Follow the following steps as your plan of action for class.  Read each suggestion and make sure you understand that “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”.

Plan ahead and start early.  Read and take notes in class.  Read your notes every night.

Plan to read each chapter before it's discussed in class.  Doing this will make the class lecture a review.  It is also likely to help you to understand the material that is presented in class at a deeper level.

Identify information in the chapter you don't understand and plan to talk with the teacher after class or during his/her conference hour if you still don't understand the material after it's covered in class.