1. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Interactive Skills
for Students
How to Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation

2. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Why Learn This Skill?
Taking notes helps you engage with what you are reading and activates your memory.
Notes are a great way to remember what you have read.
Notes are a useful study aid for tests and quizzes. You can review your notes to prepare for tests. You will also take notes when you prepare for projects or research information for writing assignments.

3. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Learn It!
To take notes as you read:
 Identify the main ideas and the supporting details.
 Summarize these main ideas and details in your own words.
 Record your notes. Effective formats for notes are outlines or note cards.

4. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Learn It!
Using an outline format is an effective strategy for taking notes:
Main Topic
First idea or item
Second idea or item
First detail
Second detail
Supporting detail

5. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Learn It!
Using note cards can also be an effective strategy:
Title
Main topic
Supporting detail
Supporting detail
Reference reminders (page or Web site where you found info)

6. The First Universities of the Middle Ages
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Learn It!
Read the text.
The First Universities of the Middle Ages
Two of the first European universities were in Bologna, Italy, and Paris, France. Universities were created to educate and train scholars. They were like guilds that trained craftspeople. In medieval universities, students studied grammar, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.
University students studied their subjects for four to six years. Then, a committee of teachers gave them an oral exam. If the students passed, they were given their degree.
After obtaining a basic degree, a student could go on to earn a doctor’s degree in law, medicine, or theology. Earning a doctor’s degree could take 10 years or more.

7. The First Universities of the Middle Ages
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Learn It!
Here are notes in outline form.
The First Universities of the Middle Ages
Two of the first European universities were in Bologna, Italy, and Paris, France. Universities were created to educate and train scholars. They were like guilds that trained craftspeople. In medieval universities, students studied grammar, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.
University students studied their subjects for four to six years. Then, a committee of teachers gave them an oral exam. If the students passed, they were given their degree.
After obtaining a basic degree, a student could go on to earn a doctor’s degree in law, medicine, or theology. Earning a doctor’s degree could take 10 years or more.
Outline Format
Universities in the Middle Ages
Started in Bologna, Italy, and Paris, France
Purpose of universities
To train scholars — like guilds
To educate
Studied grammar, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy
Took oral exam to earn a basic degree

8. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Learn It!
Next, you will learn how to use note cards for taking notes. We will use the same text.
First, write the subject as the title on the top of the card.
Universities in the Middle Ages
From page 281, my textbook

9. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Learn It!
Next, write the main topic below the title.
Universities in the Middle Ages
Where started -
From page 281, my textbook

10. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Learn It!
Then add details to the main topic.
Universities in the Middle Ages
Where started -
Bologna, Italy
Paris, France
From page 281, my textbook

11. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Learn It!
Create another card for the next topic and its supporting details.
Universities in the Middle Ages
Purpose -
To train scholars
To educate
From page 281, my textbook

12. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Learn It! For more complex information, add the main topic to the title.
Universities in the Middle Ages - Purpose
To educate
Studied grammar, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy
Took oral, or spoken, exam to gain degree
From page 281, my textbook
The subtopic is now the focus of the card, with its supporting details included.

13. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Apply It!
Determine the format for your notes:
Think about it!
What format should you use for your note taking?
 What style do you prefer?
 Is the subject broad or specific?
 What style works with the subject?
 Are you presenting an oral report?
 Do the notes cover a few pages or several chapters?
 Will you write a bibliography from these notes, or are they for use as a study guide?

14. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Apply It!
Taking notes helps you:
learn
study
recall
Think about:
How detailed do you need to be?
 The amount of detail you include depends on the purpose of the notes.
 Remember, notes should NOT be a full copy of the text.
 Use them as a reminder to jog your memory.

15. click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
How To Take Notes
click your mouse or hit enter to advance animation
Remember
 Look for the main idea and details.
 Summarize what you read.
 Use an outline or cards for your notes.