1. 1 Taking Notes on Written Material

2. 2  At the top of the page write  Title  Author  Publisher  Date of publication  Divide material into sections that can be read in one study period

3. 3  Examine the entire assignment  Observe how the text is organized  Organize notes in a similar manner  use the same headings  use the same section titles

4. 4  When taking notes from a book or an article, it is important to paraphrase and summarize the text  paraphrase - rewrite the text in your own words  summarize - use fewer words to express the main ideas of the text

5. 5  Express the ideas in your own words.  When you find something particularly important, use a short quote with quotation marks so you know it is not your paraphrasing  always write the page number where you copied the quote from  this is especially helpful if you have to write a report later

6. 6  When reading difficult text – concentrate  remove distractions  TV, radio, music  No multitasking  background music and/or TV detracts from concentration  Stop after each paragraph and ask yourself “what is the writer telling me?”

7. 7 What if you are concentrating and still have no idea what is being discussed?  Homework  call a friend and compare notes  write down questions to ask teacher  Be prepared to discuss what you need explained  Classroom assignment  ask the teacher for assistance

8. 8  After you are finished taking notes  make sure the notes are in the same order as the text.  take some time to get to know your notes  never erase existing notes.  Use additional comments to clarify and organize  either in a different color pen, or  on the left one-third of your note page

9. 9 If your notes are unclear, return to the book or article and reread the section. If you find you have a lot of notes, it is a good idea to take notes on your notes. Use all the note-taking techniques to draw your attention to the most important areas.

10. 10  Write down pertinent information about the text or article  Organize your notes by the chapters or sections in the book or article  Paraphrase and summarize  Concentrate.  Get help if necessary  Organize when you're done

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