Lesson MINI

LESSON MINI

Taking Notes and Citing Sources

Grade:

6-8

Topic:

Research

Unit:

Ready for Research

Overview

In this lesson mini, students learn and practice various note-taking strategies, including text annotation, visual note-taking, and using paraphrasing and column-notes graphic organizers. Exploring these strategies for capturing, organizing, and processing information prepares students for more advanced research tasks by equipping them with a toolkit of versatile note-taking methods.

Ideas for Implementation

Science or Social Studies

Humanities

Library media

Intervention or enrichment

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Key Vocabulary & Definitions

annotate (verb): to add notes or explanations to a text

graphic organizer (noun): a visual way to organize information

keyword (noun): a significant word or phrase used in searching for information online

paraphrase (verb): to express a concept in one’s own words without changing the meaning

summarize (verb): to create a shorter version of content, such as a text, that includes its main points

Authentic Learning Extensions

Authentic learning opportunities for studying research involve real-world experiences and practical applications that help students understand research concepts meaningfully. Here are some examples:

Annotated Photos: Schedule a visit to the school library or local library, where students can explore primary source photos and diagrams related to their research topics. Librarians can assist students in locating and printing copies of the photos and diagrams so that students can annotate them.

Interview Sessions: Pair students up and ask them to prepare a handful of questions to ask one another. While they interview their partner, ask them to take notes on what the other person is saying. Explain to them that speech is quicker than reading, so they need to write short paraphrased notes instead of full sentences in order to keep up.

Library Note-Taking Sessions: Arrange a visit to the school or local library, where students can locate texts relevant to their research topics and practice different note-taking strategies.

Choose Activity

LESSON MINI

Taking Notes and Citing Sources

Activity

1:

Cracking the Code: Text Annotation

By the end of the activity, students will be able to annotate text as a note-taking strategy to enhance their information-processing skills.

20-30

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Whiteboard or display

Resources

Implementation

Display the printed Moon article, and distribute a copy of the printed article to each student. Tell students they will use this article to learn how to annotate a text.

Distribute a copy of the Annotated Text Codes contained within the Annotating Text instructional strategy to each student. (Alternatively, consider creating and displaying an anchor chart featuring these codes or other codes of your choosing, perhaps a set of codes collaboratively created as a class. For example, you might include codes like “!” for important information, “?” for confusing parts, or “*” for key vocabulary.)

Follow the specific procedures outlined for the Annotating Text instructional strategy, beginning by modeling the annotation process for the first paragraph as you read it aloud, using a think-aloud strategy. Here are some examples of what you might say:

After reading Sentence 1: I’m going to underline the phrase “Earth’s natural satellite” and write “!” next to it because that’s an important fact about the Moon.

After reading Sentence 2: I’m going to circle “celestial object” because it seems like an important key term, but I’m also going to put a “?” beside it because I’m not exactly sure what it means, so I’m going to want to look it up.

After reading Sentence 3: Wow! That’s pretty interesting. I’m going to put a smiley face here. What an amazing coincidence that the Sun is both 400 times bigger and 400 times more distant from Earth than the Moon!

After reading Sentence 6: I’m going to underline “orbits Earth” and draw an arrow down from “Earth’s natural satellite” in Sentence 1 because this phrase helps me understand what “Earth’s natural satellite” means.

After reading Sentence 9: I’m going to put an “m” here with the phrase “significant influence on Earth” because the Moon’s effect on Earth seems like a very important, main idea. I’m also going to put an “EX” here by “ocean tides” and draw an arrow to it from “significant influence on Earth” earlier in the sentence, because this gives an example of the Moon’s effect on Earth.

Follow steps 4–6 of the Annotating Text instructional strategy, inviting students to join in with the whole-class think-aloud for the second paragraph of the text, and then having them work in pairs or small groups to annotate the remainder of the text. After the group work, encourage students to reread the full text independently, refining their annotations.

To wrap up the activity, discuss how this annotating-text strategy might aid in summarizing and paraphrasing information. Have students compare this strategy to other note-taking methods previously learned, perhaps asking the following:

How is annotating text different from simply highlighting text?

Allow time for students to orally reflect on the process and discuss how they can apply this strategy in future reading tasks and across different subjects, perhaps asking the following questions:

How might you use annotation in your science or social studies class?

How might you use annotation when taking a standardized reading test?

Differentiation and Variations

Support Structures: Include supports such as glossaries, images, and pre-annotated examples to aid comprehension. Challenges such as open-ended questions or prompts for deeper analysis can be incorporated into higher-level texts to strengthen students’ critical thinking skills.

