Taking Notes
Synthesizing Information
from a Source
Mary Alice Osborne
Library Media Specialist
What are some ways to be a
good reader of information?
List of Possible Strategies:
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•
•
•
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Skimming and scanning
Looking for keywords
Noticing bold, italic, and underlined words
Being aware of headlines
Using the table of contents, index, glossary, and
title page
• Paying attention to picture captions
• Knowing that, sometimes, reading every word is
necessary
• Make a mind map or table or line diagram
ABC - LOU
Note-taking Strategies
• Abbreviations
• Bullets
• Caveman language
• Lists
• One word for several
• Use your own words
Taken from: School Library Media Activities Monthly Vol. 12, No. 1, Sept. 2006
Abbreviations
• Abbreviations are shortened forms of a word or
phrase
• Use them when you take notes
• Examples:
– Dr. = doctor
– Mrs. = missus
– Mr. = mister
– U.S.A. = United States of America
– CN = China
List of Abbreviations
Bullets
Example of a Bulleted List:
Foods Romans Ate
• Pizza
• Spaghetti
• Olives
• Tomatoes
• Wine
Caveman Language
Lists
We all make lists from time to time:
• Grocery lists
• List of things to bring on vacation
• “To Do” Lists
When doing research you can also make lists:
• List of countries the Romans conquered
• List of weapons used by the Romans
One Word for Several
(Paraphrase)
How to:
• Reread the original passage until you understand it.
• Set the original aside, and write your paraphrase.
• Check your version with the original to make sure that it
accurately expresses all the essential information, but in
a new form.
• Record the source (including the page) in your notes so
that you can credit it easily
Taken from: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/
Use Your Own Words
Similar to Paraphrasing
• Read the information through
• Without looking at the original material,
write your version
• Change words that are difficult to words
you understand
Note: You still need to cite the information
Try it Yourself!
Fact Fragment Frenzy
Try to Paraphrase this:
Roman men and women originally seem to have worn a
large piece of wool, wrapped around themselves. After
they met people from Greece and Egypt, around 200
BC, they began to wear linen tunics (like T-shirts) under
their wool robes, which was more comfortable.
On their feet, both men and women wore leather sandals,
or leather boots in cold weather.
In their hair, women wore wooden hairsticks or wooden
combs, which they could also use to comb their hair.
"Roman Clothing - History for Kids!" Kidipede - History and Science for Kids - Homework Help for
Middle School. 13 Mar. 2009 <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/romans/clothing/index.htm>.
More ideas for note-taking
Mind Map
Table
System Map
Line Diagram
Highlighting
• Many students find that highlighting helps
them to concentrate and helps them to
understand the text.
• Just deciding what to highlight or underline
encourages you to think critically, make
judgments and formulate your own response
to the text.
Highlighting
1. Read quickly through the text to get an overview
of what it’s about.
2. Read it more closely, pausing at the end of each
paragraph to identify the main points. You may
highlight:
1. Sentence or word that sums up an important idea
2. Quotations
3. Statistics
4. Specialized terms
5. Important or useful data
6. Examples or links to other ideas.
3. You could use different colored pens to mark
different kinds of information, but be careful not
to highlight so much that it becomes distracting.