Notetaking

Note taking: Helping students find the Treasure among the Trash

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Age Level Survey

• Elementary K-3 or K-6?• Intermediate 4-6?• Middle School 6-9?• Senior High 9-12?

Position responses

• Complete either statement on your sentence strip and hang it on the wall.

• I feel students DO note taking well because…• I feel students DO NOT do note taking well

because…

Confront Assumptions

• Comes naturally to students.• Students understand the purpose of note

taking.• All note taking is the same.• Note taking skills were taught in a previous

grade.• Students are properly prepared and have a set

purpose for note taking by teachers.

Brainstorm examples of note taking

• Whole class with teacher recording notes• Graphic organizers - visual of comprehension, organization, text structure• Cloze• Study guides• Notebooks – organized with sections, page #s, table of contents, inventories• Mindmaps – topic and concept• Diagrams - labeled• KWL and variations of• Bullets• Lists• Cornell• Note cards• Age-appropriate applications

Purposes for note taking

• Big Ideas Essential Questions Main Ideas Subtopics Details• Focus• Organization• Clarity• Study Guides• Research = INFORMATION PROBLEM-SOLVING

Role of Task and Text Complexity

• Does this sound familiar?• The task of note taking can make using even

low lexile text difficult for students reading on or above grade level – it stands to reason that for students reading at or below grade level the task of note taking would be even more difficult.

Note taking Infographic

http://www.coursehero.com/blog/2011/10/19/infographic-write-it-down/

Summarizing/Paraphrasing vs. Retelling

• Summarizing demonstrates comprehension – retelling demonstrates recall.

• Summarizing helps to develop students ability to ask their own questions, to read between the lines, to think critically beyond the text – retelling has students operating on the surface level of the text.

• Summarizing helps students to answer inferential and evaluative questions – retelling only helps answer literal questions.

Tools

• Before/During/After• Previewing• T.H.I.E.V.E.S. – Title/Headings/Introduction/every

first sentence in paragraph/Visuals & Vocabulary/End of chapter questions/Summary

• Expository Text Structure – Compare and Contrast, Chronological Order, Problem & Solution, Cause and Effect, Questions and Answer, Definition/description, Enumerated list or steps.

Trash and Treasure

• Close reading – Keywords are the treasure• Determining what is relevant? Modeling and metacognition.

Spelling and capitalization do count.• Does this information answer the question or is about the

subtopics?• Highlighters and Highlighting tape/Margin notes• Whiteboard interactive ebooks – highlighting• Inspiration software.• Lists, timelines, charts, matrix, 4 square, venn diagrams…

Caveman Note Taking

• Skim and scan• Keywords• Sub-topics• Use of text graphics• Abbreviated, bullets, • Questions• Non-linear – looping – PROCESS is the product• Use of multiple resources to gather information.

Text Features

• Brainstorm examples of text features.• Use of in textbooks – book walks or preview.• Incorporate use of into explicit instruction.• Make use of graphics a part of reading and

note taking.

Next step - Outlining

• Organize information in a logical order – chronological, sub-topic….

• Expand notes into outline format – developmentally appropriate.

• Teaching outlining skills as age level appropriate and at point of need.

Note Taking Activities

• The Long and Short of It – Oral Note taking• Incredible Shrinking Notes – Post-it Note

information elimination.• Note taking by Crayon – subtopic focus• Highlights to notes• Cornell http://www.cornell.com• Abbreviations, labeled diagrams, illustrations,

acronyms, mnemonics…

Electronic and Digital Tools• http://pinterest.com/twahlert/note-taking-mindmapping-tools/

Digital Note Taking MatrixName of Digital Tool

Fee or Free? Advantages Disadvantages

NoodleToolshttp://www.noodletools.com/

Subscription based •All inclusive from note taking to citing, collaborative•Specifically created for student use.

•Log-ins required

EverNote https://evernote.com/

Free but Premium available

•Works with multiple types of devices

•Best for older students

GoogleDocs Free •Collaborative •Cloud based

•Log-ins required

SoundNotehttp://www.soundnote.com

$4.99 App available through iTunes

•Type, draw and records audio•Share via email

•For older students

Tool name Fee or Free Advantages Disadvantages

Fruitnoteshttp://www.fruitnotes.com

Free •Familiar Microsoft Word format

•Email address required•Log-ins required

Cornellhttp://www.cornell.com

Free •Easy to use format •Template only

Notefishhttp://notefish.softpedia.com/

Free •Can share projects •Download•Log-in required•Email required

Zoho Notebookhttp://notebook.zoho.com/nb/login.do?serviceurl=%2Fnb%2Findex.do

Free •Multiple content•Embed•Collaborate

•Log-ins required•Email required

Tool Name Fee or Free Advantages Disadvantages

Landmarkhttp://landmark-project.com/evaluation/dic1.php

Free •Asks questions about the information being gathered.•APA and MLA citations.

•Multiple steps, not for younger children.

Read, Write, Think Notetakerhttp://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=722&title=

Free •A good transition tool for younger children to organize notes into outline format.•3 formats available.

•Only available in digital format.

English Companionhttp://www.englishcompanion.com/Tools/notemaking.html

Free •Multiple formats available.•Can print templates .

•Descriptions not student friendly.