Text Complexity Adjustment: Provide texts that vary in complexity to match the reading levels of different students. This could involve simplifying the language or sentence structures for struggling readers, or offering more complex texts with denser content and higher-level vocabulary for advanced readers.

Digital Annotations: Students can use digital tools to interactively highlight, add notes, and link to external resources directly within electronic texts. This approach facilitates collaboration and real-time feedback by allowing students to share their annotated documents on digital platforms where peers and teachers can view, comment, and discuss the annotations instantaneously.

Collaborative Teaching

One Teaching, One Observing: For collaborative teaching and learning environments, this learning activity is well suited to a One Teaching, One Observing strategy. In this model, one teacher provides direct instruction to the entire class while the other observes student behavior and engagement to gather evidence of learning. This approach allows for detailed observation and assessment, helping identify students who need additional support or intervention. By focusing on student responses and participation, the observing teacher can ensure that the learning needs of all students are addressed and met in the activity. Research shows that targeted observation can lead to more effective intervention strategies, improving student performance.

Introduction and Modeling: One teacher leads the opening discussion and models how to annotate the provided text. The other teacher ensures that students stay engaged and on task. If compiling a list of student-generated symbols, consider having one teacher record the symbols while the other leads the discussion.

Group and Independent Work: Both teachers circulate, supporting students as they work.

Wrap-Up Discussion: One teacher leads the wrap-up discussion, posing questions for consideration. The observing teacher notes students’ level of understanding and engagement.

Taking Notes and Citing Sources

Activity

2:

Paraphrasing with Graphic Organizers

By the end of the activity, students will be able to accurately paraphrase key ideas from an informational text.

20-30

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Highlighters (class set)

Whiteboard or display

Resources

Implementation

Explain to students that paraphrasing is putting concepts expressed by other people into one’s own words. This helps avoid plagiarism, which is taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own. Plagiarism is dishonest; it’s like stealing, and it is not allowed in any academic work.

Tell students that they will be using a graphic organizer to paraphrase sections of a text. Explain the benefits of graphic organizers, including the following:

visually representing information, making complex topics easier to understand

highlighting relationships between ideas

aiding in recall of key details

providing a structured framework for organizing thoughts

serving as a useful study tool

Display the Sun article alongside a Paraphrasing instructional strategy and graphic organizer. Explain to students that you’ll be “thinking aloud” to demonstrate paraphrasing steps: identifying key details, rephrasing them in your own words, and checking accuracy.

Read aloud the first paragraph of the article, pausing to highlight or underline key points. As you go, transfer these portions of highlighted text to the first box on the left-hand side of the graphic organizer, or reveal them one-by-one in a pre-filled graphic organizer. You might highlight or underline the word “star,” and the phrases “source of virtually all Earth’s energy” and “provides the heat and light that make life on Earth possible” in the first few sentences, while explaining to students that these are key details about the Sun. In the remainder of the paragraph, you might highlight the phrases “huge ball of hot gases” and “produces enormous amounts of energy by converting hydrogen to helium deep within its interior.”

Model checking the information in your paraphrased paragraph, asking students to weigh in, phrase-by-phrase, on whether each part is correct based on the information in the original text of the article.

Hold a short discussion about the benefits of paraphrasing, as modeled in the above example, emphasizing the following points:

Accurately putting ideas into your own words demonstrates your understanding of a text.

Paraphrasing helps to avoid unintended plagiarism.

By paraphrasing instead of directly quoting a source, you may be able to more effectively summarize long passages.

Continue modeling the paraphrasing strategy for the second paragraph of the Introduction, asking students to help identify key ideas and then paraphrase the information, as you highlight and scribe.

Distribute a copy of the Paraphrasing graphic organizer to each student, along with a printed copy of a section of the Sun article. Direct students to work in small groups, pairs, or individually, as desired, assigning different sections of the article to students. For example, one small group may be assigned to paraphrase the “Position in the Solar System” section, while another works on the first two paragraphs of the “Basic Properties” section. Alternatively, if time allows, have all students work on paraphrasing both sections in their entirety. Remind students to do the following:

Read the text carefully, highlighting or underlining the main ideas and important details.

Record the highlighted details in the graphic organizer’s left column.

Paraphrase the ideas in the right column, checking for accuracy. As students work, circulate among them, offering feedback and guidance as needed.

If time allows, have volunteers share their paraphrases with the class or in small groups, encouraging appropriate peer review and feedback that focuses on whether the meaning was clear and accurately conveyed. Alternatively, consider having a “gallery walk” where groups post their organizers, and others leave feedback on sticky notes.

