Note Taking Lecture 4 8 Basic Note Taking Skills

1. Main Ideas and Supporting Facts Very important to take ORGANIZED notes --arrange in simple outline format, means that main topics & main ideas should be on left-hand side of page supporting info. should be moved slightly to right EXAMPLE: main ideas- start on left Humorous comics-purpose is entertainment ex. Hogan’s Alley (1895), set trend Peanuts-best ex. today --simply drawn --not realistic Political comics make political commentary examples & supporting details- moved to right

2. Using Abbreviations and Symbols *Necessary to write quickly & efficiently when taking notes *Using abbreviations & symbols will help you write faster *We have many standard abbrev. (hour = hr.), but you can also make up your own EXAMPLE: Notes on left are unabbreviated while notes on right have abbreviations & symbols. Advertising is a ninety billion dollar industry in the United States. *Advertising--$90 bil. industry in U.S. found in newspapers, magazines, TV, radio *found in news., mags, TV, radio Testimonials—advertisements that have people tell they use and like certain products *testimonials—ads.—people use & like prods.

3. Using Key Words and Phrases Key words from lecture help you to remember main themes & ideas. EXAMPLE: Here are some key words & phrases taken from part of a lecture on Computer Crime. computers becoming popular opportunities for crime access private, secret information dangerous—movie War Games significant rewards Reading these key words & phrases should jog your memory as to what this lecture was about!

4. Numbering a Series of Steps *Most basic purpose of note taking is…organizing ideas in lecture *If lecture involves steps or stages, you MUST number steps clearly. *Best to start each new step on lefthand side of pg. EXAMPLE: These notes from a lecture on Film Making clearly number the necessary steps: How movies are made—6 major steps 1st step—find a property *types of properties 1. original story 2. from novel, play, musical 2nd step—prepare the script

5. One you already know… The Cornell System * Refer to Lectures 2 and 3 for format and examples. * Most popular and effective form of note taking known to humanity * Represents the foundation for all the other note taking skills * Time-consuming but well worth the effort! * Combine the Cornell System with the other note taking skills and strategies for a high-powered approach to note taking.

Using Sketches (Drawings) *Sometimes, sketches help you to understand material in notes. *Sketches help us to VISUALIZE ideas. --visual ideas—very powerful & easy to remember EXAMPLE: Some sketches you might include in notes from a lecture on the human body… sketch of pituitary gland sketch of heart sketch of lungs

7. Making a Chart For some lectures, making a chart is the best way to understand the info. Charts are actually another way of visually representing and organizing ideas. There are many different kinds of charts you can create. Your format depends on the categories of info. that you are arranging and how they relate to one another. EXAMPLE: The Chore Chart that Every Kid Should Have…

1 8. Using Numbers and Statistics ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ * Numbers & statistics are part of many academic fields. * To hear numbers correctly, you have to practice 2 aspects: 1 Be able to distinguish between stress markings on spoken numbers. ‘ EXAMPLE: 13--thirteen ‘ 30--thirty ‘ ‘ 19--nineteen 90--ninety (continued)

2 8. Using Numbers and Statistics (continued) Listen carefully for number group markers. --Numbers are given in grps. of 3 digits. So, for large numbers, you must listen for markers of millions, thousands, & hundred/ten/ single units. EXAMPLE: 25,678—Twenty-five thousand//six hundred & seventy-eight (units)// 4,064,150—Four million//sixty-four thousand// one hundred and fifty (units) --Stress & pause will usually help you identify these grp. markers.