1 Taking Notes An Introduction

2 Notes Must... Be understandable Help you remember the main idea of the subject Help you remember important information Help you with exams

3 Good Note Taking Is... Translating the subject into your own words Abbreviating Using symbols that you will later understand Using a variety of techniques to remember what you read or what was discussed in a classroom A useful reference and study tool Unique to you Used to draw your attention to the important material

4 Good Note Taking Is Not... Copying off the board or from the reading material Writing down every word the teacher says Writing all over the paper as fast as you can A bunch of nonsense abbreviations and symbols

5 Ask Yourself... How do I take notes? Do I copy off the board or from the book? Are the notes written in my own words? Can I read my old notes? Do I abbreviate too much? or not enough? Can I find the important points of the lecture or the reading in my notes?

6 Ask Yourself... Do I use symbols that I understand and remember? Do I need more symbols? fewer symbols? Do I refer back to my notes before a test or quiz? Can I look back on old notes and remember what I was reading or why I wrote them?

7 Create Your Own Style  No one knows how you think or what works for you.  Do you like to... ◦ abbreviate things, ◦ come up with catchy phrases, ◦ or write down only the idea?  You can use one or all of these techniques to create notes that you will keep forever and use in many different, related classes.

8 Symbols you might use Develop and use your own symbols. Their purpose is to draw your attention to the important material bullets [ ] boxes highlighting underlining  checks à arrows V for vocabulary - to mark unknown words.

9 Formatting notes When taking notes... Write the date and subject in the top right corner Use a new page for each subject Take your notes on the right two-thirds of the page in chronological order Use the left one-third to mark high points or to rewrite and clarify the class notes Outline the subject as a series of comments written as the lecturer or book presents them

10 Sample notes Date/subject - top right corner New page - each subject Notes on right Use left to rewrite or clarify - high points Outline – comments These sample notes are written from the previous slide. Notice how abbreviated they are compared to the actual text. However, they should be easily readable.

11 Storing notes  A three-ring binder  Use standard lined paper  Use Dividers between classes to help organize  Newest notes in front or in back of each section  Legal pads  Use with folders which are usually stored in a file cabinet ◦ Disadvantages  pages are sometimes not in the correct order  once torn out and loose, pages can become disorganized and lost

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