1. Study Skills
Taking Text Notes

3. Where Are You Now? Answer the questions – Yes or No
Do you take notes on textbook material after you have highlighted the chapter or section?
Do you take text notes when you read the chapter for the first time?
Do you read the whole paragraph before you begin to take notes?
Do you evaluate your notes after an exam?
Do you usually copy information from the txt in the same wording as the author used in the book?

4. Where Are You Now? Answer the questions – Yes or No
Do you recite your text notes when you review for an exam?
Do you create maps when you take notes on the textbook material?
Are your text notes a good summary of the text material?
Do you tend to write down only key words when you take notes?
Do you use formal outlining to take notes on your text?

5. Calculate Your Score Where are you now
Give yourself 1 point for each yes to questions 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8.
Give yourself 1 point for each no to questions 2, 5, 9, and 10
Total your points
A low score indicates that you need some help in taking notes on text material
A high score indicated that you are already using many good note-taking strategies

6. Why to Take Notes Promotes Active Reading Increases your Comprehension
Actively involved – you must write something down
Decision-making – you decide what is important
Your own words = format that is easy to study & remember
Strengthens your memory of the material
Increases your Comprehension
Reinforces the important information
Writing in your words = analyzing the material & relates it to what you already know about the subject.
Reading, Thinking & Writing - repetition needed for remembering

7. Why to Take Notes Serves as a Comprehensive Monitoring System
Provides feedback on concentration & understanding
If you can’t write notes – signal you didn’t understand what you read
Condenses the Information
Time saver for studying for an exam
Able to organize in a way that makes sense for you
Organizes the Information
Forces you to structure the material to show relationships
Mapping allows for visual display to show how the material is connected

8. When to Take Text Notes When you first read the chapter
Can be too time consuming
May write down more information than you need
After the Lecture
If teacher’s lecture follows the text gook closely, you can fill in information you may have missed during the lecture
Able to add important information that was not covered in lecture
At the end of the week
Good way of reviewing information
Use lecture notes with text notes so do not duplicate information
When you prepare for the exam
Active review session
Able to condense information to study with

9. How to Take Text Notes - written notes
Outlining
Formal
Refer to the table of contents to set up main headings
Use capital letters to set up main point
Example I. A. 1. 2. B.
II.
Informal
Informal outlining is more efficient for taking notes
Use chapter subdivisions for main points
Don’t have to use every hading as a main point – some combined; others omitted
No need to use letters or numbers, just indents

10. How to Take Text Notes - written notes
Block Notes
Allows to group important details for each heading compactly
Write heading next to margin; indent slightly
Separate details by slash or dash
IF you are a visual learner, this may not be the best method for you – hard to picture information since it is grouped together
Modified Block Notes
More effective by listing important details under each other
Sometimes too many details to list under just one heading
Use phrases instead of whole sentences; use your own words

11. How to Take Text Notes - written notes
Summarizing
Condensed version of information written in sentence or paragraph form
Break down chapter in shorter segments
Read entire section; think about what author is saying; decide what you think is important
Not useful for certain types of information – especially technical or factual
Note cards
Easy to organize information
Easy to carry around
On the back of the actual notes, write recall words or questions.
Forces you to focus on important information & create set of self-test questions

12. How to Take Text Notes Mapping - visual display of text information
Line or Wheel Maps
Provides space to write meaningful phrases
Visual display of information
Add lines or spokes that radiate out from a central hub
Topic in the Center
Subordinate points on lines that radiate up, down or out from it
Add supporting details by inserting lines that extend out from previous lines
Create subheadings as you map the information
Subheadings organize the information, separate details into easier-to-remember chunks
Information can serve as cues to help learn and retrieve the information
Seem easy to create, also easy to make mistakes
Don’t turn paper around to create; want to be written horizontally for ease of studying and reading
Tendency to simply list all information on lines that extend directly from heading
If is a few details; fine, but if too detailed need to break down differently.

13. How to Take Text Notes Mapping - visual display of text information
Hierarchical Maps
Top-Down display of information
Form of flowcharts or process charts
Write main heading/topic at top in a box
Draw lines to indicate the subdivisions; create box for each
Further divide into one or more supporting points
Individual method of taking notes
Natural progression from main topic to supporting details

14. Example of Hierarchical Map

15. How to Take Text Notes Mapping - visual display of text information
Semantic Webs
Instead of top-down display; semantic webs radiate from central focal point
Four main components
Core Question or Concept
Web Strands
Stand Supports
Strand Ties
Color coding may help recall the information
Uses clusters of information
Use different colors for different clusters of information

16. Example of Semantic Map

17. How to Take Text Notes Charting
Graphic Display of information
Show similarities and differences of related information
Cannot chart entire textbook
Break down chapters by section
Topics, How related
Create Chart with Categories & Headings
Matrix
Chart with rows and columns
Categories are equivalent to subheadings

18. Example of Charting Categories Examples Short-Term Effects
Long-Term Effects
Stimulants
Depressants
Hallucinogens
Narcotics

19. How to Review Text Notes
Recite your notes
Review main & supporting points; Recall & recite headings; Recite details under headings
If use note cards – carry with your; use all spare time
Replicate your notes
Reconstruct your notes
Work on one column at a time
Create a recall column
Use margin to write recall words or questions
Test your memory using recall cues

20. How to Evaluate Text Notes
Compare your notes with those of a classmate
May notice information you omitted or unnecessary information
Get ideas how to organize text information
Check with your teacher or a tutor
Feedback
See how well you are identifying, condensing & organizing the information
How to be a better note taker
Use the T Method
Go through your information and put a “T” in the margin every time you find a test question

21. REVIEW – terms you should know
Block method
Chart
Comprehensive monitoring system
Core concept
Formal outlining
Hierarchical map
Informal outline
Line map
Maps
Matrix
Modified-block method
Semantic web
Strand supports
Summary
T Method
Web strands
Wheel map

22. REVIEW – Sentence completion
You may not want to take text notes as you read the chapter for the first time because everything seems ______.
You can edit your _______ notes as you take text notes.
Some students like to take text notes on ______ _____ because they can carry them around to review when they have a few extra minutes.
_____ _____ show the supporting details in a Semantic Web.
_____ cannot be used to take notes on entire chapters.

23. REVIEW – Multiple Choice
When you are writing a summary, be sure you use:
A. Meaningful phrases
B. Main ideas
C. Paragraph form
D. Recall questions in the margin
Which of the following is a top-down method of taking text notes?
A. Summaries
B. Hierarchical maps
C. Semantic webs
D. Charts

24. REVIEW – short answer essay
Why is note taking more effective than highlighting or underlining?
Why do some students have difficulty taking text notes? What should they do differently?
How should students review their notes?s

25. Reference: College Study Skills: Becoming a Strategic Learner By: Dianna L. Van Blerkom