Take Note!

1. Take Note! Note Taking and Study Skills Mrs. Kimberly Kulp Bridgeway Academy

2. Lessons in Learning • Imagine this: You’ve read a chapter or watched a lesson. You read the study questions or assignment and think “What did I just learn, again?” • Taking notes is an essential part of your learning. But, how do you do it? How do you know what is important? What do you right down? • Today we will discuss the following. • How to prepare to take notes and approach a lesson • How to organize notes, including graphic organizers • What to write down • How to organize your writing • How to study from notes

3. Step 1: Get Organized! • The first step in active learning is to get organized! You should have a notebook and folder (to keep papers) for EVERY class. • Never begin a lesson without a pencil and paper. • A highlighter will be helpful when you are reading a textbook or looking over your notes later. • Consider having a dictionary next to you to look up words you do not understand.

4. Step 2: Think Before You Learn • Before you begin to read a chapter or watch a lesson, there are a few steps you should take to prepare. • First, THINK! Look at the title of the lesson/chapter and ask yourself the following pre-lesson questions. • What do you know about this topic? • How does it relate to what you have studied in the past? • What do you expect to learn about this topic? • What themes/important points can you carry over from a previous into this lesson?

5. Step 3: Choose a Method • There are many different ways to organize and take notes. • You may choose to take notes differently for each subject or choose one method for every course. • How you organize your notes and the method you choose can have a big impact on your study skills and the way that you retain information. • Choose a method that best fits your learning style (visual, auditory, etc.).

6. Graphic Organizers • One way to organize and take notes is graphically. • A graphic organizer is a picture that you use to record the information you learn in a lesson. • Using a graphic organizer can help you to organize your information as well as connect important concepts. • Graphic organizers also make great study aids. When you are later asked to write an essay or take a quiz, you already have the information you need in picture form. • The type of organizer you use is up to you!

7. Cycle webs can be used to show cycles, processes, and relationships. Concept webs are great for categorizing information and showing how concepts fit together.

8. Taking Notes Graphically • Graphic organizers can be chosen based upon topic, concept, or assignment. • Choosing the right organizer is half the battle! • Charts can help you compare and contrast. • Compare animals to humans. • Time Lines help you to place events in order. • Chronology of US History • A tree can help you to classify and sort. • Classification of species • A chain can show you a process or sequence. • The plot of a novel

9. Cornell Note Taking • When you are presented with a lot of information, it’s best to organize your notes with points in a number/letter system. • The Cornell Note Taking system is a process of note taking that includes recording information and then returning, right after the lesson, to read, recite, and reduce your notes in a way that identifies the most important points. • In the Cornell Method, students divide their paper into two columns, with one column about 2 inches wide, the other column taking up the rest of the paper. • This system trains your brain to pick out the most important information within the lesson, thus preparing you for assignments and exams.

10. 1 Cornell Method Example • DEF: Revolution- takeover of govt. • American Revolution- 1775- Causes • Change, freedom, sovereignty • Taxes angered colonists; no taxation without representation. • French revolution set example • Taxation: • Debt after F and I war • Colonists taxed to pay because they benefited • 1764 Sugar Act- 1st major tax, angered because it taxed an everyday item for ordinary citizens. • OVERALL- Unavoidable The American Revolution- • A revolution is a take over a government and to put another government in its place. • The Revolution began in 1775, and America was ready for change, freedom, and a disconnection with Great Britain . Taxes, trade regulations, and most of all, power made all colonist, except for loyalist, want to leave from Great Britain's rule. The American Revolution has certain similarities and qualities of the French's revolution. The similarities and qualities are in their economies, leaders, ideology, and provocation. • The American Revolution was started basically because of problems with the British economy. The major concept of the time was "taxation without representation". After the French and Indian war, the British government was burdened with a huge debt. They wanted to tax more to the colonist because they were the ones helped the most from the war. • Ordinary people had always been taxed lightly in America, but they did not want their money to be used to support the British. The first major tax imposed on the colonist was the Sugar Act of 1764. This greatly angered the colonists as this was a tax not for merchants but on an everyday item that was part of life for colonists. 2

11. Before taking notes, make sure to write down a title. The title is the main topic of your notes. • Then, proceed to write down the most important information using a logical, numbering system. (i.e. point 1, point 2, etc.) • Pay attention to definitions, dates, persons, formulas, and main events. • Also consider writing down cause and effect facts, sequences, relationships, etc. • Make sure to reread or re-watch any sections that you do not fully understand. Step 2: Take Notes!

12. Step 3: Recall and Organize After watching the lesson or reading the chapter, reorganize your notes in the 2 inch column to the left around the following questions: • What are the main ideas?Categorize the main ideas into a logical hierarchy (i.e. I. II. III.) • What are the important details that impact those points? • Are there any cause and effect relationships or sequences I need to chart? • How and why is this subject important? • How could I apply this material? • How does this relate to what I read in my textbook? • What don't I understand about this? Reread any parts you do not fully understand.

13. Lesson Review • Taking notes is essential to mastering your lessons and performing well on quizzes, writing assignments, and exams. • Never begin a lesson unprepared to take notes! • Choose an organizational method before beginning. • Graphical notes are helpful for visual learners. The Cornell Method should be used by upper level students. • Record information during the lesson, then return to your notes and reorganize the information into the most important points. • Use your notes to prepare for exams and quizzes and in all assignments.