4.+Note+Taking

= Note Taking Now that you can identify plagiarism, how can you take good notes, and document your sources, in order to avoid it? =

There are many methods for taking notes. Some people like making lists on paper, others like Cornell Notes, and others prefer to use the traditional note card method. Whichever style of notes you prefer, the end goal is the same: include all necessary information, pare the information down to only the most important, and document your sources for citation purposes.

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Today, we're going to practice a strategy for gathering and revisiting information so that we can apply it to any note taking style.

Directions: 1. You have been given three items for note taking, an index card, a 3x3" Post-it and a 1x2" Post-it. We will be using the items in that order. You will also need a pencil and a highlighter. (This may be replaced with a paper containing tree successively smaller boxes and some follow up questions.) 2. Open your assigned file below. Read it once **__without__** taking any notes. Simply read it for understanding.

3. Read the article a second time taking notes on your index card. Your goal is to fill the card with notes. Be aware of the size of your writing. Remember, you want to make sure you get all the important information that you might need. (RECORD) 4. This time, read your notes with your highlighter in hand. Highlight the most important information as well as "reminder words" that will help trigger your memory about additional information. (REVIEW) 5. Copy the important information and reminder words onto your large Post-it note. Again, your goal is to fill the paper with notes. Be aware of the size of your writing. (REDUCE) 4. Quietly, compare your revised notes to your neighbor's. Did you consider the same things important? Were there certain words that served as reminders for both of you? (REFLECT/RECITE) 5. Repeat step four using the revised notes on your middle sized paper. Finally, repeat step five by writing only the most important information and memory triggers on your smallest paper. (REVIEW/REDUCE) 6. Read the notes on your final paper to yourself. Imagine that you are in front of an audience making a speech about your assigned topic. Could you use your notes to remind you of all the information you should be sharing? Would that information be likely to be in your own words or the author's? (REVIEW/RECITE) 7. Close the article on your computer and open a Word document. Using only your note cards as a reference, type up the words you would say in your speech about your topic. (REFLECT/RECITE/REVIEW) Putting the information into your own words is called paraphrasing. Now ask yourself, do you need to cite your source? 8. Type the bibliographical information beneath your paragraphs. Save your file to your Documents folder using the word Note-Taking followed by the title of your document. We will need this document next week when we learn to create citations and bibliography entries in Word.

= Note-Taking Documents =



Adapted from a lesson found at http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/03/lp322-02.shtml