Synthesizing Information from a Source Taking Notes Synthesizing Information from a Source Mary Alice Osborne Library Media Specialist

Plato & Note-Taking “The act of writing something down is basically the decision to forget it.”

Note Taking is a Skill This takes understanding of what you're doing. It takes practice, which involves effort. (A BIG part of being a successful student!)

Note Taking is Difficult Spoken language is more diffuse than written. Speaker's organization is not immediately apparent. Immediate feedback seldom occurs. Spoken language is quick, and does not 'exist' for long. This makes analysis more difficult. Let’s practice one strategy with this slide. Are there words you don’t know, or ideas you don’t understand? How could you rewrite these points so you can clearly understand them? Diffuse- Spread out over a large area- not concentrated. So what does this mean? Seldom – Rarely; not often. Discuss what students think these points mean,, and encourage them to write a simplified, shortened version in their notes

Note Taking is Difficult (Simplified) Spoken lang. harder to pin down (make concrete) Can’t always tell what’s important while listening Don’t always know if u r doing good job Spoken lang. quick- then gone. Harder to understand meaning.

Four Purposes For Note Taking Provides a written record for review Forces the listener to pay attention Requires organization, which involves active effort on the part of the listener Listener must condense and rephrase, which aids understanding

Physical Factors Seating Near the front and center Vision is better Hearing is better Avoid distractions Doorways, window glare, etc. Peers

Physical Factors Materials Two pens Wide-lined paper Ink easier to read You have a reserve Wide-lined paper Class date, and topic clearly labeled (In this class, you grade depends on this!) Should use dividers Plenty of blank paper in back

Before Taking Notes Prepare yourself mentally Know the purpose of the lesson (Check objectives on the board) Review your notes and other background material Review your reading assignment Reading should be done BEFORE class Think about what happened in the last few classes

While Taking Notes Don't try for a verbatim transcript Paraphrase Get all of the main ideas Record some details, illustrations, implications, etc. Paraphrase But remember that the speaker may serve as a model Use symbols to indicate importance of items Underline, highlight or star major points Leave plenty of white space and skipped lines so it’s not so crammed together, and you’ll be able to find important information later

While Taking Notes Note teacher’s organization of material Be accurate Organization aids memory Be accurate Listen carefully to what is being said Pay attention to qualifying words like sometimes, usually, rarely, etc. Notice signals that a change of direction is coming but, however, on the other hand

While Taking Notes Be an aggressive, not a passive, listener Ask questions and discuss if it's allowed (in my class it’s encouraged!) If not, jot questions in your notes Seek out meanings. Develop a system of mechanics Jot down words or phrases, not entire sentences Develop some system of shorthand and be consistent in its use Leave out small service words (Caveman language) Use contractions and abbreviations Use symbols +, =, &, @

After Taking Notes Review and reword them as soon as possible You should consider this in scheduling your work load Don't just recopy or type – think! " Reminiscing " may provide forgotten material later Rewrite skimpy parts Fill in gaps as you remember points Arrange with another student to compare notes Find answers to any questions remaining unanswered Write a brief summary of the class

After Taking Notes Review and reword them as soon as possible We forget 50% of what we hear immediately; two months later, another 25% is gone. Relearning is rapid if regular review is used Sharpen your note taking technique by looking at your classmates’ notes. How are they better than your own? How are your notes superior? Practice those skills you wish to develop

What are some ways to be a good reader of information?

List of Possible Strategies: Skimming and scanning Looking for keywords Noticing bold, italic, and underlined words Being aware of headlines Using the table of contents, index, glossary, and title page Paying attention to picture captions Knowing that, sometimes, reading every word is necessary Make a mind map or table or line diagram

ABC - LOU Note-taking Strategies Abbreviations Bullets Caveman language Lists One word for several Use your own words Taken from: School Library Media Activities Monthly Vol. 12, No. 1, Sept. 2006

Abbreviations Abbreviations are shortened forms of a word or phrase Use them when you take notes Examples: Dr. = doctor Mrs. = missus Mr. = mister U.S.A. = United States of America CN = China List of Abbreviations

Bullets Example of a Bulleted List: Foods Romans Ate Pizza Spaghetti Olives Tomatoes Wine

Caveman Language

Lists We all make lists from time to time: Grocery lists List of things to bring on vacation “To Do” Lists When doing research you can also make lists: List of countries the Romans conquered List of weapons used by the Romans

One Word for Several (Paraphrase) How to: Reread the original passage until you understand it. Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase. Check your version with the original to make sure that it accurately expresses all the essential information, but in a new form. Record the source (including the page) in your notes so that you can credit it easily Taken from: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/

Use Your Own Words Similar to Paraphrasing Read the information through Without looking at the original material, write your version Change words that are difficult to words you understand Note: You still need to cite the information

Try to Paraphrase this: Roman men and women originally seem to have worn a large piece of wool, wrapped around themselves. After they met people from Greece and Egypt, around 200 BC, they began to wear linen tunics (like T-shirts) under their wool robes, which was more comfortable. On their feet, both men and women wore leather sandals, or leather boots in cold weather. In their hair, women wore wooden hairsticks or wooden combs, which they could also use to comb their hair. Model this "Roman Clothing - History for Kids!" Kidipede - History and Science for Kids - Homework Help for Middle School. 13 Mar. 2009 <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/clothing/index.htm>.

More ideas for note-taking

Mind Map

Table

System Map

Line Diagram

Highlighting Many students find that highlighting helps them to concentrate and helps them to understand the text. Just deciding what to highlight or underline encourages you to think critically, make judgments and formulate your own response to the text.

Highlighting Read quickly through the text to get an overview of what it’s about. Read it more closely, pausing at the end of each paragraph to identify the main points. You may highlight: Sentence or word that sums up an important idea Quotations Statistics Specialized terms Important or useful data Examples or links to other ideas. You could use different colored pens to mark different kinds of information, but be careful not to highlight so much that it becomes distracting.