some tips I tried and others which didn't work

These were all great tips, and I hadn't known about any of them before!  I had difficulty selecting objects - I often had to use the direct selection tool rather than the selection tool.  It may be because I am using CS6.  Also, when I tried to cut objects, not everything got cut all the way through.

some tips I tried and others which didn't work - image 1 - student project

These were my 2 favorite tips.

some tips I tried and others which didn't work - image 2 - student project

some tips I tried and others which didn't work - image 3 - student project