The Notetaking Strategy

Comprehension

Note Taking

Mayo High School

1420 SE 11th Ave.

Rochester, MN 55904

These materials may be duplicated for non-profit, educational use.

Improving Comprehension

R = Read the paragraph/

Listen to the lecture.

A = Ask questions as you read.

•What's it about?

(Topic/Table of Contents)

•What is the author/lecturer saying about the topic? (MI/FIRES)

P =Put it in your own words using SKRAWL2.

T = Test yourself

MAIN IDEA + ELABORATION = TEXT

F = Facts

I = Incidents

R = Reasons

E – Examples/Evidence

S = Statistics

When you ask the 5 Ws + H questions, your answers are FIRES.

Look for redundancy in the details. All the details should support the main idea.

The Notetaking Strategy

Subordinate ideas

Keep key words only

Record important info

A bbreviate when possible

Write legibly

L2Leave white space

Label your notes

ELABORATION

Main Idea + ELABORATION = Text

Look for redundancy in the details.

All of the details should support the main idea. Ask the 5W + H questions to find the FIRES.

Step 1: Subordinate Ideas

Use RAPT Notes sheet when beginning

Main Ideas:left side = Topic

"What's it about?"

FIRES:right side = Details

"What is the author saying about the topic?"

Subordinate Ideas Practice

Put the following ideas into order of their hierarchy. The smaller an idea is, the further to the right it goes.

3 types of foodleavesprotein

vegetationnutsfish

blueberriesraspberriesomnivore

small animalsfruits

Topic MI/FIRES

Grizzly Bear

 A.

Step 2: Keep Key Words Only

Identify Main Idea using RAP

Look in first sentence

Look for repeated words

Look in the last sentence

Put the ideas in your own words.

Do NOT write sentences

Do NOT write paragraphs

Keep Key Words

Read this sentence:

One of the largest species of bears is the grizzly, and it can be found in the Western United States.

1.What is this sentence about?

It is about bears

2.What is the author saying about the topic?

The key FIRES to remember are grizzly, large species, and WesternUnitedStates.

Grizzly is the category of bears, so it is more important than the details of "large species" and "Western United States."

Sample Notes:

Topic MI/FIRES

Bears Grizzly

1. lge species

2. Western US

Keep Key Word Practice

Read this paragraph:

If you feed your pet bird only birdseed and water, that is like feeding only bread and water to a person. In the wild, birds eat a diet that is full of variety such as blossoms, fruits, insects, and nuts. You need to make sure that your pet bird gets variety in its diet, including starches, fruits and vegetables, and protein.

Sample Notes:

Topic MI/ FIRES

Step 3: Record Important Information

first sentences of paragraphs
ideas repeated
ideas introduced with cue words

5 Cause

3 Steps in the process

ideas from board and OH

Step 4: Abbreviate

first few letters (info, ave)

drop vowels (blvd, mgmt)
acronyms (NATO, RAPT, FIRES) or mnemonics (SCUBA)

symbols (w/o, &, @, b/c)

Abbreviation Practice

New York City

two billion, seven hundred sixty-eight million dollars

company

Federal Bureau of Investigation

George Washington

water

University of Minnesota

atmosphere

management

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

aluminum

per cent

health

Lakes Michigan, Huron, Superior, Erie, Ontario

reading teacher

government
Step 5: Write legibly

Others MUST be able to read it!

Separate MI and Details

Step 61: Leave white space

Brain chunks information

Up to 7 chunks at once

White space creates chunks

Add more notes later

Teacher lectures

Notes from book

New ideas

Notes to yourself (“on test”)

Step 62: Label your notes

Your name
Date of notes
Page number of notes
Teacher’s name
Course name
Topic
Chapter & Pages

Comprehension and Note Taking1.© These materials may be duplicated for nonprofit, educational use.

SKRAWL2

Subordinate ideas.

Move to the right to show less important ideas.
Move to the left to show more important ideas.

Key words only

Not sentences
Not ¶’s

Record important information

86% of time Main Idea is in 1st sentence.
Listen for repetition and cue words.
Copy everything from the board or OH.

