Note-Taking Presentation Lesson

Note-Taking Strategies

Faculty Presentation Topic: Taking and utilizing class notes (30 Minutes not including lecture time)

Shorter Version (30 Minutes)

1. Note-Taking Explanation (5 Minutes)

2. Lecture Activity Script (or Professor Lecture) (10 Minutes)
3. Questions in the Margin Activity (7 Minutes)
4. Self-Quizzing (3 Minutes)

Materials
Note-Taking Packet including:
Lecture Page
Exam Questions
Checklist for Note-Taking

Longer Version (50-60 Minutes)

1. Note-Taking Explanation (5 Minutes)

2. Lecture Activity Script (or Professor Lecture) (10 Minutes)
3. Questions in the Margin Activity (+Checklist & Summary Question) (20-30 Minutes)
4. Self-Quizzing (+Common Concerns) (10 Minutes)
5. Review note taking skills (5 Minutes)

Materials
Note-Taking Packet including:
Lecture Page
Exam Questions
Checklist for Note-Taking

Follow-Up Lesson

1. Follow-up Note-Taking Activity

*Students need to bring a copy of their own notes to class

*Note:

The professor can decide if they would like to give a short lecture or if you are going to give a lecture. It
works well if you give the Note-Taking explanation (5 minutes), then allow the class to takes notes (10
minutes), and then review the strategies.
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Activity 1: Note-Taking Explanation (5 minutes)

Purpose:

To teach students an effective way to take notes

To help students become active listeners
To help students increase the amount of information they can recall and utilize from lectures

1. Note-Taking Explanation (5 Minutes)

a. Tell the students that you are going to teach them an active and effective note-taking
strategy.

b. The students will be taking notes on the Note-Taking Lecture Activity sheet that you
handed out. Explain that there is a 3 margin on the left-side of the page and that they
should leave that side blank as they takes notes on the right side.

c. Write the following three tips on the board:

i. Be a recorder
ii. Generate Questions
iii. Self-Quizzing

d. The students will take notes either during a short lecture that you give or that the
professor gives. During the lecture, students are going to take notes as a recorder,
writing down as much information as possible. For now, tell them to write as much as
they can. As they get better at taking notes they will record fewer words.

e. Another direction for students If you fall behind, draw a blank line for the missed
information. You can fill it in later. If something sounds confusing, put an asterisk (*) in
the margin.

f. Students should abbreviate whenever they can. Share some examples of common
abbreviations (shortening words and using symbols are easy ways). It would be helpful
for students to develop their own system of abbreviations to refer to.

Common Abbreviations Example

Advantage= adv And= & Percent= %
Question= ? Regarding= re Maximum= max
Department= dept Number= #

g. Ask the students if they have any questions and if they are ready. Then begin the
lecture.
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Activity 3: Lecture Activity Script (10 Minutes)

*You can either read the lecture script OR the professor can give the students some notes for about ten
minutes.

1. Read the script aloud (10 Minutes)

a. This script has to do with research from the University of Michigan about how students
learn.

b. (Read the following lecture SLOWLY word for word. Make notes on the board as you
lecture. The underlined words are key words that could be written on the board.)

In the 1960s, a group of graduate students from the University of Michigan decided to research how
successful students learn. Previous research about learning had focused on poor learners and what they
were doing wrong. The U of M researchers interviewed over 1,000 successful students and found that
they all utilized four key strategies as they learned.

1. They programmed their own learning, breaking down complex ideas and tasks to make them
manageable and understandable.
2. They asked questions about new information; constantly carrying on an internal dialogue about
what they already knew and how it related to the new information they were learning.
3. They tested themselves to see how well they were learning to make sure they understood the new
material.
4. As they studied, they focused on the learning objectives of the class. They zeroed in on what the
professor emphasized was important and what was relevant to the course objectives in their notes
and their reading.

Students can use these findings to take the internal thinking process of successful students and use
concrete tasks to develop thinking skills. More brain research verifies that learning is a skill and,
therefore, can be learned.

There are 3 basic stages in the learning process: INPUT, ORGANIZATION, and OUTPUT.

The INPUT stage involves taking information in from external stimuli (lectures, textbooks, research).

The ORGANIZATION stage is the memory stage. This involves arranging material to see how it all fits
together, practicing, moving it into short-term memory and then to storage in long-term memory.

The OUTPUT stage is the retrieval of information from long-term memory to take an exam, write a
paper, give a speech or a presentation, or participate in a class discussion.