To wrap up the activity, discuss how the paraphrasing note-taking strategy helps students better summarize key information in a source without plagiarizing. If your class is studying multiple note-taking strategies, compare this one to strategies previously learned. Reflect on the process, and discuss how students can apply this strategy in future reading tasks and across disciplines, asking the following reflection question:

How might you use this paraphrasing strategy in your history class when studying primary sources?

Differentiation and Variations

Sentence Starters: These prompts guide students to identify key details and rephrase them, making it easier to get started with paraphrasing.

Chunking Text: Breaking down the text into smaller sections helps students focus on manageable pieces of information, building their paraphrasing skills gradually.

Visual Aids: Graphic organizers or pictures help students grasp main ideas and facilitate paraphrasing by providing a visual framework.

Sentence Stem Completion: Pre-made sentence stems with key points allow students to complete sentences in their own words, practicing paraphrasing in a structured way.

Note: These supports help students by providing clear steps, visual aids, and prompts to break down the task and build confidence.

Leveled Text: Using leveled texts can increase rigor and critical thinking by expanding students’ vocabulary and teaching them to adapt paraphrasing for different texts. This activity encourages students to paraphrase texts of varying difficulty on the same topic. Students compare their paraphrases and analyze how the text’s complexity affects their wording and explanation.

Technology Integration: Using online tools and creating multimedia presentations allows students to compare paraphrases and creatively showcase their understanding. This extends learning by making paraphrasing fun and challenging, allowing students to showcase their understanding in different formats.

Color-Coding: Implement a color-coding system to visually organize information from different source types. For example:

Blue: information from databases

Pink: content from websites

Yellow: material from books

Green: other sources (e.g., interviews, newspapers)

This system helps students quickly identify the origin of each piece of information and ensures a balanced use of various sources in their research.

Collaborative Teaching

Team Teaching: For collaborative teaching and learning environments, this learning activity is well suited to a Team Teaching strategy. In this model, both teachers deliver instruction together, often alternating or integrating their teaching styles seamlessly, sometimes referred to as “tag team teaching.” This collaborative approach provides students with multiple perspectives and teaching styles, enriching their learning experience. By modeling effective teamwork and communication, this approach demonstrates how different viewpoints can enhance understanding and create a dynamic and interactive classroom environment. Evidence indicates that team teaching can enhance student engagement and provide a richer, more diverse educational experience.

Introduction: Teacher A introduces the paraphrasing strategy and how it can help students avoid plagiarism. Teacher B outlines the benefits of using a graphic organizer to paraphrase sections of a text.

Modeling: Teacher A reads and highlights key information in the first paragraph of the article’s introduction, while Teacher B transfers or reveals the information on the displayed graphic organizer. Teacher A paraphrases the recorded ideas on the graphic organizer, and Teacher B leads the class to check it for accuracy. Teacher A then leads the class discussion emphasizing the benefits of the paraphrasing strategy.

Guided Practice: Teacher B leads the whole class through the paraphrasing strategy for the second paragraph of the Introduction, highlighting key ideas based on students’ input. Teacher B scribes students’ responses, including the paraphrase, on the displayed graphic organizer. Teacher A leads the check for accuracy.

Independent or Group Practice: Teacher B distributes materials to students, and Teacher B reminds students of the paraphrasing steps. As students work on their graphic organizers, both teachers circulate among them, providing assistance to individuals or groups as necessary.

Sharing and Wrap-Up: Teachers A and B facilitate sharing and peer feedback in the chosen format. Teacher A summarizes key points about effective paraphrasing and leads the discussion comparing this strategy to previously learned note-taking methods. Teacher B poses the final reflection question.

Taking Notes and Citing Sources

Activity

3:

An Introduction to Column Notes

By the end of the activity, students will be able to organize notes in a graphic organizer with spaces for main idea, details, quotes, and questions and reflections, and then synthesize the information into a brief summary.

20-30

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Whiteboard and display

RESOURCES

Implementation

Tell students that during today’s activity they will learn a new strategy for recording, organizing, summarizing, and synthesizing information for a research project. This strategy is called column notes. Explain that column notes help organize information into categories, making it easier to understand and remember key points.

Familiarize yourself with the Column Notes instructional strategy and the specific procedures outlined in the strategy

Display the introduction of the Planet article alongside a Column Notes graphic organizer. Tell students that they will be using the organizer to help them record and organize information from this source in a different way: instead of writing everything in one paragraph, they’ll separate their notes into columns for main ideas, details, quotes, and their own thoughts or questions. Then they will summarize the information from the source.

