Taking Notes

1. Taking Notes Standard 4C

2. When you sit down to research a report topic, you should take notes.

3. Write notes to prepare your information • Good notes paraphrase what you've read by putting it in your own words. • Good notes also summarize what you've read. This means that you write down the main points and condense the information into one or two important sentences. • Finally, good notes are relevant. They directly relate to the topic you are researching. Only write down relevant information in order to save time and make sure your report stays on one topic.

4. Use your notes to write the final paper • Put your notes in order by topic or theme. • Throw out notes that don't relate to your topic or don't fit. • Put the notes into your own words. • Write the report and add information from your notes throughout the text in a natural way. Don't just tack it onto the end.

5. Outlines • An outline is one way of organizing information to write an essay or a book report. A writer may choose to make an outline by taking a main idea and breaking down all of the topics.

6. Sometimes, writers use outlines to organize information for a book they have read.

7. Other times, writers use outlines to help them brainstorm a topic.

8. Brad is writing a book report on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Here is an example of his outline:

9. The sea is filled with many wonders. The most wonderful of all may be the dolphins. Dolphins are also called porpoises. These smart animals have fascinated us since long ago. Dolphins live in water, but they are not fish. They are not even related to fish. Dolphins are mammals, and their closest cousins are such land animals as cattle, sheep and deer. Scientists believe that about fifty million years ago, some land animals began to look for food in the water. Then, little by little, they began to spend more of their time in the water. After millions of years, they had become so used to being in the water, their bodies started changing to be more like the fish around them. Like all other mammals, dolphins have lungs for breathing air. That means they must rise to the surface to breathe. And, they do not have noses. Instead, they have an opening, called a blowhole, near the top of the head. adapted from "Whales and Dolphins" by Francene Sabin

10. Which are the best notes about dolphins? • Dolphins have lungs for breathing. Most dolphins do not have noses. Porpoises have blowholes. Blowholes are near the top of the head. • Dolphins are mammals. They fascinate us. They are wonderful. Some people call them porpoises. • Dolphins are fifty-million years old. They look for food in water. Their bodies are similar to fish bodies. • Dolphins are mammals. They are related to land-animals. They breathe air and use blowholes.

11. Which of the following is the most accurate outline of this information about dolphins? A 1. Dolphins have blowholes. 2. Dolphins change as they grow. 3. They spend a lot of time in water. 4. Deer have noses. C 1. Dolphins are like fish. 2. They are fifty millions years old. 3. They have lungs. 4. They breathe air at the surface. B 1. Dolphins live in water. 2. They are not related to fish. 3. Dolphins are mammals. 4. Dolphins are like cattle. D 1. Dolphins are also called porpoises. 2. They live in water, but are not fish. 3. They are related to land animals. 4. They breathe air and have blowholes.