Abbreviate

Drop vowels (tchr, rdg, dvpt)
Use 1st few letters (gov, info, gen’l)
Create an acronym or mnemonic (NATO, UN, RAPT, SCUBA)
Use a symbol (  # ¶ b/c )

Write legibly.

Leave white space.

Label your notes.

KU RAPT Notes SheetName:

Subject: DATE: Page:

R = Read the paragraph/Listen to the lecture.

A = Ask questions.

•What's it about? (Topic/Table of Contents)

•What is the author/lecturer saying about the topic? (MI/FIRES)

P =Put it in your own words using SKRAWL2.

T = Test yourself

TOPIC/Table of Contents
(What's it about?) / MI/FIRES (Facts, Incidents, Reasons, Examples/Evidence, Statistics)
(What is the author/lecturer saying about the topic?)
Taking Notes
SKRAWL2
S
K
R
A
1. / WHY?
•focus, helps you concentrate
•study for test
Char of gd notes
Subordinate Ideas
•Main idea to left
-- subpoints to right
-- equal ideas under
•FIRES more to right
•New main idea back to left
Keep Key Words/Ideas
•not sentences
•not ¶'s
Record Imp. Info.
•Main Ideas
•Key Details
--Repeated
--On board
--Cue words ( ex. 3 causes)
•FIRES
Abbreviate
1st few letters
•Ave.
•info
•gov
TOPIC/Table of Contents
(What's it about?) / MI/FIRES (Facts, Incidents, Reasons, Examples/Evidence, Statistics)
(What is the author/lecturer saying about the topic?)
Abbrev, Cont.
2.
3.
4.
W
L2
SKRAWL2 / Drop vowels
•rdr
•mgmt
•tchg
Acronyms/mnemonics
•HOMES
•RAPT
•NATO
•SKRAWL2
•PIRATES
Symbols
w/o ¶ = ≠ ± √ % & # bc
w/ b4 ≤ ≥ @
Write Legibly
•readable for you & others
•organized
Leave white space
•chunk ideas (5 ± 2 = 7 max)
•add info later
-- add'l lect.
-- from book
-- "on test"
-- missed info.
Label your notes

Class/date/topic
Chapter/pages

note taking mnemonic
TOPIC/Table of Contents
(What's it about?) / MI/FIRES (Facts, Incidents, Reasons, Examples/Evidence, Statistics)
(What is the author/lecturer saying about the topic?)
Write V. SKRAWL2
After taking notes
Review
Test Yrslf / Write Aspect SKRAWL2
 sentences
 paragraphs
 grammar
 punctuation
 spelling?
 MI 
 FIRES
subord. 
key wds.
rec. imp idea
abbr 
write legibly
 leave space/label
Time-Spaced review
•curve of forgetting
•study to learn
•rev minimum 1 X wkly
How?
•cover right side of notes
•turn left into Q's
•answer Q
•uncover notes
-- mark know/don't know
•study don't know

SKRAWL Note Taking Scoring Rubric

Name: Semester:Hour:

GRADING CRITERIA  / Date: / Date: / Date: / Date: / Date
Grading Scale:
3 = Excellent/Thorough
2 = Adequate/Org/Complete
1 = Needs Improvement
0 - No Credit / Subject:
# Pages / Subject:
# Pages / Subject:
# Pages / Subject:
# Pages / Subject:
# Pages
Labeled:
•Teacher/Course/Chapter
•Date
•Page #
Format (Identify 1)
•2 column
•HUG
•Map/Graphic Organizer
SKRAWL2
•Subordinated/Indented
•Keep Key Words-
Not Sent/Not ¶
•Recorded Imp MI/Fires
•Abbreviations
•Write legibly
•Leave white space

Label your notes

Total / /21 / /21 / /21 / /21 / /21
Teacher Comments  / Student Goal 
1
2
3
4
5

RAPT Notes SheetName:

Subject: DATE: Page:

R = Read the paragraph/Listen to the lecture.

A = Ask questions.

•What's it about? (Topic/Table of Contents)

•What is the author/lecturer saying about the topic? (MI/FIRES)

P =Put it in your own words using SKRAWL2

T = Test yourself

TOPIC/Table of Contents
(What's it about?) / MI/FIRES (Facts, Incidents, Reasons, Examples/Evidence, Statistics)
(What is the author/lecturer saying about the topic?)