STOP
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Activity 4: Questions in the Margin Activity (20-30 Minutes)

Purpose: To practice generating questions from lectures

1. Generating Questions Overview (5 Minutes)

a. Tell the students they will be generating some questions based on the notes they took

b. Explain that generating questions is the second step of note-taking

c. The students will be using their notes to come up with questions

d. Tell the students to write the questions in the wide margin on the left side of the paper

e. Direct the students to the page in their packet titled Common Terms Used on Exam
Questions

i. Explain that these are common words used on college exams. The words require
application of knowledge and are answered in different ways.
ii. (Share some examples of what kind of question might be asked)
iii. The students should use these terms when writing their questions.

f. The students should write Full and Complete questions, including part of the answer
in the question.

i. The questions should reflect the information they have in their notes. Clarify
that they are writing a question that they should know the answer to.
ii. Give an example If you wrote in the 1960s, U of M students studied how
successful students learn, your question might be, what did U of M students
study in the 1960s?

2. Working with a Partner (10 Minutes)

a. Tell the students to find a partner to work with to help them fill in any gaps

b. They should come up with at least five questions based on their notes

c. (Walk around and monitor their progress. You can give direction as they go if they need
more clarification. Make sure you keep track of time and let them know when there is
only a minute left. You have an example of what types of questions student might
generate, see the example at the end of this packet)

3. Sharing Questions (5 Minutes)

a. Tell the partners that they are going to each by sharing one question.
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b. (Record the questions on the board)

c. Ask the students to raise their hand if they have similar questions (a lot of them will
have similar questions)
i. Question: A lot of you have similar questions, what benefits do you think
there are to creating questions from your notes? (Direct them to the following
benefits)
BENEFITS:
Predicts exam questions
Creating questions reviews material from class its like continually studying which will
move the information from short term to long term.
Notes can be used to study from right before an exam.
Helps you to focus on the main points of a lecture. You are most likely not going to create a
question from a chunk of unimportant information

4. Checklist for Note-Taking Strategy (5 Minutes)

a. Have the students review the Checklist for the Note Taking Strategy to determine what
they did this time (and remind them that these are important steps to take in the
future)

For this time:

Do you have a question in the margin for all the information you have in your notes?

Do the questions in the margins ask you to recall the information right next to the question?

Do your questions reflect the material in your notes?

Did you make note of information you did not understand, or that was confusing to you during
the lecture with a star or by highlighting?

Did you leave blank space when you missed information so that you could fill it in later?

Were you able to generate a summary question for the lecture or for appropriate chunks of
information?

For the future:

Did you quiz yourself with your questions and answer them out loud or by writing the answer
down?

Did you visit your professors, talk to classmates, or look in your texts to clarify information you
may have found confusing?

Did you apply the note-taking strategy consistently?

Did you generate questions and quiz yourself prior to attending the next lecture?
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Tips for Note-Taking

Neat, readable, white space, organized, dont write everything the professor says
Use your own words
Use pictures/visuals
Use standard abbreviations
Keep going if you fall behind or miss something
Fill in any missing information after class
If distracted-draw a picture of something in class

1) Math Notes
Write in words, steps
Have an example problem
Let them know that #s change

5. Summary Question Activity (5 Minutes)

a. Have the students work with a partner to answer the question at the bottom of the
Checklist for Note-Taking Worksheet.

b. See the following box for the question prompt:

Write a summary question below. Write your summary question as an essay question that a professor
might write using this material. Look at the Common Terms Used on Exam Questions handout for ideas.

c. Have some partners share the essay questions they generated.

d. Discussion: You should write at least one summary question for each lecture. The
summary question requires you to look for the big picture in the lecture. It may be the
hardest one to write. If you write a summary question for each lecture, you will begin to
see the patterns in the course. This is particularly valuable if you will be tested in essay
format. You may be using your summary questions as mock exam questions later. If you
know you will have essay questions, practice making summary questions as your quiz.

e. Tell the students As you practice this strategy, your notes will begin to take on more
organization. Soon you will be generating questions in the margins as the lecture goes
along. It is really important for you to draw a 3 margin in your own notebooks before
you take notes for your courses. The margin will give you the room you need to
generate questions. (Some students do not like losing 3 inches of space in their notes
for the margins. These students may want to consider leaving the left page of their
notebook blank for questions and taking notes on the right page.)

