Note Taking Basics

Jose Rodrigo Guerrero Ruiz

Colegio Alamos
 Note taking is an
important part of
academic life.
To be successful at note taking, you
need to:
• Improve your listening skills.
• Develop your note taking skills.
• Be able to use your notes to study.
 Like All Skills

•Listening and note taking improve ONLY

with practice.
•Practice every day for 5-10 minutes.
 Note taking = Dictation

Note taking is writing complete ideas;

dictation is writing complete
sentences.
 Examples
Dictation:
History 1002 meets 2 days a week,
from 10:00 am to 10:50.
Notes:
Hist 1002
- 2 d/wk 10 – 10:50 am
 Successful Note taking:
Listen for KEY WORDS
c au FACTO
ses RS
Dates
of w o rd s
g
Meanin
technol n ces
ogy diff ere
 Successful Note
taking:
Use space. Move your hand.
3 keys to green environ
Three keys to green
environment – 1. Educate public
educate public,
2. Improve tech.
improve techno., and
help increase demand 3.Help incr. demand for
recy.ing
for recycling.
 Use space to show
relationships.
Use vertical space. Use horizontal space.

3 keys to green environ Gas Use -Factors

Europe U.S
1- educate public
Less good hwys
2- improve tech. More $$ cheap gas
More trains auto ind.
3-help incr. demand +pub transp. oil comp.
for recy.ing
 Use headings to

organize ideas.
Gas Use -Factors
Europe U.S

Less good hwys

More $$ cheap gas
More trains auto ind.
+pub transp. oil comp.
 To create headings,
use:
• CAPITAL LETTERS
• BOXES

• underline
• - - indent below the
heading
 Use symbols and
abbreviations.

Mr = !
Mrs %
w/ ‹
pop ›
& #  w/o x
 Note complete ideas,
not just random
words.
• Pop of UNT pop of TWU

• 1990 intl st < 2% of UNT st

BUT now > 9+%
Get the BIG
PICTURE!
What’s the speaker’s
main point?
What does he want
you to learn?
 @school

•Develop your own style.

•After the lecture, rewrite

your notes ASAP (as soon as
possible).
 Sjkjd
foweu
i voi
Asdda fofwe
dereeg row p
ghhjyjh skfpk
ytyuty fdfgh
uyutyjs hjrtt
dfj k rrt
fijeirj yry
eww

One More Point

jkjdf
oweu
voifo
fwero
w
Dfjfjie
fjwek
glhkg
lhkgp
ortyo

lweojw
e ehuw
ehfwe
fjfjiefj weoir
Sjkjd w ekglh weor
foweu kglhk
i gport
yolwe

Quantity is important!
ojwe e
huwe
hfwew
eoirw
eor
ry
r ty voifo
fwero
r w w psk
t t ew A s fpkfd
r i r j d d a d e r fghhj
j e e e g ghhjyj
hh fj fi j
row D h y t y
rttrr
tyry
f g d e fj fjiefjw utyuyu
d js k f w ekglh tyjskd
k f t y o kglhk fjfijeir
ui u if gpo rty jeww
fp yuy e olweo
o we sk u t o jw vo jwe eh
p y e i S j kjdfo u wehfw
jd
f
ow yt w eu weui eweoir
k r y jh ol w v o w eor
j y
fo ifofw
Sj fwe g hh o rt
d e r o w
o g g p j p s k
e k fpk
if ere lh
k
Sj eo
r
Fdfgh
vo dad h kg e or ry ir w h j r
d gl w ty
As ek
eo • tt
w t rr js ew rrtyr
y
e fj o i t t y fw •
fj i e j r y u e h A s d d a
fj w h u w dereeg
D e h ty hu ghhjyjh
fw g yu ytyuty
eh fdf h yt ee u y u ty
js
u w k y j jw
p j o •
Eh kf g h h k d fj fi jeirjew
p s g voifo w Sj
re e po
r fwero kjdfoweu
a de g A s d d ad e w psk i
dd hk of reeggh fpkfd
As gl
w e fghhj
w k f w h j y j h y ty u t rttrr
e irje glh v oi y e oj o w
y y tyry
fi j e k r l w e r r
d fj fjw e ui r t y
t yo f w ty
r ueoyrutyjs
k
fji
e
ow tr po
r fo tr irw
kdfjfije
irjeww
Dfj jdf rt kg oi rt eo Dfjfjie
k h j h
l r j w e w fj w e k
j g g lh
S gh k
lh we
o
rje
w fw kglhk
gporty
df k g e o ir jei eh olweo
o k f e fi u w jwe eh
r p w w d fj h D fj uweh
e f e fj e k e fjie fjw fwew
w s k i
fj hf w yj s e e k g lh eoirw
p fj e u t o j w
e
k g lh kgpor eor
w D w v u y e h u w e h ty o
u t y lw f w e w lw eo jw
h i u o e o irweo e
e eu hh ty rty r
ow fg y jhy gpo
f
d fd j
hh lh
k
kj pk gg kg
Sj kf r ee lh
e
ps dad ek
g
sd fjw
A ie
Now let’s change
sentences to ideas . . .
 Change dictation into
notes:
Studies on worldwide literacy* rates show that almost 80
percent of the world’s population over the age of 15 is
now literate. This includes more women than ever before.

*Literacy = ability to read

 One way to write this
info
Studies ww literacy rt = almost 80 % world pop over 15
yrs now literate

+ grtr # of women than bef

 Change dictation into
notes:
UNESCO’s study shows a drop in illiteracy from twenty-
two and four-tenths percent of the world population in
1995 to twenty and three tenths in 2000.
 One way to write this
info

UNESCO’s st shows fr 22.4% ww pop in ’95 to 20.3% in

2000
What important information is missing? What is the decrease in?

The LITERACY rate INCREASED – the drop was in the number of

people who CANNOT read – the ILLITERACY rate dropped.
 Another way to write
it.
WW literacy rates

- almost 80% of ww pop 15+ yrs - literate

- more women than bef

- illiteracy 1995 2000

22.4% (ww pop) 20.3%
 Remember
Use
•Key words
•Space
•Headings
•Abbreviations and

symbols
•Complete ideas
•Quantity!
 Remember
•Get the big picture!

•Rewrite your notes.

•Develop your own

style and

Practice, practice, practice.