Subject: Date: Page:

TOPIC/Table of Contents
(What's it about?) / MI/FIRES (Facts, Incidents, Reasons, Examples/Evidence, Statistics)
(What is the author/lecturer saying about the topic?)

How to Abbreviate

1.USE A SYMBOL SYSTEM

#number

%per cent

and

up or see above or increase

down or see below or decrease

less than

greater than

•bullet for sub point

not equal to

=equal to or same as

c/ecause/effect

b/cbecause

2.USE THE FIRST FEW LETTERS.

-- chem-- gov't

-- fed-- Tues

-- bio-- admin

-- b. rep-- Feb

3..ELIMINATE THE VOWELS.

-- tchr-- stdnt

-- rdg-- amndmnt

-- schl-- ntbk

4.USE ACRONYMS/MNEMONICS or Capital Letters

-- NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

-- UN (United Nations)

-- FIRES (Facts, Incidents, Reasons, Examples, Evidence, Statistics)

-- F - Sigmund Freud

-- PB (Post Bulletin)

LEAVE OUT UNIMPORTANT WORDS

not sentences

not paragraphs

key ideas

repeated
on board/ OH
w/number words (4 causes; 2 reasons; 6 steps)

EXAMPLE

Here is a bit of a lecture:

All compounds contain elements in certain definite proportions and in no other combinations, regardless of the conditions under which they were produced.

Here are possible notes:

Compounds = elements in proportion

= no other combo

= w/o regard for conditions

These materials on comprehension and note taking may be reproduced for nonprofit, educational use

What your pet bird wishes you knew

Julie Glass

Good Housekeeping

Americans own 31 million pet birds, and the number is on the rise. Yet veterinarians report that many would live longer, healthier lives if owners knew more. Unfortunately, pet stores do a poor job of educating people, says Irwin Ruderman, D.V.M., director of New York City’s Animal Clinic of Staten Island and an active member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV). Despite recent veterinary advances, too many birds die prematurely because owners don’t know the basics of care.

DIET

Many pet birds actually die of complications resulting from malnutrition, says Dr. Ruderman. A diet of seed and water – what most caged birds get – is like bread and water to a person. Wild birds thrive on an enormous variety of foods – seeds, blossoms, fruits, insects – and your bird needs the same variety. Unlike dogs and cats, birds should have table food.

“Only half the diet should be starches,” Dr. Ruderman says, “and that includes seed, but you can give birds pasta, potatoes, beans, peas, and corn. Twenty-five percent or more should be fruits – raisins, apples, pears, melon, you name it – and vegetables, cooked or raw. Go for the darkest and brightest: kale, beets, red peppers, squash.” For hookbill birds – parakeets, cockatiels, parrots, and lovebirds – the rest should be protein” meat, poultry, fish, eggs (all cooked), cheese, and yogurt.

A few cautions

Birds are susceptible to salt poisoning, so be sure all people snacks (pretzels, chips, peanuts) are unsalted or low-sodium. Never feed a bird from your mouth, since some of the benign germs we carry can wreak havoc on a bird’s system. Resist the temptation to overdo junk food or sweets – especially since birds that don’t get a lot of exercise can put on unhealthy excess weight. And don’t buy the boxes of grit you see sold in pet shops. In the wild, small stones ingested with food act like teeth in a bird’s digestive tract; this is important since they must gather food, swallow it quickly, and fly off to avoid predators. But pet birds have the leisure to munch, and studies show that grit offers no benefits. What’s worse, some birds gorge on it and go on to develop blockages that can be fatal.

SOCIAL LIFE

Mental stimulation is crucial to a bird’s psychological health. Birds do best when kept in the liveliest room of the house, close to the action. “In the wild, they do everything together and they’re always busy – foraging for food, building nests, raising their young, grooming each other, showing off for the opposite sex,” says Dr. Ruderman.

Consider buying several birds so they have one another for company. But if you buy a single bird, plan to make it a member of the family. Parakeets, canaries, and finches do particularly well in groups; large birds, which may become very loud with other birds around, do best as one-on-one companions to people. And do learn to handle your birds; should they require medical treatment, they’ll suffer less trauma if they’re comfortable being held.

