8 Basic Note Taking Skills

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Note Taking Lecture 4
8 Basic Note Taking Skills
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1. Main Ideas and Supporting Facts

• Very important to take ORGANIZED notes

--arrange in simple outline format,
means that main topics main ideas should be on
left-hand side of page
supporting info. should be moved slightly to right
EXAMPLE
main ideas- start on left
Humorous comics-purpose is entertainment ex.
Hogans Alley (1895), set trend Peanuts-best ex.
today --simply drawn --not realistic
Political comics make political commentary
examples supporting details- moved to right
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2. Using Abbreviations and Symbols
Necessary to write quickly efficiently when
taking notes
Using abbreviations symbols will help you
write faster
We have many standard abbrev. (hour hr.), but
you can also make up your own
EXAMPLE Notes on left are unabbreviated while
notes on right have abbreviations
symbols.

• Advertising is a ninety billion dollar
• industry in the United States.

Advertising--90 bil. industry in U.S.

• found in newspapers, magazines,
• TV, radio

found in news., mags, TV, radio

• Testimonialsadvertisements
• that have people tell they use
• and like certain products

testimonialsads.people use like prods.
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3. Using Key Words and Phrases

• Key words from lecture help you to
• remember main themes ideas.

EXAMPLE Here are some key words phrases taken
from part of a lecture on Computer Crime.
computers becoming popular opportunities for
crime access private, secret information dangerous
movie War Games significant rewards
Reading these key words phrases should jog
your memory as to what this lecture was about!
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4. Numbering a Series of Steps
Most basic purpose of note taking isorganizing
ideas in lecture
If lecture involves steps or stages, you MUST
number steps clearly.
Best to start each new step on lefthand side of
pg.
EXAMPLE These notes from a lecture on Film
Making clearly number the necessary steps
How movies are made6 major steps 1st
stepfind a property types of
properties 1. original story
2. from novel, play, musical 2nd
stepprepare the script
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5. One you already know
The Cornell System
Refer to Lectures 2 and 3 for format and
examples.
Most popular and effective form of note
taking known to humanity
Represents the foundation for all the other
note taking skills
Time-consuming but well worth the effort!
Combine the Cornell System with the other note
taking skills and strategies for a
high-powered approach to note taking.
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• Using Sketches
• (Drawings)

Sometimes, sketches help you to understand
material in notes.
Sketches help us to VISUALIZE ideas.
--visual ideasvery powerful easy to remember
EXAMPLE Some sketches you might include in
notes from a lecture on the human body
sketch of pituitary gland
sketch of heart
sketch of lungs
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7. Making a Chart

• For some lectures, making
• a chart is the best way to
• understand the info.

• Charts are actually another way
• of visually representing and organizing
• ideas.

• There are many different kinds of charts you can
  create.
• Your format depends on the categories of info.
  that you
• are arranging and how they relate to one
  another.

EXAMPLE The Chore Chart that Every Kid Should
Have
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8. Using Numbers and Statistics
Numbers statistics are part of many academic
fields.
To hear numbers correctly, you have to practice
2 aspects
Be able to distinguish between stress markings on
spoken numbers.
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13--thirteen
30--thirty
EXAMPLE


19--nineteen
90--ninety
(continued)
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8. Using Numbers and Statistics (continued)
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Listen carefully for number group markers.
--Numbers are given in grps. of 3 digits.
So, for large numbers, you must listen
for markers of millions, thousands,
hundred/ten/ single units.
EXAMPLE 25,678Twenty-five thousand//six hundred
seventy-eight (units)//
4,064,150Four million//sixty-four thousand// one
hundred and fifty (units)
--Stress pause will usually help you identify
these grp. markers.