Lesson: Note Taking

Lesson: Note Taking

Description

Students need to learn how to transfer information from highlighted articles to note cards. Once this has been accomplished, students can then use the note cards to write a paper or create a final project. Providing students with an organized system to collect and record data will provide them with a lifelong skill. Once students understand how to create and use note cards, they can transition to using a specially created database for this purpose.

Learning Outcomes I Suggested Procedure I Assessment for this Lesson

Materials for this Offline lesson:

Student highlighted articles from Lesson: Highlighting

One highlighted article for the lesson that the entire class will use

4 x 6 colored index cards (or white cards edged with colored ink)

4 x 6 white index card for each student for this lesson (sample card)

2 inch rings

Hole punch

Post-it paper put up on chalk board to look like a note card

Research notebook

Time allotment: 50 minutes

Grade Level: Grade 3 - 12

Information Literacy Standard:
2. The student who is information literate, evaluates information critically and competently

Learning Outcomes

Students will set up note cards with an appropriate format (research question on the top line, number in the right hand corner, hole punched in the left hand corner, name on the back)
Students will determine appropriate information to transfer from a highlighted article to note cards
Students will copy information to note cards in phrase form preceded by a bullet
Students will cite sources on the bottom of note cards

Suggested Procedure

Tell students that today they are going to learn how to take notes from their highlighted articles.

Have students choose different colored cards for each research question they are to answer. Students should begin with five cards of each color.

Next have students write each of their research questions on the top line of a different colored index card. Then have them number the cards from 1 to 5 (for each color) in the upper right-hand corner.

Have students put their name on the back of every card.

Using white index cards for this lesson as a sample/model, write the research question on the board that students will be using for the lesson article.

Have students copy the research question on the card, put their name on the back, and then number the card #1 in the upper right-hand corner.
Pass out the highlighted article that students will be using for the lesson.
Tell students that today they are going to learn to transfer the information they have highlighted in their research articles onto note cards.

Remind students that while they were highlighting information to answer their research question(s), they highlighted phrases. In transferring this information onto note cards, they are to write their information on the note cards in phrase form.

Tell students that each phrase goes on a separate line and is preceded by a bullet (o).
Demonstrate to students how this is done by taking the first two phrases in the highlighted article and writing them on the model note card (on the board) making sure that each one is on a separate line and preceded by a bullet.
Have students copy what is on the board onto their white index card.

Next ask students to think about what the next phrase in the highlighted article should be on the note card. Give them a couple of minutes to confer with their neighbor about this and then elicit answers from the class. Discuss the choice as a class until you are sure that the class understands what the phrase should be.

Have a student come up to the board to write the phrase on the model note card on the board.
Ask students if they agree by signaling with one finger if they think it is correct and two fingers if they think it is incorrect.
Make any corrections necessary to the phase on the model card and then have students copy it onto their sample note card.

Next, ask pairs of students to work together (those sitting next to one another) to determine which piece of information in the highlighted article should be the next phrase on the note card.

When the pairs have determined the next phrase to go onto the note card, have them raise their hand for a teacher check.
As each student pair is checked, have them write the phrase on their note card.
Choose one pair of students to write the phrase on the model note card on the board.
Have students in pairs, continue to determine and write the next two phrases on their sample note cards.
Continue to circulate around the room to ensure that students are determining and copying the phrases correctly.

Now have students work independently to finish determining the phases in the highlighted article that need to be copied onto the model note card. Give the class about 15 minutes to accomplish this.

Bring the students back together and tell them that there is one more piece of information that needs to appear on their note cards.

Tell students that they need to put the source (the title, author, date, page number, and publisher if a book or magazine; and the web site if a web article) on the bottom of the note card.
Model this for students by writing the source for the highlighted article on the model note card on the board.
Have students copy this information.

Pass out the bibliography sheet that shows students how to cite different sources. Have students put this in their research notebooks for future reference.

If students have not finished determining and recording the phrases to be copied on the sample note card, then they are to do this for homework.

Collect the homework the next day and check it over to make sure that students understand how to copy highlighted phrases onto note cards.

Assessment

Have students take one of their highlighted articles and transfer the information from that article onto one set of note cards prepared at the beginning of the note card lesson. Students can do this in class or can take it home for homework.

Collect a set of note cards for each student and check them over carefully for correctness of format and to ensure that they are copying phrases correctly.

Either conference with individual students or write notes on the cards to give feedback. At this time give the students a ring, have them punch a hole with a hole punch in the upper left had corner of the note cards, and place the note cards on the ring. Then have students attach the ring to an interior ring in their research notebook. Tell students that this is where they are to keep their note cards.

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This page was last updated February 21, 2002
This lesson was created to support the AT&T/UCLA Initiatives for 21st Century Literacies.
Lesson: Note Taking was created by Sharon Sutton