When you are preparing for a test or need to retain information for the long term, the Note Summary graphic organizer is perfect for writing a more formalized summary. Review your completed Note-Taking and Note Review forms while you write your summary.
Note Review
Once you have taken notes with the Topic Note-Taking forms, you can use them to frequently review the content. Review builds comprehension.
How to Review Your Notes:
- Take out your completed Topic Note-Taking forms.
- From the information, create questions and then answer them on the Note Review form.
- Write a short paragraph summarizing your answers.
Textbook Note Taking Forms
Taking notes from a textbook can sometimes be difficult. Where do you start and what are the important ideas and their supporting details. Use these graphic organizers to help.
TIP
- Choose note-taking graphic organizers based on which topic or medium you are taking notes from.
- Scan the textbook section by noting the topics and keywords in bold print.
- Write down the key points (they are often in bold print or italics) and their definitions.
- Read the paragraph or section.
- Think: what is this telling me about?
- Write the important points in your own words.
- List any pictures or charts.
- Color-code your notes by category or topic by using colored pencils, highlighters of different colors or highlighter tape. Color-coding improves retention by 25%.
- Read your notes aloud to review them.
- Try walking around,
pedalling a stationary bike, or sitting on an exercise ball and bouncing while reviewing your notes. This added movement helps to channel any excess energy while you focus on the learning task.
Descriptive Paragraphs
Descriptive paragraphs are used quite often. Anytime you are telling someone about an event, you are describing it. Anytime you tell someone about an object or a new shiny thing, you are describing it. Use the following template to easily write a descriptive paragraph
Hamburger Paragraph
Compare writing a paragraph to
Lecture Review
These graphic organizers will be useful for lecture or notes review. They are a great study aid or for use in preparation for a paper or essay. The use of these will help you to distill the important information from your lecture or notes.
Advanced Topic Note Taking
Topic Note-Taking Forms
These forms make taking notes on social studies, science, videos, lectures, or any textbook much easier. Some of the forms have space for drawing pictures or ‘doodling’ notes. Doodles help you visualize and remember what you have heard or read. Be sure to mark important information with a star or asterisk. Using colored pencils or markers also helps retain information.
If you are taking notes from a whole chapter of a textbook, use multiple copies of the forms and staple them together. Continue over multiple forms or sections if you run out of space.
Advanced Book Report
For more advanced book reports, a more in-depth analysis may be required. Look to these graphic organizers to help simplify and clarify a ‘more complicated’ book report.
Narrative/Sequential Paragraph
In the United States, we write paragraphs in a basic format. First, we tell you, the reader, what we are going to tell you (main idea or thesis). Then, we provide details that support the main idea. Finally, we restate what we told you (concluding or ‘wrap up’ statement).
Tip
Good writers use a variety of types of sentences in their paragraphs.
Narrative/Sequence Paragraph
This type of paragraph is a group of sentences that specify an order of events, using words like first, next, then, after that, and finally.
Descriptive Paragraph
In the United States, we write paragraphs in a basic format. First, we tell you, the reader, what we are going to tell you (main idea or thesis). Then, we provide details that support the main idea. Finally, we restate what we told you (concluding or ‘wrap up’ statement).
Tip
Good writers use a variety of types of sentences in their paragraphs.
Descriptive Paragraph
This type of paragraph is a group of sentences that work together to describe something specifically. Our descriptive paragraph form gives you the formula to do this easily.