Note Taking Skills

Notes are a record of the information presented by the teacher Notes are a way of retrieving the teacher information Good notes are a great review and study system Good notes are a good way to prepare for a test

Note Taking Skills Be prepared to take notes from the beginning of class. The first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes are the most important times. Bring all note taking material to class, everyday Take notes in phrases rather that sentences If the teacher writes it on the board—it is important!

Note Taking Skills Leave blank lines in your notes to fill in material you may have missed and have gotten from classmates Make little notations or marks in the column of your notes if you are not sure of the information Stay focused on the teacher. Listen for “signal statements”

Note Taking Skills A signal statement can be: a) “This is important”; b) “Pay close attention to this” c) “Include this in your notes” etc. Be very aware of the tone and inflection of the teachers voice Ask the teacher to slow down if he/she is going too fast. Ask the teacher to repeat something if you do not understand it

Note Taking Skills Ask the teacher to see his/her notes to supplement your notes or ask him/her to make a copy of the notes if you need them Review notes every night that were taken that day Rewrite notes at the end of the day if they are sloppy, disorganized or difficult to understand Create 3x5 index cards with information from your notes—a great study method

Note Taking Skills On average, a teacher will make five (5) major points per class. You may have 50 classes per semester. This means you will have approximately 250 major points per class to remember for the final.