Note Taking Tips



Ms. Irving’s Note Taking Tips

You will be expected to take notes during class. Although some power points and typed notes may be provided, the teacher will supplement these materials throughout lectures and discussions. Although note taking can be overwhelming it is important to continue practising your note taking abilities in order that you can improve and become as efficient as possible. Note taking will not only provide you with notes to study from but it will also help maintain your focus during class and may help you to remember the information.

A good note taker is active in their note taking. They listen, record, make connections, ask questions, provide examples, and can identify what is important and what is not (it is not just writing words down on a page). All of these skills are qualities of a mature thinker.

Here are some tips that may help you in your note taking:

• Come to class prepared

o bring paper, binders, something to write with

o make sure to complete assigned readings before class & make note of any questions you might have

o review notes from the day before & make note of any questions you might have

o eliminate distractions if possible: sit near the front and away from anyone who might distract you, don’t wear ear phones, don’t sit near the door

• Organize your notes

o Provide date of class at the topic

o Create subject headings at the top of the page & every time the topic is changed

o Write in capital letters and underline important words so they are easier to find later if you need to look them up (especially if the words are new to you)

o Draw boxes around anything not directly related to the lecture like details of an assignment or due dates (they will be easier to find)

• Pay attention to verbal and visual cues & record

o If it’s written on the board, it’s generally important

o If the speaker says “Pay attention to…”, “This is important to know…”, “remember that…” focus on what they are saying (if you miss bits and pieces of other information it will not be as important)

o Focus on summaries provided at the end of a lecture as they are generally very important

• Write quickly by:

o Using abbreviations for words (“HRE” instead of “Holy Roman Empire,” “16C” instead of “16th century,” “N” instead of “Napoleon,” “bc” for because) *note: when you review your notes later you should create a legend in the borders of your page so you don’t forget what each abbreviation stands for

o use arrows to show if one event caused another

o use a question mark if you are not sure if what you wrote was accurate (you can double check the information when you review your notes later)

o create your own symbols to represent important people, places, events

• Draw diagrams for concepts you may find difficult to understand

• Other tips:

o REVIEW your notes as soon as you can after class to make sure everything makes sense. Ask a classmate, teacher, or look up anything you have any questions about

o You could use a bullet for everything that is recorded that was on the board or projector screen and a dash (-) for everything that was done orally

o Create graphic organizers during the lecture or when you are reviewing to improve your understanding (Venn diagrams for comparing/contrasting, T-Charts for comparing, Idea Webs to show examples)

o You may want to only write on the back side of pages which would allow you to make notes/record questions when you review your notes later

o Example:

(When you review your notes later, you will have space to make additional notes)

As you improve on your note taking skills you will be able to:

• Decipher what is really important and what is not (which will make it easier for you to take notes)

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notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes

3 important things I need to remember:

Questions I still have:

Connections I can make to stuff I already know:

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