Modification Option
To Lengthen: Have the partners come up with ten questions from their notes. Have the partners share
more than one question.
To Shorten: Refer to the Checklist for Note-Taking Strategy Worksheet but do not complete as a class
(do not do activities Checklist for Note-Taking Strategy or Summary Question Activity)
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Activity 5: Self-quizzing (3 Minutes)

Purpose: To help student learn how to understand their notes in order to move information into long-
term memory

1. Self-Quizzing Overview (3 Minutes)

a. Self-quizzing is the third and final note taking step. When you are working alone with
this strategy, cover your notes and JOT DOWN the answers to your questions or ANSWER
OUT LOUD. You should generate your questions and quiz yourself shortly after each
lecture, and definitely before you go to the next lecture. This will build your knowledge
as you go along in the course and help you with your reading and studying. If you cant
generate a question for a chunk of information, its a sign that you dont understand it.
You should make a point to visit your professor for clarification when this occurs.
Remember to get information you missed from a classmate or your professor to clarify
anything you dont understand and to make a habit of using your notes as soon as
possible after each lecture. With time, you will be thinking like your professor and
predicting most of his/her exam questions. Like any skill, this takes practice and
coaching. This is an ACTIVE learning strategy. You are actively working with your notes
and the information from class, which helps with memory and learning.

b. Tell the students they can ask themselves the questions they generated on the side of
their notes. They can cover their notes when they ask the question and try to remember
the answer (this is helpful when using memory strategies)

c. If time, have the students practice this skill by covering the notes they took and asking
themselves the questions. They can also ask the partner the question. (5 Minutes)

d. Ask the students if they have any questions about what was covered today. Remind
them of the importance of using this valuable study strategy for college success. If you
have time, review some Common Concerns that students have about note taking (see
chart on last page of this lesson plan)

Example of Self-Quizzing

Question
How do students program their own learning?
Why did successful students ask questions?
What was the third step that successful students did?
Why would a successful student focus on the learning
objectives of a class?
Notes
They programmed their own learning, breaking down complex
ideas and tasks to make them manageable and
understandable.
They asked questions about new information; constantly
carrying on an internal dialogue about what they already
knew and how it related to the new information they were
learning.
They tested themselves to see how well they were learning to
make sure they understood the new material.
As they studied, they focused on the learning objectives of the
class. They zeroed in on what the professor emphasized was
important and what was relevant to the course objectives in
their notes and their reading.
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Activity 6: Review Note-Taking and In-Class Skills (5 Minutes)

*If you have extra time, review some Note-Taking and In-Class Skills

Note Taking and In-Class Skills

Adequate notes are a necessary adjunct to efficient study and learning in college. Think over the
following suggestions and improve your note- taking system where needed.

Listen actively - if possible think before you write - but don't get behind.
Be open-minded about points you disagree on. Don't let arguing interfere with your note-
taking.
Raise questions if appropriate.
Develop and use a standard method of note-taking including punctuation, abbreviations,
margins, etc.
Take and keep notes in a large notebook. The only merit to a small notebook is ease of carrying
and that is not your main objective. A large notebook allows you to adequately indent and use
an outline form.
Leave a few spaces blank as you move from one point to the next so that you can fill in
additional points later if necessary. Your objective is to take helpful notes, not to save paper!
Do not try to take down everything that the lecturer says. It is impossible in the first place and
unnecessary in the second place because not everything is of equal importance. Spend more
time listening and attempt to take down the main points. If you are writing as fast as you can,
you cannot be as discriminating a listener. There may be some times, however, when it is more
important to write than to think.
Listen for cues as to important points, transition form one point to the next, repetition of points
for emphasis, changes in voice inflections, enumeration of a series of points, etc.
Many lecturers attempt to present a few major points and several minor points in a lecture. The
rest is explanatory material and samples. Try to see the main points and do not get lost in a
barrage of minor points which do not seem related to each other. The relationship is there if
you will listen for it. Be alert to cues about what the professor thinks is important.
Make your original notes legible enough for your own reading, but use abbreviations of your
own invention when possible. The effort required to recopy notes can be better spent in
rereading them and thinking about them. Although neatness is a virtue in some respect, it
does not necessarily increase your learning.
Copy down everything on the board, regardless. Did you ever stop to think that every
blackboard scribble may be a clue to an exam item? You may not be able to integrate what is on
the board into your lecture notes, but if you copy it, it may serve as a useful clue for you later. If
not, what the heck -- you haven't wasted anything. You were in the classroom anyway.
Sit as close to the front of the class, there are fewer distractions and it is easier to hear, see and
attend to important material.
Get assignments and suggestions precisely - ask questions if you're not sure.

http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/notetake.html
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Follow-Up Note-Taking Activity (15 Minutes)

*If you present to the same class twice on Note-Taking, you can use these additional activities. Students
should bring a set of notes they took.

