Think...
Before taking notes when reading, viewing or listening, make sure that you've established
YOUR PURPOSE for note taking. What are your information needs? Why am I using this source?
Consider the AUTHOR'S PURPOSE for creating the material you are taking notes about!
Consider how the author ORGANIZES his ideas?
Is the resource a PRIMARY SOURCE (original documents and objects which were created at the time under study), or a SECONDARY SOURCE (accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience), or a TERTIARY SOURCE such as an encyclopedia article which summarizes secondary accounts. How might the source type affect the author's tone, claim, evidence and reasoning?
Does the author include additional RESOURCES such as maps, graphs, or tables? Do these support your information needs? Does the author provide links or CITATIONS to their sources? Are they more worthy of your analysis?
While taking notes consider: What...
YOUR PURPOSE for note taking. What are your information needs? Why am I using this source?
- Am I looking for general background information or specific details?
- Am I looking for an opinion or just the facts?
- Do I need to read the whole text or only the parts that fulfill my information needs?
- Am I looking for information which supports or counters my argument?
- Am I looking for information which: addresses, shows, proves, asserts, presents, displays, claims, demonstrates, or defines?
Consider the AUTHOR'S PURPOSE for creating the material you are taking notes about!
- What is the author trying to explain?
- Why does the author think these points are important?
- How has the author decided to construct his argument?
- How does the author’s ideas and arguments affect your response to the topic or issue?
- How effective is the author’s argument?
Consider how the author ORGANIZES his ideas?
- Compare & Contrast;
- Narrative/Story Pattern (Setting Character, Initial Event, Internal Response, Goal, Consequence, Resolution);
- Cause & Effect;
- Sequence of Events;
- Main ideas and sub ideas;
- Problem...Solution;
- Conversational Pattern;
- Argumentative Pattern (Identify ARE: Assertion, Reason and Evidence and possible counter claims)
Is the resource a PRIMARY SOURCE (original documents and objects which were created at the time under study), or a SECONDARY SOURCE (accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience), or a TERTIARY SOURCE such as an encyclopedia article which summarizes secondary accounts. How might the source type affect the author's tone, claim, evidence and reasoning?
Does the author include additional RESOURCES such as maps, graphs, or tables? Do these support your information needs? Does the author provide links or CITATIONS to their sources? Are they more worthy of your analysis?
While taking notes consider: What...
- does the data say?
- ideas relate best to my work?
- new questions arise?
- don't I understand?
- background information is missing?
- should I rethink as a result of what I've just reviewed?
- comprehension gaps remain?
- is my next step?
Fontichiaro, Kristen, "Nudging Toward Inquiry: Extracting Relevant Information and Note Taking" School Library Monthly/Volume XXVII, Number 4/January 2011. http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/curriculum/Fontichiaro2011-v27n4p12.htm
Close Reading Strategies
From AP Central
Umphrey, Michael. The Teacher Lore Blog. www.montanaheritageproject.org
Analyze Through Lens(es)
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Reading Nonfiction Questioning Stances
What surprised me? What did the author think I already knew? What challenged, changed or confirmed what I already Knew? Beers, Kylene and Robert E. Probst. Disruptive Thinking: Why How We Read Matters. Scholastic, 2017. 
From Harvard's Project Zero
Historical Thinking Chart from Stanford History Education Group.
Sourcing, Contextualization, Corroboration and Close Reading | ||
Note Taking Tools
Noodletools in integrated with Google Apps. Access via the Waffle Icon from your Drive.
Click to set custom HTML
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via Sue Engle, Horace Mann Middle School
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Using Google Keep for Note taking
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Intuitively annotate, add comments and organize. Mrs. Schiano's favorite tool for research. Collaboration available through subscription.
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Primary Source Analysis Tools
Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing Explanation
Strategies
Cornell: Two Column Notes
Template
ABCLOU
A: Abbreviations
B: Bullets
C: Caveman Language (keywords/ideas only)
L: Lists
O: One word for several
U: Use your own words
B: Bullets
C: Caveman Language (keywords/ideas only)
L: Lists
O: One word for several
U: Use your own words
Symbol Annotations
Create symbols for various information found in the text. These may include symbols for:
- I agree with or this confirms what I think
- I disagree or this is in opposition to what I think
- Seems important
- I have a question about this
- This reminds me of...
Rule Based Summarizing Strategy (TaRGeTS)
developed by Brown, Campione, and Day (1981)
- Delete/cross out words that are TRIVIAL (not important to meaning)
- Delete/cross out words that are REDUNDANT (repeat information).
- GENERALIZE-Replace specific words and lists with general terms & description of list.
- Find or Create a TOPIC SENTENCE (includes subject and author's claim about subject).
3 Box Note Taking
- Box 1: Record what it says (direct quote)
- Box 2: Record what it means (paraphrase or summarize)
- Box 3: Record why it's important to me and my purpose