HABITAT

“No matter how small the bird, choose the largest cage you can, the most important dimension of which should be length,” says Dr. Ruderman. “People are charmed by tall pagoda cages, but birds need space to fly across.” While cages with vertical bars are fine for canaries and finches, hookbills – who enjoy climbing – should live in cages with horizontal bars.

Provide perches of varying thicknesses since birds need to exercise their flexible feet – but forget the sandpaper perch covers that stores sell. “A monstrosity,” says Dr. Ruderman. “How would you like to walk barefoot on gravel your whole life? And the covers rarely do what they claim – to keep a bird’s toenails filed.” Your vet can show you how to clip and file your bird’s nails and beak (which may become overgrown) or, for a small fee, can do it for you. Be sure also to provide wooden ladders and chew toys; birds need and love to gnaw.

Birds like an occasional bath too. Offer a bowl of clean water, or take your bird into the shower with you. Most birds love water – many will sing and whistle as they bathe.

HEALTH CARE

When you get a new bird, take it to a vet within a few days. “Preventive care is very important because birds are defensive animals. A sick bird hides symptoms for as long as possible; in the wild, any sign of illness attracts predators, so the flock will drive a sick member away,” Dr. Ruderman says. “So schedule yearly checkups, to test for problems while they’re still treatable.”

Choose a vet who’s a member of the AAV – the main source of continuing education in the field. You might even ask if he or she keeps birds at home; firsthand experience is a definite plus.

It may sound as if birds are finicky, high-maintenance creatures, but in fact most are hardy and adaptable, once you understand their needs. And the rewards of their intelligent, affectionate, and entertaining companionship are well worth the attention to detail.

848 Words; 7.9 G.E. Flesch-Kincaid

This article appeared in the June 1995 issue of Good Housekeeping on page 161

These materials on comprehension and note taking may be reproduced for nonprofit, educational use

Topical Paragraph Note Taking Grid

Title:

Name: Date: Hour:

Comprehension and Note Taking1.

HUG: Marking Your Text

H = Highlight main ideas

•maximum 20% of text

1st line is MI most of time

•8 lines on avg. pg..

•key concepts only

•worth re-reading

U = Underline details

•key words

•steps in a process

•definitions

•names/dates

G = Get it in your own words

•summarize text in margin

•write notes to yourself

•number steps

•create charts of complex inf.

•i. d. location of ideas

--def.

--ex.

--name/date

• imp. idea

NOVEL NOTES

Name: Date: Hour:

TITLE:

Chapter: Pages:

Setting Changes:

Main Character(s): Add or clarify from discussion:

Main Event(s):

Chapter: Pages:

Setting Changes:

Add or clarify from discussion:

Main Character(s):

Main Event(s):

BIOGRAPHY MAP

Name: Date: Hour:

Plotline

Name: Date: Hour:

Story Title: Author:

Climax/Resolution

Introduction

Characters: New Vocabulary:

(Main)

(Minor)

Setting:

Time:

Place:

Social Studies Notes Graphic Organizer

Name: Date: Hour:

Chapter: Pages:

Take notes on the chapter you were assigned to read. In your own words, write information that answers the questions WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHAT, and WHY. Finally, summarize the chapter in a sentence or two.

WHO? Important People: / WHERE? Important Places: / WHEN? Important Dates:
WHAT? List the most important events of this chapter:
WHY? Give reasons (yours or the authors) to explain why events happened.
SUMMARY: Write one or two sentences that summarize the main idea of the entire chapter.

Comprehension and Note Taking1.

Four Kinds of Cause/Effect

1.Single Cause/ Multiple Effect

Effect

EffectEffect

Effect

2. Multiple Causes/Single Effect

Cause

CauseCause

Cause

Four Kinds of Cause/Effect

3.Chain Link Cause/Effect

Cause

Effect/Cause

4.Multiple Causes/Multiple Effects

Usually it takes several causes before you begin to see any effects in this random pattern.

Sequence Chart

Title: Author:

Name: Date: Hour:

Comprehension and Note Taking1.

Topical Paragraph Note Taking Grid

Title:

Name: Date: Hour:

Comprehension and Note Taking1.