How to take notes in Mr. Stark’s Science Class

1. Why Take notes? There is a limit to what our noggins can hold, especially during an entire year of science. Notes allow us to write down important information and store it in a orderly fashion to allow easy access later on. The notes given during class pertain to labs and activities that you will work on in class and are a integral part to the overall concept (big idea). How to take notes in Mr. Stark’s Science Class First, Some basic tips: Use a pen or pencil that you are comfortable with. A pencil that is too short or a pen that is hard to read will make you crazy! Do not write every single word, abbreviate; (i.e. chemical can be abbreviated by writing chem.), and cut out filler words (i.e. the, it, and). Make sure to write clearly in your notebook. Write the title and date at the top of each page of your notes. If you happen to miss any of the notes, don’t despair, I have printed out copies of all the notes we take in class that you can borrow and take home to copy. I will often post the notes on my website, so there is not an excuse for missing any notes during the year.

2. Signs of good note-taking While we take notes in class you will see one of these signs at the Top, Left-Hand corner of each PowerPoint slide, here is what it means: If you see this “STOP” sign it means that you do not have to copy any of the notes on that PowerPoint slide, instead listen carefully to what Mr. Stark explains. If you see this “GO” sign it means thatyou should write everything you see onthat PowerPoint slide. Use the “basicnote-taking tips” on the previous page to help you take better notes. If you see this “YIELD AHEAD” sign,wait for Mr. Stark to tell you what parts of the PowerPoint slide you should copy down. You should not writethe entire page of notes.