Begin the strategy by by reading aloud the first and second paragraphs of the article and modeling the process of filling out the organizer:

Citation: “Planet.” Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Jan. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/planet/276448. Accessed __________.

Main Idea: Planets are large natural bodies that orbit stars, like the Sun.

Details: Smaller comets, meteoroids, and asteroids, are not planets.

Quotes: (leave blank)

Questions, Connections, and Reactions: “What planets besides Earth orbit the Sun?” and/or “Why do planets orbit stars?”

Continue the modeling process by guiding students to help you fill out the organizer for the second paragraph of the article, prompting them with questions such as the following:

What main idea did you identify? Why is it important?

What question did this information raise for you?

Here are some sample fill-ins for the columns, based on the second paragraph:

Main Idea: The solar system includes eight planets.

Details: 1) Planets in order from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune; 2) Pluto used to be considered a planet, but that changed in 2006.

Quotes: “The Sun governs the planets’ orbital motions by gravitational attractions and provides the planets with light and heat.”

Questions, Connections, and Reactions: Why is Pluto no longer considered a planet? I heard that some scientists don’t agree with that.

Model filling out the “Summary” section of the graphic organizer, eliciting ideas from students and scribing a brief summary, such as the following:

Planets are big objects that orbit stars. The eight planets in our solar system orbit the Sun, and they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Pluto is not a planet, even though it used to be considered one.

Distribute Column Notes graphic organizer to each student, and have them work independently to fill out their organizers for chosen or assigned sections of the Planet article.

Have students share their notes with a partner or in small groups, engaging in a discussion about the main ideas, key details, and other elements of their organizers. Encourage peer review and feedback, focusing on whether the meaning was clear and accurately conveyed.

To wrap up the activity, discuss how this note-taking strategy helps us better summarize key information in a source. If your class is studying multiple note-taking strategies, compare this strategy to a previously learned strategy. For example, you might ask the following questions:

How is using column notes different from the annotation strategy we learned last week?

When might you choose to use column notes instead of annotations?

Differentiation and Variations

Starters and Prompts: Provide sentence starters, visual aids, and differentiated prompts to support students’ understanding and use of the Column Notes organizer. This scaffolding makes the process more accessible and ensures students can effectively engage with and benefit from the strategy.

Main Idea: The main point of this text is… / The author wants us to understand that…

Supporting Details: One important detail is… / The text says that…

Questions: I wonder why… / What does it mean when the author says…

Personal Connections: This reminds me of… / I experienced something similar when…

Reactions: I feel that… / This part surprised me because…

Summary: In summary, this text discusses… / Overall, the author explains that…

Cite Text Evidence: Encourage students to strengthen their responses by citing specific text evidence, and identifying page numbers and paragraph references. This teaches students how to provide concrete examples to back up their ideas, improving their comprehension and analytical skills, and ensuring they can accurately reference and discuss the text.

Collaborative Digital Column Notes: Utilize approved online collaborative tools to allow students to collaboratively fill in a digital Column Notes organizer, facilitating real-time feedback and interactive learning.

Collaborative Teaching

Introduction: Teacher A introduces the column notes strategy, while Teacher B displays the article and the graphic organizer. As Teacher A explains the parts of the graphic organizer, Teacher B observes and records student engagement and reactions.

Column Notes Demonstration: Teacher A models how to use the Column Notes graphic organizer with the first paragraph of the Planet article as Teacher B circulates among students, observing how they are following along. As Teacher A guides students through filling out the organizer for the second paragraph of the article, Teacher B continues observing, noting if any students seem confused and what are the most likely trouble spots.Teacher B might note, “Emma struggled to identify where to write the main idea” or “Alex quickly grasped the concept and began filling out his organizer independently.”

Independent Practice: As students work on and share their column notes, both teachers circulate among them: Teacher A provides direct support, such as helping a student identify a main idea in the text. Teacher B continues to observe, noting patterns like “Several students in the back row are having difficulty distinguishing between main ideas and details” or “The group near the window is engaging in productive peer discussion about the content.”

Wrap-Up Discussion: Teacher A leads the wrap-up discussion and poses the reflection questions. Teacher B observes student responses, noting things like “80% of students raised their hands to participate in the discussion” or “Students who struggled earlier were able to articulate at least one benefit of using column notes.”

Taking Notes and Citing Sources

Activity

4:

Visual Note-Taking

By the end of the activity, students will be able to create visual notes (sketchnotes) that effectively summarize key information from a text using a combination of words, symbols, and simple drawings.

