Note Cards Organizational Tool for Research

Objectives O Appreciate why note cards are used for organizing research O Understand how to use note cards to organize facts O Learn how to set up a note card

Advantages to Note Cards O Note cards are the most flexible way of organizing facts O They are easy to move around when it’s time to organize O They help students avoid plagiarism when used correctly

Disadvantages to Note Cards O Hard to keep all of them together—they can get lost O Easy to lose track of where the facts on the cards came from O You may run out of note cards in the middle of your research

To keep the benefits of note cards and minimize the disadvantages, we will: O Use pre-printed note cards (all one sheet) and cut them apart later, when we organize (less likely to get lost) O Use a separate Source List to keep track of where the facts are coming from & use the source # on the note cards O Keep all your completed note cards in the folder in your crate (less likely to get lost)

What goes on a Note Card? O Each note card should contain ONE fact, statistic, quote, etc. O Only one fact per card so that you can move the facts around throughout the paper as you organize. O As you write the fact, use as few words as possible. The words you do use should be changed into your OWN words (avoid plagiarism). This is paraphrasing.

What goes on a Note Card? O If you write a direct quote on a note card, make sure to include who said the quote and put quotation marks around it. O Be very careful to quote accurately—words, spelling, etc. O You are required to cite the source of any quote you use, so be accurate with your source #.

What NOT to put on a Note Card O Anything super obvious, such as- O The battle took place during WWII O You already knew this—you don’t need to write it down! O Anything that doesn’t fit in with your thesis (focus) O Too many facts at once (you won’t be able to move those facts around when you organize)

Source #_______ Here’s what the note cards look like: Page # _______

Source #___3____ “I moved along the sand hills to Le Panne, a little to the right of Dunkirk, and there were hundreds and hundreds of soldiers on the sand. Ships were coming in, trying to pick up the soldiers. I thought, they'll never get these people off here — but we just had to be disciplined.” James Bradley, a veteran of Dunkirk. Where I got this quote from. This spot is NOT here to count my note cards! I put the exact words in quotation marks, and I made sure to get the name of the person who said this. Sample note card with a quote: Page # ____ No page # because it is an Internet source

Source #____ 1 ___ Sample note card with a statistic: Page # ___ ix ____ By June 4 th -- over 338,000 men rescued and made it safely to England Where I got this quote from. This spot is NOT here to count my note cards! This is the page # I found the fact in the book. Statistics provide strong support. Only put one statistic per note card.

Source #___ 2 ____ Sample note card with a fact: Page # _______ France’s Army was one of the largest in the world Where I got this quote from. This spot is NOT here to count my note cards! Only include facts that are not common knowledge. Make sure the fact supports your thesis. No page # because it is an Internet source No Page # was given because article was on Internet.

Source #___ 2 ____ Sample note card with a fact: Page # _______ German Army defeated French Army in 40 days What does this number represent? What type of support is this? Quote, statistic, or fact?

Note Card Expectations O You will be given 30 blank note cards to start. O I expect at least 30 cards—probably more! O More note card sheets are available. O More facts = better support = higher grade O One fact/statistic/quote per card O Write the Source # for each card O You will receive points for your note cards O I will help you organize the cards before drafting