How to make summary notes

Revision skillsMaking summary notes

Does this look familiar?II’ve been sitting here

reading for three hours and nothing is sticking in

my brain!

What you need is… summary notes!

Getting organisedO For each subject, identify

the major topics you will need to revise.

O For each topic, you will need a summary notes sheet.

O Colour code your topics using felt pens eg: in geography, you might use red for volcanoes or green for global warming.

O Use dividers to keep everything organised.

Skim readingO When you first tackle a topic, you’ll need to skim read

through your textbook or class notes first. O Skim reading involves quickly running your eyes over a

text to extract main points.O Don’t highlight the text or notes until you have

skim read, or you’ll end up with half the text highlighted, not just the main points!

O Read actively – when looking for key information, consider the 5Ws:

1. Who?2. What?3. Where?4. Why?5. When?

Skim reading: top tipsWhen skim reading, look for the following to help you find key information:O chapter headings (tell you what the chapter is

about)O sub-headings (tell you what the

paragraph/section is about)O diagrams (visual representations of facts/data)O key wordsO topic sentences (the first sentence in a

paragraph or section, which tells you what it’s about)

GCSE history text book: 25 second example

The Second World War ended in 1945 with the surrender of Germany in May and the dropping of the atom bomb in August forcing Japan to surrender. At the end of 1944 Hitler had launched one last offensive in the west but Germany could not compete against the extra resources of the Allies and the Allied advance continued. In the east, Soviet troops entered Berlin, which the Germans defended to the last, but in the end Hitler committed suicide and the Germans were forced to surrender. Europe had been left devastated by war.

Reading for information

O After you’ve finished skim reading, you can begin to text-mark.

O Use a highlighter pen to identify the key information you found when skim reading.

Text marked exampleThe Second World War ended in 1945 with the surrender of Germany in May and the dropping of the atom bomb in August forcing Japan to surrender. At the end of 1944 Hitler had launched one last offensive in the west but Germany could not compete against the extra resources of the Allies and the Allied advance continued. In the east, Soviet troops entered Berlin, which the Germans defended to the last, but in the end Hitler committed suicide and the Germans were forced to surrender. Europe had been left devastated by war.

Making summary notesO Use key words,

abbreviations and symbols to condense your text marked information into bite-sized information.

O Organise it using sub-headings, charts, bullet points or diagrams.

Summary notes example: sub-headings and bulletsEnd 2WW O 5/45 EuropeO 8/45 Japan

Germany: O failed in W (Allied resources)+

failed in E (Soviets in B) = H. suicide.

Japan: - bomb.

Summary notes example: charts

Key words Sentences• PLC• Ltd

There are two types of limited company:1. Public limited companies (PLC)2. Private limited companies (Ltd)

• 2 shareholders To set up a public limited company or a private limited company, a minimum of two shareholders is needed.

• Owners = shareholders• Managers = directors

A limited company is owned by its shareholders, but managed by its directors.

• Audited accounts The accounts of limited companies have to be audited – checked for accuracy and truthfulness – by external auditors.

Summary notes example: diagrams

Food preservati

on

FREEZING

HEATING

Pasteurisation

@ 72 C for 15 secs

Sterilisation @ 115 C for 30 mins -29C

commercial

-18C domestic

Summary notesO By working through a

few topics in different subjects each day, you will develop a valuable set of revision notes.

O Making summary notes from your highlighted text or notes will reinforce your knowledge and provide an effective revision resource from which you can test yourself.