Part 3, School Skills 101 Note Taking Tips Study Smarter, not harder!

Tip 39. Put a heading on your notes. You are going to accumulate a TON of notes each semester. Use this tip to stay organized and save time. Put a heading on each note page. Use what the teacher writes on the board (like the objective), the title of the chapter…whatever makes sense so you can EASILY see what the notes are about. As part of the heading, always date the notes. That way if your notes get mixed up, you can easily put them back in order by topic and date.

. Tip 40. Use memorizing tips to remember. Earlier we talked about developing a song or a movie to help you remember things for tests. As you take notes, you can also develop phrases that help you remember stuff. For example, to remember the six nutrients are fat, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and water, recall the phrase “Fuzzy cats purr very much whenever.” This is called a mnemonic device and they can make memorizing fun and easy.

Tip 41. Take sloppy notes. Notes are living documents. As you take notes, don’t worry about being super neat. Ok, YOU need to be able to read them, but what we mean is don’t be afraid to draw, doodle, write code words, or cartoons – anything to help you remember. After class, you can rewrite them and make the important ideas stand out (like highlighting or underlining the big ideas or key terms). Rewriting and reviewing the notes helps you learn it twice as fast by both reading and writing the material. Plus it begins to get the information into your long term memory so that it sticks in your big head. Tip 42. Use your own words. Put ideas and concepts into your own words so the information is easier to understand and recall. Plus, being able to rephrase something demonstrates a high level of learning.

Tip 43. Use an outline format for notes. Put your heading on the notes, along with the date. Write the main idea along the left margin. On the next line underneath, indent a bit and write down the first important fact, date, idea or term that relates to main idea. Repeat as needed. For another good option, look up “Cornell Notes”….we will cover that format in class one day. Tip 44. Use a graphic organizer for notes. For those that learn best by pictures, Google “graphic organizer” and download some free examples.

Tip 45. Number or bullet your notes. For another note-taking option, give each fact a number or bullet to keep them distinct and separate. Imagine you have 50 facts or terms to learn for a Civics test. If you have a head for numbers or lists and you prefer short phrases, use a numbered list. This may work for you. Tip 46. Format notes in boxes or circles. Yeah this one sounds weird, but just like the graphic organizer in #44, some of us like pictures. If you put your notes in boxes or circles, they look like a picture to your brain. And many people will remember a picture better than words. Like when you can remember a person’s face, but not their name. I know it is different, but it can work.

Tip 47. Leave spaces between notes. As you take notes, skip lines and leave space. Review your notes with your text/handouts, or with a study buddy and add important facts or things you missed in the space. You can also highlight, circle, *star* or underline the important stuff like we talked about in Tip 41. Related tip: Look up the “Cornell Notes” format. We will cover this in class! Tip 48. Listen for key words or questions in lectures. If a teacher says or writes a word, formula, or phrase over and over, it’s probably pretty important. If the teacher asks a question, it may just be to wake up someone, or it may be something the teacher is trying to get you to remember. Pay attention…it is probably not a coincidence!

Tip 49. Use abbreviations in notes. Notes don’t have to be pretty, or use complete words and sentences. You probably have your own version of shorthand (like when you text). Use abbreviations…like imp for important or sp for special. This saves time. Tip 50. Make important stuff stand out. Ok I know, we've said this in other tips. But make your notes living documents. As you write them - or as you review them later - make the important stuff POP. Use CAPITAL LETTERS, different colors, underlining, circling, boxing…whatever floats your boat.

Tip 51. Write what you don’t know. Why waste time taking notes on something you already know? Sometimes you spend so much time trying to write EVERYTHING DOWN, that you get behind and miss something important. Then you just end up with tons of notes to review, and get overwhelmed. Focus your good note-taking skills on what the teacher emphasizes and what you DONT’T already know. Tip 52. Another highlighter tip. As you review your notes and underline or highlight the important stuff, dedicate one highlighter color for the stuff that is tough, or didn’t really stick. It makes future studying easier. Plus, when the teacher gives you two minutes before that pop quiz to check your notes, you can quickly zero in on that material and look like a hero!

Tip 53. Avoid hand cramps. At some point you’ll be taking notes or writing for hours a day. Ugh! Change up how you hold the pen or pencil. Put down the pen when your hand gets tired. Rub the hand, move the fingers around, and make a fist a few times. The same goes if you are using a keyboard for long periods. Now get back to work.