Lesson MINI

LESSON MINI

Note-Taking Essentials

Grade:

9-12

Topic:

Research

Unit:

Research Fundamentals

Overview

In this lesson mini, students learn and practice four distinct note-taking strategies: text annotation, paraphrasing, column notes, and visual note-taking (sketchnoting). Students develop a versatile toolkit of note-taking techniques by exploring these varied methods for capturing, organizing, and synthesizing information from informational texts. This prepares them for more advanced research tasks and enhances their ability to effectively process and retain information across different subjects.

Ideas for Implementation

Social Studies

English

Humanities

Writing labs

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Key Vocabulary & Definitions

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

graphic organizer (noun): a visual tool or diagram used to organize and present information or ideas

keyword (noun): a significant word or phrase used to search for information, either online or in other contexts

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

plagiarize (verb): to take someone else’s work or ideas and pass it off as one’s own

summarize (verb): to briefly state the main points of a longer text or piece of information

Authentic Learning Extensions

Authentic learning opportunities for practicing note-taking involve real-world experiences and practical applications that help students understand note-taking 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.

Digital Note-Taking Workshop: Invite a technology specialist to demonstrate digital note-taking tools and apps, allowing students to practice these skills on their devices.

Interview Sessions: Pair up students 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 it is harder to keep up with spoken information (i.e., listening) than written information (i.e., 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.

Note Exchange and Review: Have students exchange notes from a shared class and provide feedback on each other’s techniques and effectiveness.

Choose Activity

LESSON MINI

Note-Taking Essentials

Activity

1:

Annotating Texts

By the end of the activity, students will be able to effectively annotate an informational text, identify key concepts, and use their annotations to summarize main ideas.

20-30

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Whiteboard and display

Writing utensils

Resources

Implementation

Prepare for the Activity:

Tell students that today they will learn to record, organize, summarize, and synthesize information by annotating or adding notes or explanations to text.

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

Distribute a copy of the Annotating Text Codes graphic organizer contained within the Annotating Text instructional strategy to each student. Briefly review these codes with the class to ensure understanding.

Follow the specific procedures outlined for the Annotating Text instructional strategy, beginning by modeling the annotation process for the “Introduction” section and the first paragraph of the “The Role of Bioluminescence in Behavior” section as you read them aloud, using a think-aloud strategy. Here are some examples of what you might say:

Introduction

After reading sentence 1: I’m going to circle “Bioluminescence” because it is a keyword. I’m also going to underline the definition “emission of light by an organism or by a laboratory biochemical system derived from an organism.”

After reading sentence 2: I’m going to write “EX” next to each of these examples of bioluminescence. I’m also going to write “?” beside the word “protozoans” because I don’t know what that word means and I want to look it up.

After reading sentence 3: Wow! I didn’t realize that bioluminescence occurs in so many living things. I also didn’t know that there are no known species of bioluminescent true plants or amphibians. I’m going to put a smiley face next to this sentence.

The Role of Bioluminescence in Behavior

After reading sentence 1: I’m going to write “!*” next to this sentence because it describes the “why” behind bioluminescence, which feels important.

After reading sentence 2: This sentence gives two key examples of animals that use bioluminescence for survival: squids and deep-sea fishes. I’m going to write “EX” next to both.

Follow steps 4–6 outlined in the Annotating Text instructional strategy.

Invite students to join in with the whole class think-aloud for the rest of the “The Role of Bioluminescence in Behavior” section.

Have students 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.

Pair students and instruct each pair to use their annotations to write a brief summary of the text.

To wrap up the activity, discuss the benefits of annotating text:

How is annotating text different from simply highlighting text?

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 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 interactive digital tools to 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.

Guided Practice: The lead teacher guides students through annotating a section of text together. The observing teacher notes individual student participation and understanding, identifying those who may need additional support.

Group and Independent Work: The observing teacher pays particular attention to students previously identified as needing extra help, while the lead teacher provides general guidance and answers questions.

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

Note-Taking Essentials

Activity

2:

Paraphrasing Text

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

30-40

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Highlighters

Whiteboard and display

Writing utensils

Resources

Implementation

Prepare for the Activity: Write the following sentences on the whiteboard:

Bananas contain a small amount of radioactive potassium, exposing eaters to approximately 0.01 milligrams per banana. However, bananas pose no health risks when consumed in normal quantities.

Tell students that today they will review how to paraphrase to record, organize, summarize, and synthesize information for a research project.

Begin by asking students to write down their own definitions of paraphrasing and plagiarism. Then invite students to turn and talk to share their thoughts on what these terms mean in their own words. Summarize the discussion by explaining that effective paraphrasing can help students avoid plagiarism. Display and discuss the following definitions:

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

plagiarize (verb): to take someone else’s work or ideas and pass it off as one’s own

Direct students’ attention to the sentences on the whiteboard, and invite them to paraphrase the information or rewrite it in their own words. When students have finished, call on a few volunteers to share what they wrote. For example, a student might write, “Bananas contain trace amounts of radioactive potassium but are generally safe to eat.” Point out how different students paraphrased differently and where students’ work verges on plagiarism.

