the information.

• Include key takeaways from a topic.

A one-pager can be handwritten or digital, so long as it uses both visual and verbal information to effectively summarize the topic.

Below is an example of a student's one-pager about the levels of an animal's biological hierarchy.

• The visual part is a diagram demonstrating the hierarchy from the smallest to the largest.

• The verbal part is a text summary explaining each step in the hierarchy in detail.

Visual

Verbal

1. Large molecules make a cell.

2. Similar types of cells make tissue.

3. A collection of tissues of similar structure and function forms an organ.

4. Organ systems function together to form an organism (for example, an animal).

5. A group of similar organisms living in the same environment makes up a population.

6. A group of different interacting organisms living together in the same environment is called biocenosis.

Middle school students were asked to explain the process of photosynthesis with a creative one-pager.

The teacher gave them a rubric to follow:

1. title

2. definition

3. chemical equation

4. location

5. energy transformations

6. summary of light dependent and light independent systems

Farha created a one-page document with 3 sections. The first section included a title, definition, and chemical reaction. The second and third sections explained each system respectively. Each section was highlighted with a different color.

Rita created a single slide with a mix of text and images. The text included a title, definition, chemical reactions, and energy transformations. Both light systems were colorfully illustrated with two separate diagrams labeled correctly.

John created 2 slides. Slide 1 contained text including a title, definition, chemical equation, location, and energy transformation. Slide 2 contained a colorful image of the two light systems.

Roy created a one-page word document including a definition, location, energy transformation, and detailed explanation of the two systems. The document contained a colorful image of the chemical reactions.

Photo by HamZa NOUASRIA on Unsplash

Are you ready to make an effective one-pager?