Introduction to American Government
NOTECARD EXERCISE PRIMER
INTRODUCTION: The Notecard Exercise worksheet is designed to help you record and
organize important information as you read. As such, it serves three important functions: (1)
improving your reading for comprehension skills by recording the information as you first
encounter it, (2) contributing to your homework grade by giving you a written record of your
independent work, and (3) helping your study skills by serving as a review tool. To be sure,
completing the worksheet is not easy, and it will take you a while to learn the system, but it will
help you improve your reading and study skills as well as your performance in this class.
UNDERSTANDING THE ELEMENTS: The Notecard Exercise worksheet contains five
important elements, each with a specific purpose and function. The first two deal with taking
ownership for your work, and the last three deal with the work itself:
1. NAME: It might seem obvious, but make sure that you write your name in the space
provided. You need to take ownership of your work so that your teacher does not have to
do detective work just to grade your homework. Accordingly, understand that there is a
mandatory 5 point deduction for any work that is turned in without a name on it.
2. PLEDGE: Part of taking ownership of your work is also guaranteeing that the work is
your own. For every assignment in this class, make certain that you write out the full
pledge: "I pledge, on my honor, not to lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize or vandalize." Failure to
pledge your work will result in a mandatory 5 point deduction, and could result in further
disciplinary action. Take the pledge seriously.
3. TERM AND PAGE NUMBER: As you read from the textbook or the online packet,
you will find or be given a number of important vocabulary terms. Write each term in the
appropriate box under the "Term and Page No." column on the worksheet. Spelling
counts on vocabulary words, so make certain that you spell each term correctly. Then, as
you read the assignment, write down the number of the page on which you find the term
defined. Because different students have different printer specifications or different
versions of the textbook, the page number might not be the same for each student.
However, the purpose of listing the page number is to help you record where you found
the information. That way, as you are studying for a test, if you need to re-read a section
of the text, you quickly will be able to find the required information.
4. DEFINITION: You will need to understand the meaning of each vocabulary word and
record its definition in the corresponding box. You do not need to write down every last
piece of information and you do not need to use complete sentences; instead, just stick to
the facts: Who? What? When? Where? How? Why? For most terms, you should have no
trouble completing a thorough definition in 20 to 40 words, but remember, the important
thing is that your information is correct and complete.
5. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: By far, the most difficult and time-consuming part of
the Notecard Exercise is the "Historical Significance" section. It requires you to think
about the vocabulary term and its definition, and then analyze why the term is historically
significant. In effect, you need to answer the question: why does this person/event/place
matter to our understanding of American History and Government? Was it caused by
something important, did it lead to something important, or did it reflect an important
change in our thoughts, beliefs, values, tactics, or strategies? In other words, "So what?"
Again, you do not need to use complete sentences, but you must use your analytical skills
to think about the information that you have just encountered. Thorough answers can
usually be completed in 20 to 40 words.
A SAMPLE ENTRY: Take a look at the term below and use it as a model as you complete your
Notecard Exercise.
Term and Page No.
John Rolfe, p. 12
Definition
Early leader of the settlement
at Jamestown; secured peace
with neighboring Native
American tribe by marrying
Pocahantas; introduced wideleaf tobacco to Virginia,
establishing first successful
cash crop
Historical Significance
Marriage to Pocahantas
removed security threat to the
settlers, and the introduction
of tobacco enabled investors
to profit from colonization
enterprise; inspired others to
invest in Virginia Company
and others to settle in
America, either in Virginia or
in new colonies
FUSWUJRIML: The Notecard Exercise assignment can seem very daunting at first, but as long
as you put forth your best effort, you will do fine. That said, please avoid falling into the trap of
filling the boxes with large print or rambling speech so that the assignment looks complete but is
not really useful. Because you get credit for what you say, not just how much you write, you
should always remember: FUSWUJRIML: "Filling up space with useless junk really irritates Mr.
Laskowski."
A LAST PIECE OF ADVICE: Remember that you are not expected to be an expert the first
time you complete this assignment. Rather, you should strive to improve your performance each
time you do it. Your hard work is appreciated, and your effort will be rewarded.