20-30

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Colored writing utensils (enough for the class)

Paper (one per student)

Whiteboard and display

RESOURCES

Implementation

Tell students that during today’s activity they will learn how to use a visual note-taking strategy, called “sketchnoting,” which combines text and images, such as drawings, symbols, and diagrams, to capture the meaning of words and concepts. This method engages different parts of the brain, making the learning process more engaging and memorable.

Introduce the concept using a relatable text-messaging example:

Show the Text Message Display example, and discuss how text messages often use abbreviated language, emoticons, and emojis to quickly convey information—similar to how visual notes (sketchnotes) use words and images to capture ideas efficiently.

Ask students to turn and talk with a peer, sharing their thoughts about how a text message using emojis, emoticons, and abbreviations can effectively capture and express thoughts and ideas about a topic.

Emphasize that sketchnotes, like text messages, aim to convey information quickly and efficiently. Text abbreviations, emojis, and emoticons are similar to symbols and drawings in sketchnotes: they involve summarizing information concisely and visually. Highlight that this skill of condensing information is key to effective note-taking.

Familiarize yourself with the Visual Note-Taking instructional strategy, display the graphic organizer, and distribute a copy to each student. Explain that this organizer contains simple sketches and symbols that can be used to represent key ideas when creating visual notes. Point out that these are just examples: sketchnotes are personal and can vary greatly from person to person.

Beside the displayed graphic organizer, display the Solar System article. Explain that you are going to model the process of sketchnoting the key ideas in the “Introduction” section of the article.

Read aloud, or have a student read aloud, both paragraphs of the “Introduction.”

After reading, ask students to identify key ideas in the text. Model sketching these ideas on the displayed organizer. For instance, you may write the header “Solar System,” and draw a quick sketch of the Sun with a long, curved arrow to show its motion through space around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Along the arrow write “150 mps!” to show the Sun’s speed. Around the Sun, you may draw and label smaller circles to represent planets, including Earth and the much larger Jupiter. Next, you may draw and label moons, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.

Have students open the Solar System article on their tablets or computers, or distribute printed copies of the article or chosen sections of it. Ask students to practice taking visual notes for the next section of the article, “The Solar System in Space,” or another section of your choice. Alternatively, assign different paragraphs or sections of the article for students to practice sketchnoting. Circulate among students to offer guidance and support as they create their notes. Emphasize that there is no right or wrong way to take visual notes.

Invite students to share their visual notes with a partner or the class. Discuss different styles and techniques used, and highlight how various approaches can effectively capture and represent information. Encourage peer review and feedback, focusing on whether the meaning was clear and accurately conveyed.

Discuss as a class how this visual note-taking strategy helps summarize key information in a source. If your class is studying multiple note-taking strategies, compare this one to the ones that were previously learned.

Conclude the activity by reinforcing the value of sketchnotes as a versatile tool for learning and information retention. Encourage students to experiment with this method in their other classes and personal studies.

Differentiation and Variations

Guided Sketches: Provide templates with basic structures for beginners, offering visual aids, symbol guides, and the use of digital tools with accessibility features for support. These additions make it easier for all students to engage with and benefit from visual note-taking.

Cross-Curriculum Connections: Encourage students to create more detailed and complex visual notes, and challenge them to integrate visual note-taking with concepts learned across other content areas. Building cross-curriculum connections enhances critical thinking and retention.

Collaborative Visual Notes: Encourage students to work together in groups to create visual notes, combining their ideas and perspectives to capture key concepts and information. This collaborative approach fosters teamwork, enhances understanding through peer learning, and allows students to share different styles and techniques in visual note-taking.

Collaborative Teaching

Introduction: Teacher A introduces the sketchnoting strategy, and Teacher B introduces and leads the text-messaging example.

Sketchnote Demo: Teacher A displays and introduces the note-taking graphic organizer. Teacher B displays and reads aloud the introduction of the article. Teacher A elicits key ideas from students, while Teacher B models sketching the ideas in the displayed graphic organizer.

Independent Sketchnoting: Both teachers circulate among students as they work, offering guidance and support.

Sharing: Teacher A facilitates the sharing session, while Teacher B offers feedback along with the students, modeling appropriate language and positive reinforcement.

Wrap-Up Discussion: Teacher A leads the class discussion about the benefits of the visual note-taking strategy, comparing it to others. Teacher B concludes by reinforcing the value of sketchnotes, encouraging students to experiment with the strategy.

Try Britannica Studio for Free

In the News