Overview
Taking sufficient notes accurately and completely is one of your most important tasks throughout any research project. Taking thorough notes will help to ensure that you have gathered enough material to support your feature news article and editorial or any research paper.
Qualities of good note taking:
- Identify the subtopic of each card in upper left hand corner.
- Read the material over carefully and completely before taking notes.
- Record precisely; check spelling, clarity, etc.
- Distinguish between fact and opinion.
- Follow conventional grammar and mechanics
- Write down everything you may need.
- Put only 1 note on each card.
- Identify the source of what appears on each card in the upper right hand corner and include the page number of the source.
Directions for setting up notecards:
- Make sure you have at least 15 blank lined notecards.
- Put your heading on the back of each card.
- In the top margin of 3 cards write "Background information."
- In the top margin of the next 3 cards write "Current status."
- In the top margin of the next 3 cards write "Future solutions."
- In the top margin of the next 3 cards write "How do people adapt to changes in their environment?"
- For your last 3 cards, choose 1 question from Essential Questions 1, 3, or 4 and copy that question in the top margin.
How to model note taking:
- Now locate the articulate "Beaches, Sand is Running Out" on SIRS.
- Access SIRS Knowledge Source.
- Select SIRS Knowledge Source from screen.
- Highlight "Keyword / natural language" button.
- Type in title of article (step 8.)
- Select article from list.
- Skim and scan article looking for information which connects to the headings on your notecards.
- Examine a sample notecard for article: Topic = Beach Erosion:
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1
Background information
Estimates are that more than 80% of U.S. beaches are eroding, some at rates as 5 feet per year.
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- Work with a partner to create a second card from this article to be approved by the teacher.
- Work independently to create a 3rd card to be approved by the teacher.
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