Purpose:
To provide peer feedback on note-taking strategy
To improve the quality of the questions in the margins
To help students understand the benefits of being prepared for their selected course

1. Exchange Notes (10 Minutes)

a. Have everyone who brought notes with questions generated in the margins move to the
right side of the room.

b. Have everyone who brought notes with no questions generated in the margins move to
the left side of the room.

c. Have everyone who did not bring notes move to the middle of the room.

d. Have everyone on the right with notes and questions exchange selected course notes
with a partner. Have your partner quiz them on the questions in the margins. They will
either answer the question, or re-word the question if it does not make sense.

e. Everyone on the left side of the room with notes but no questions should take a few
minutes to generate some questions for your notes. As they finish, they can pair up
with a partner and quiz each other.

f. The group in the middle can quiz each other on the questions that were generated from
the lecture from the last session.

g. (Give the students ten minutes for this activity; 5 minutes for each student)
h. (Make sure you walk around the room. Keep track of the time and remind students
when its time to switch to the other person asking the questions in the margins.)

2. Discussion (10 Minutes)

a. Question: Could you answer your own questions? Did you have to clarify your own
questions? Can you see how questions in the margins make use of your notes in a
more timely fashion than waiting to review them the night before an exam?

b. As you practice this strategy, your notes will become more organized, youll be more
engaged in each lecture, and youll begin generating questions during the lecture! If
your mind wanders during lectures, this will help you pay closer attention DURING the
lecture! REMEMBER it is to your benefit to bring your materials to class. You can take
advantage of this time in Master Student to study the material in the course you are
working with!
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c. Do a quick review of the Checklist for Note-Taking Strategy

d. Question: What problems did you have with this strategy? What makes this strategy
difficult? (Review as needed. Listed below are some typical concerns. You could ask
students for the problems they have encountered and encourage their classmates to
generate possible solutions.)

Common Concerns Some Solutions

Professors talks too fast
I cant write it all down
Why should I leave the left page blank?
Notes are disorganized
I cant do this for math, chemistry, etc.
Professor only uses Power -point
Draw a line, leaving room to fill in the blanks later by
comparing notes with a classmate or talking to the
professor.
Develop a system of abbreviations and do the same as
above.
Use this for notes from the text, questions that
interest you or go beyond the material, build a
glossary, make variations of the problems given in
class.
In time, you will begin to get more organized as you
practice. You will get more familiar with the content
and will hear the change in topic/idea/theories.
You can. Write in words and pair them with the
symbols, formulas, etc.
If the power-point is available before class, then you (
student) can print the power-point and write in
additional information during the lecture( preferable in
your own words). If the power-point is only available
during the lecture, then the student can take notes
and leave blanks and ask the professor to make the
power-point available on Web CT later. However, the
process of taking notes is important in remembering
and understanding information. It is important for
students to personalize notes by using their own words
and ideas. Also what the professor is saying takes
precedence over materials presented in power-point
lecture. Do not tune out the professor and only focus
on the power-point .

(Reiterate the benefits of using this strategy and the importance of asking questions and finding any
missing information.)
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Example from Lecture

Note-Taking Lecture Activity

Questions
Define what the students were
researching
Describe the four key strategies that
successful students used
Discuss why is learning a skill
Identify the three stages in the learning
process
Notes
1960s, graduate students from Un. Of
Michigan
How successful students learn
four key strategies
1. They programmed their own
learning, breaking down complex
ideas and tasks
2. They asked questions about new
information; constantly carrying on
an internal dialogue
3. They tested themselves to see how well
they were learning to make sure they
understood the new material.
4. As they studied, they focused on the
learning objectives of the class. They
zeroed in on what the professor
emphasized was important
More brain research verifies that learning
is a skill and, therefore, can be learned.
3 Stages in the Learning Process:
The INPUT stage involves taking
information in from external stimuli
(lectures, textbooks, research).

The ORGANIZATION stage is the memory

stage. This involves arranging material to
see how it all fits together

The OUTPUT stage is the retrieval of

information from long-term memory to
take an exam, write a paper, give a speech
or a presentation, or participate in a class
discussion.