Discussions about note-taking

1. NOTE-TAKING
Developmental Reading 1

2. Note-taking
- is writing in condensed form the
content of a chapter or a whole book or
classroom lectures or speeches. It involves
activities that require mental alertness,
concentration, reflection and analysis. It
also requires the ability to select and
organize ideas or concepts to be taken
down.

3. Taking Notes in Class
Before the Lecture Begins
1. Make some preparation for the lecture so that you will
be more likely to predict the organization of the lecture.
2. Sit as close as possible to the lecturer to eliminate
distractions.
3. Copy important words on the blackboard and on
transparencies, especially for the outline.
4. Have a proper attitude.

4. Taking Notes in Class
During the Lecture
1. Have your lecture paper and pen ready.
2. Write down the title of the lecture, the name of the
speaker and the date.
3. Watch the speaker carefully.
4. Listen carefully to the introduction (if there is one).
Listen to the lecture.
5. Be brief in your note-taking.

5. Taking Notes in Class
During the Lecture
6. Try to recognize main ideas by signal words that
indicate that something important follows.
7. If there is a summary at the end of the lecture, pay close
attention to it.
8. Leave large empty spaces in your notes.
9. At the end of the lecture, ask questions about points
you did not understand
10.Do not be in a rush.

6. Taking Notes in Class
After the Lecture
1. Revise your notes as quickly as possible.
2. During the first review period after the lecture, compare
your reading and lecture notes.
3. Review your lecture notes AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK.
Also, review the lecture notes before the next lecture.

7. The six R Principles of Note Taking
Record
- refers to writing down meaningful ideas and facts in
a lecture.
Reduce
- refers to summarizing notes taken down from the
lecture.
Recite
- refers to reducing the main idea and facts to form
suitable statements for recitations.

8. The six R Principles of Note Taking
Reflect
- refers to thinking of ideas that make your notes
more meaningful to you. Organize your notes and arrange
them logically.
Review
- refers to reciting of notes frequently either nightly
or several times during the week.
Recapitulate
- refers to summarizing what have been taken down,
picking out keywords and concepts and providing clues to
details described in the notes.

9. Kinds of Notes
1. Reading Notes
- are the notes that you take down while
reading a chapter in a textbook, an article from a
newspaper of any other periodical.

10. Steps in Taking Good Reading Notes
1. Skim through the chapter or the whole selection. It will
familiarize you with the general arrangement or
structure of the material.
2. Read the whole chapter or selection carefully and with
comprehension.
3. Mark and note ideas while reading.
4. Label each note, complete with the name of the author,
title of the selection, name of the book, publication date,
publisher and page numbers.

11. Kinds of Notes
2. Lecture Notes
- are notes written from the lectures, reports,
speeches, interviews and other speaking activities
of your instructors or speakers.

12. Steps in Writing Good Lectures
1. Listen attentively to the lecture or speech. If
possible, take down the title or topic of the
lecture.
2. Write down as you listen. Be careful of
quotations and the sources as mentioned by the
speaker or lecturer.
3. Organize your lecture notes by rewriting what
you have made right after the lecture.

13. Summarizing
A summary is a shortened version of
another person’s text, explanation, argument
or narrative in your own words.

14. How to Summarize Effectively
1. Be Accurate
2. Be Objective
3. Focus on main ideas
4. Be Concise
5. Cite your Source

15. Paraphrasing
- means rephrasing the words of an author,
capturing his/her thoughts into your own words.
A paraphrase can be viewed as a “translation” of
the original source. When you paraphrase, you
reword the source’s ideas, words, phrases and
sentence structures.

16. For students, paraphrasing is a valuable skill
because:
1. It is better than quoting information from an
undistinguished passage;
2. It helps you control the temptation to quote too
much; and
3. The mental process required for successful
paraphrasing helps you to grasp the full
meaning of the original.

17. Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
1. Reread the original passage until you understand its full
meaning.
2. Set the original passage aside and write your
paraphrase on a note card.
3. Jot down a few words below your paraphrase to remind
you later how you envision using this material.
4. Check your rendition with the original passage to make
sure that your version accurately expresses all the
essential information in a new form.

18. Steps to Effective Paraphrasing
5. Use quotation marks to identify any unique term or
phraseology you have borrowed exactly from the
source.
6. Record the source (including the page) on your note
card so that you can credit it easily if you decide to
incorporate the material into your paper.

19. Text Mapping
- is another helpful technique in facilitating
your understanding of messages. A map is a
visual representation of a text or speech that helps
you retain in your mind the important ideas and
their relationships. It is like an outline or a
summary that condenses a lengthy information.

20. Steps in Text Mapping
1. Read the text thoroughly.
2. Write the subject or title in your notebook. Enclose the
title in a box or encircle it to denote its importance.
3. Select major ideas and supporting points and connect
them by means of lines to the title.
4. Attach subpoints to major points to show their relative
importance.
5. Use appropriate symbols to show the relationships of
ideas.

21. Prepared by:
Bienbenido S. Trabajada Jr.
BSED - 3B