Display the Cesar Chavez article on the whiteboard or distribute printed copies to students. Display a Paraphrasing graphic organizer alongside the article. Explain that you’ll demonstrate how to paraphrase the first paragraph of the article by identifying key details, rephrasing them in your own words, and checking accuracy. (See the Paraphrasing instructional strategy for more guidance.)

Read the first paragraph of the article aloud, pausing to highlight or underline key points. For example, you might highlight the following: “born March 31, 1927, Yuma, Arizona, U.S.—died April 23, 1993, San Luis, Arizona,” “organizer of migrant American farmworkers,” and “a cofounder with Dolores Huerta of the National Farm Workers Association.” Explain to students that these are key details about Cesar Chavez’s life and legacy.

Copy the text you highlighted onto the “Original Text or Quote” side of the graphic organizer, or reveal it in a prefilled graphic organizer.

Model rephrasing the information in your own words in the “Paraphrase” column of the graphic organizer. The paraphrased text may look like the following: Cesar Chavez (1927–1993) was an influential 20th-century labor organizer. He focused his efforts on American farmworkers, and, together with Dolores Huerta, he founded the National Farmworkers Association.

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 article’s original text. Tell students that they can always return to their paraphrased text to refine or add information once they have read more of the article.

Divide the class into pairs or small groups, depending on class size and preferences. If students don’t already have a printed copy of the Cesar Chavez article, distribute one copy to each pair. Invite 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.

Circulate among the pairs or groups as they work, offering feedback and guidance as needed.

After 10 to 15 minutes, have students form new groups of four by combining two pairs or mixing up the original groups. Invite each pair or group to share their paraphrases with the others in their new group. Encourage students to share feedback, focusing on whether the paraphrased text is clear and accurate. Consider inviting students to participate in a Gallery Walk instructional strategy in which groups post their organizers and others leave feedback on sticky notes.

Lead a brief discussion about the benefits of paraphrasing, asking students the following questions:

How can paraphrasing help you write a paper?

How can paraphrasing help you better understand a text?

How can paraphrasing help you avoid plagiarism?

How can paraphrasing help you make text more readable?

How is paraphrasing similar to [another note-taking strategy]? How is it different?

Conclude the activity by summarizing key points about effective paraphrasing and its importance in academic writing. Consider assigning a brief written response in which students write one thing they learned about paraphrasing and one question they still have.

Differentiation and Variations

Paraphrasing Scaffolds: Consider providing sentence starters, visual aids, or sentence stems to help students get started paraphrasing and better organize their work. These supports help students by providing clear steps, visual aids, and prompts to break down the task and build confidence.

Leveled Text: Consider inviting students to paraphrase texts of varying difficulty on the same topic. Students then compare their paraphrases and analyze how the texts’ complexity affects their wording and explanation. This variation can increase rigor and critical thinking by expanding students’ vocabulary and critical thinking skills.

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.

Activity Introduction: Teacher A introduces the Paraphrasing instructional strategy and how it can help students avoid plagiarism. Teacher B asks students to write down their own definitions of paraphrasing and plagiarism. Teacher A facilitates a turn-and-talk activity where students share their definitions. Teacher B then displays and discusses the formal definitions of paraphrasing and plagiarism, emphasizing their importance in academic writing.

Initial Practice: Teacher A directs students’ attention to the banana radiation sentences on the board and provides students with paper or a digital document to write on. Teacher B invites students to paraphrase the sentences. Teacher A facilitates the sharing of student responses, highlighting effective paraphrases and addressing potential plagiarism issues.

Modeling: Teacher B reads and highlights key information in the first paragraph of the Cesar Chavez article, while Teacher A transfers or reveals the information on the displayed graphic organizer. Teacher B paraphrases the recorded ideas on the graphic organizer, and Teacher A leads the class to check it for accuracy.

Pair/Group Work: Teacher B distributes materials to students, including the Cesar Chavez article for each pair, and Teacher A reminds students of the paraphrasing steps. As students work on their graphic organizers, both teachers provide support as needed.

Group Activity: Teacher B forms new groups by combining pairs or mixing up the original groups. Teacher A gives groups directions for sharing and reviewing each other’s paraphrases. Both teachers facilitate a gallery walk in which groups post their organizers and leave feedback on sticky notes.

Sharing and Wrap-Up: Teacher A asks the discussion questions about the benefits of paraphrasing. Teacher B offers context, example answers, and support to facilitate discussion. Together, both teachers summarize key points about effective paraphrasing and its importance in academic writing. Teacher A assigns a brief written response in which students write one thing they learned about paraphrasing and one question they still have.

Note-Taking Essentials

Activity

3:

Column Notes

By the end of the activity, students will be able to compose and organize notes about an informational text, including main ideas, details, and quotes from the text; questions and reflections they have after reading it; and a comprehensive summary of what they read.

