1. Study Skills: Note-Taking and Close Reading
PTA Presentation
ESHS’s AVID Program
September 2017

2. Objectives
The Curve of Forgetting
Note-taking
Close reading

3. The Curve of Forgetting
Herman Ebbinghaus
German psychologist
pioneered experimental study of memory during late 1800s
father of “The Curve of Forgetting”
Amount of study
% Retained
The Curve of Forgetting

4. The Forgetting Curve Based on a one hour lecture:
Day 1: Recall 100% of lecture (short term memory)
Day 2/within 24 hrs: Lose 50 – 80%
(As days continue more and more information is lost if not revisited)
Day 30: 2 – 3% is retained

5. Ebbinghaus’ 10 – 24 – 7 Model
10 minutes: repeat/paraphrase information within 10 minutes in order to transfer to long term memory 24 hours: revisit information for at least 10 minutes within 24 hours of initial lecture 7 days: revisit information 5 minutes a day, for 7 days ALLOWS FOR 80 – 90% RETENTION

6. Benefits ofAnnotation
Activating information causes retention in long-term memory = easier to retrieve
Excellent time investment; decreases review time before an exam
Crucial skill/habit to learn for college

7. Note-taking Students take notes in class and should:
incorporate teacher’s note-taking style according to respective teacher
use abbreviations and phrases, NOT complete sentences
annotate notes at home (or rewrite them) (that day or within a 24-hour period)
write a summary of each day’s notes at the end of class or at home (that day or within a 24-hour period)
Re-design

8. Note-taking Why a summary? (Active Learning)
make more sense of the information
Identify gaps
Make larger connections
(5 – 10 sentences)

9. Note-taking Why annotate? Find gaps in learning Ask questions
Look for patterns
Make connections
TIP: ALWAYS ANNOTATE WITH A PEN OR PENCIL

10. Close Reading Definition Purpose ACTIVE reading (pen/pencil in hand)
Go beyond the literal meaning and words on the page
Read between the lines
Analyze the passage
Purpose
ACTIVE reading (as opposed to passive reading)

11. Close Reading What students erroneously assume about reading:
#1: Read entire text
#2: Think about the text after reading
#3: Write about the text

12. Close Reading How to read “closely”
With a pen/pencil in hand, look for:
Language (diction)
Narrative (Who is telling the story?)
Syntax (sentence structure)
Context (historical and author’s background)

13. What does it look like in action?
Close Reading
What does it look like in action?

14. Close Reading
Process is adjusted for various disciplines and/or readings
Basic principals are universal