Manley Career Academy Organizing for Learning: Two Column Notes

Why Two-Column Notes Can take on a variety forms (Flexible) Addresses more than one main idea type Applicable for all content areas Allows students to make choices Meets special education needs (Visual Perception difficulties)

Development of Personal Systems (Paris, Wasik, and Turner, 1991; Duke and Pearson, 2002) Good Readers know how to use different systems and know which strategies produce the most effective reading. Poor Readers are far more rigid, sidestepping challenging reading because they don’t know what to do.

Development of Personal Systems (Paris, Wasik, and Turner, 1991; Duke and Pearson, 2002) Experience different ways to organize Write about information Have an awareness of the author’s purpose and style of writing Facilitate Self-Monitoring Provide Flexibility

Initial Step Teach students to recognize the seven most common organizational patterns as identified in the work of Marzano et al. (1997) and Jones, Palincsar, Ogle, and Carr (1987).

Organization of Information Chronological sequence: organizes ideas and information in the time sequence that events occurred ( Event Mapping, Academic Notes)Event MappingAcademic Notes Compare and contrast: organizes information on a topic in terms of similarities and differences (Compare and Contrast, Comparison Notes)Compare and ContrastComparison Notes Concept / definition: organized by beginning with a general idea of a person, place, thing, event, or abstraction and then delineates its elements, characteristics, and/or examples (Classification Notes, Main Idea Notes, Metaphor Analysis)Classification NotesMain Idea NotesMetaphor Analysis Description: this pattern paints a word picture of a person, place, thing, or event; the facts and details do not have to be given in any particular order Episode: this pattern organizes a large amount of information about an event or time period; it may include: specific times and places, people involved, sequence of events and their possible causes and consequences ( Interactive Notes, Event Mapping)Interactive NotesEvent Mapping Generalization: general statements are supported with specific details or examples (Pyramid Notes, Academic Notes, Classification Notes, Cornell Notes, Inductive Main Idea)Pyramid NotesAcademic NotesClassification NotesCornell NotesInductive Main Idea Process/cause-effect: tracks a series of steps leading to an outcome or product; or explains a causal sequence (Cause and Effect, Process Notes)Cause and EffectProcess Notes

Organizational Scheme Depends upon their learning goals and how the author crafted the piece Well-structured Expository text Two-Column Notes Less obvious structured text Concept Mapping

Type of Strategy Depends on how an author has presented the information Problem-Solution Cause and Effect Chronology of Events Series of Comparisons Propositions and Supportive Information

Two-Column Notes Variety of Formats depending on subject area, instructional goals, and the nature of the text Main idea-detail notes Opinion-proof Hypothesis-proof Problem-solution Process Notes

Two-Column Note-taking Main Idea: 5 Major Types Details: When to use each type and examples of each Main Idea-Detail Problem-Solution Opinion-Proof Process Hypothesis-Proof Learning content from informational reading selections in which the material is presented sequentially Analyzing problems in literature, current events, and life situations Drawing conclusions and supporting them with evidence from text and other sources Working through step-by-step process to solve problems Analyzing written material according to theoretical assumptions and evidence, which is critical to thinking like a researcher

Main Idea-Detail Notes Help students organize main ideas and details from subject area reading assignments Students divide their papers into two columns and record main idea in the left and details on the right. Main points can be in the form of questions or as key words. They use their notes as a study guide

Main Idea-Detail Notes Main IdeaDetail Notes How are islands formed? (3 Ways) Atoll 1. lava-layers flow into sea, pile up volcanic islands ex. Hawaii 2. Mountain tops-tops of mountains in ocean ex. Coasts of Maine & Scotland 3. Barrier islands –sand pushed up by waves ex Florida & New Jersey Round, oval, horseshoe Ex. Cook, Gilber, Marshall Islands

Main Idea-Detail Notes (Power Structures) Topic: Protists Main IdeaDetail Notes 1. Difference between plants and animals 2. Two main types of protists 3. Protists that produce own food (plant like) 4. (3 types) 2. Plants make own food 2. Animals take in food 2. Protists that produce own food 2. Protists that capture food 2. Euglenas 3. can make or take in food 3. don’t have cell walls 3. live in fresh water 3. flagella 4. whip-like strands, aid movement

Main Idea-Detail Notes (Reading Logs) Question Log ~ During Reading Questions you have while reading. What surprised you? Reflect on meaning. Make connections. Comment on the Journey.

Main Idea-Detail Notes Add a third column for memory cues, pictures, notes from films and class discussions which relate to ideas in the left column

Opinion-Proof Notes Two-column format where students learn how to develop and support arguments with evidence (Santa, Dailey, Nelson, 1985). Opinion proof stresses critical thinking skills with both expository and narrative text. Students write down their thesis or opinion in the left column ad use the space on the right-hand column for recording evidence.

Social Studies Opinion-Proof OpinionProof Napoleon was a great leader 1. Ended revolution 2. Drew up constitution 3. Fair taxation 4. Government workers chosen for ability Napoleon was a great leader. He brought an end to the revolutionary fighting in France and then established a national police force to keep peace. He told all the nobles who had fled the country during the revolution they could return home. Napoleon also drew up a new constitution that gave all male citizens the right to vote…….

Hypothesis-Proof Notes Help students begin to think like a researcher. Integral to teaching the research process is analyzing written materials according to theoretical assumptions and evidence (Harrison, 1991).

Hypothesis-Proof Notes HypothesisProof 1. What is the hypothesis? Large asteroid about six miles in diameter crashed into earth, killing dinosaurs 1. Impact caused rise in Earth’s temperature; dust in atmosphere 2. Dust blocked off light; plants died, no food for dinosaurs. 3. Extinction was quick.

Problem-Solution Organized so students list four questions in the left-hand column Answers to those questions are recorded on the right portion of the page. Provides students with a guide for thinking and writing about issues in novels and in content subjects

Problem-Solution 1. What is the Problem or Issue? America’s topsoil is eroding away at an alarming rate 2. What are the Effects? Ugly ditches cut through the hillside Creek bed choked with topsoil Soil can’t produce as many products 3. What are the Causes? Not proper protection for soil, poor conservation Not rotating crops 4. What are the Solutions? No-till New Fertilizers Strip Farming

Process Notes Student work through the steps of problem solving in mathematics and in conducting scientific experiments. Students write the steps for problem solving in the left-hand column and information from the story problem in the right.

Process Notes A boat sailed 750 miles from Vancouver to San Francisco, another 412 miles to Los Angles and on to Panama 3,000 miles away. What was the total length of its journey? Main Idea Important facts Clues Picture Predict Any second step needed? Do the Work and Check To find the total of miles in trip from Vancouver to Panama. 750 miles from V to SF/412 miles to LA/3000 to Panama

Final Thoughts Two-Column notes allow successful readers to glean main points and details from their reading assignments Students need to organize information from their reading and apply this knowledge Students who understand main idea and details are able to think critically about their reading

Final Thoughts As always, it is crucial that the graphic organizers be used as a form of scaffolding to reach a goal that goes beyond the organizer itself; the goal might be a piece of writing, preparation for a discussion or Socratic seminar, etc. We need to be explicit about the fact that using these tools will train our minds to automatically recognize text structures and organize information while reading, even when we are not using a graphic organizer. In short, it is a way to become a more skilled reader of informational texts, something we all grapple with in this age of information!