30-40

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

Whiteboard and display

Writing utensils

Resources

Implementation

Tell students that today they will learn and practice an instructional strategy for recording, organizing, summarizing, and synthesizing information from an informational text. The Column Notes instructional strategy can help them organize information into categories, making it easier to understand and remember key points.

Display the “Introduction” section of the K-Pop 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.

Follow the specific procedures outlined in the instructional strategy, starting by reading aloud the first paragraph of the article and modeling the process of filling out the organizer:

Citation: “K-pop.” Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 1 Jul. 2024. library.eb.com/levels/high/article/K-pop/642825. Accessed ___.

Main Idea: “K-pop” is a colloquial term for a musically eclectic and internationally popular style of music from South Korea that has, in recent years, grown into its own industry.

Details: (1) K-pop songs can include elements of reggae, hip-hop, and salsa. (2) Entertainment companies select and train future K-pop stars.

Quotes: “K-pop is typically used to describe ‘idol music’ made by artists trained by entertainment companies to become pop music stars.”

Questions, Connections, and Reactions: What other styles and genres of music appear in K-pop songs? I didn’t realize K-pop stars were chosen and trained by entertainment companies.

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 questions did this information raise for you?

What details support the main idea?

Can you find a relevant quote from this paragraph?

Distribute a Column Notes graphic organizer to each student, and have them work independently to fill out their organizers for chosen or assigned sections of the K-Pop 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. Consider providing specific prompts or questions to guide their discussion.

To wrap up the activity, discuss how this note-taking instructional strategy helps us better summarize key information in a source. If your class is studying multiple note-taking strategies, compare this instructional strategy to a previously learned instructional 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?

What are the strengths and potential limitations of column notes?

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: Use online 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 K-Pop 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 K-Pop 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, writing down whether 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 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.” Teacher B also monitors the time and signals Teacher A when the allocated time is nearly up.

Peer Sharing and Discussion: During the peer sharing phase, Teacher A facilitates the process, ensuring students are on task. Teacher B observes the interactions, noting the quality of discussions and whether students are able to provide constructive feedback to their peers.

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.”

Summary Writing: As students write their brief summaries of the K-Pop article, Teacher A circulates to provide support, while Teacher B observes how effectively students are using their column notes to synthesize information.

Note-Taking Essentials

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

Devices (e.g., Chromebook, tablet) (one per student)

Paper (one sheet per student)

Whiteboard and display

Resources

Implementation

Prepare for the Activity:

Tell students that today they will learn about the Visual Note-Taking instructional strategy, also called sketchnoting, which combines text and images, such as drawings, symbols, and diagrams, to capture the meaning of words and concepts. This method engages a few different parts of the brain, making the learning process more engaging and memorable.

Introduce the concept using text messages:

Display the Text Message resource, and give students a few minutes to read the exchange silently.

Ask students to turn to a partner and interpret the message. Ask a volunteer to share their interpretation with the class. Note how much meaning can be expressed with images.

Emphasize that, like text messages, sketchnotes use symbols and drawings to summarize information. Summarizing information is an important note-taking skill.

Introduce sketchnoting tools and techniques. Display the Visual Note-Taking 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.

Model the sketchnoting process. Beside the displayed graphic organizer, display the New Deal article. Explain that you are going to model the process of sketchnoting the key ideas in the “Introduction” section of the article. Read the section aloud, or have a student read it aloud. After reading, ask students to identify key ideas in the text. Model sketching these ideas on the displayed organizer. For instance, you may do the following:

Write the header “New Deal.”

Underneath, draw an American flag and write “FDR” and the dates 1933–1939.

Farther down the page, draw a government building with arrows pointing to the right. Along each arrow, draw a dollar sign.

On the pointed side of the arrows, draw symbols of industries the New Deal targeted, like a briefcase (industry and labor), corn (agriculture), more money signs (finance), a water droplet and lightning bolt (waterpower), and a house (housing).

Above these symbols, draw arrows pointing up to a group of stick people, representing the “forgotten man” that the New Deal aimed to help.

Have students practice sketchnoting. Have students open the New Deal article on their devices 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 Hundred Days,” or another section. Alternatively, assign different paragraphs or sections of the article to different students or groups. 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.

Facilitate a peer review and discussion by inviting 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 the Visual Note-Taking instructional 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 learned previously.

To wrap up the activity, discuss the benefits of using images and shorthand in note-taking with the questions below:

Do you prefer to take notes with words, pictures, or both? Explain.

What are some benefits to taking notes with just pictures? What are some drawbacks?

What note-taking strategies and tips do you have?

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 Visual Note-Taking instructional strategy, and Teacher B introduces and leads the text message activity.

Sketchnote Demo: Teacher A displays and introduces the Visual Note-Taking graphic organizer. Teacher B displays and reads aloud the introduction of the New Deal 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 instructional strategy, comparing it to others. Teacher B concludes by reinforcing the value of sketchnotes, encouraging students to experiment with the instructional strategy.

Note-Taking Essentials

Activity

5:

Minutes

Materials and Resources

Materials

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Resources

Implementation

Prepare for the Activity:

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Differentiation and Variations

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Collaborative Teaching

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