Note taking and Summarizing

1. Note taking and Summarizing Presented By: Chris Vaughan and April Daywalt

2. Outcomes The learner will understand that note taking and summarizing are research – based strategies for increasing student achievement.

3. Summarizing and Note Taking increases student achievement by approximately 34% • These skills promote greater comprehension by asking students to analyze a subject to expose what’s essential and then put it into their own words. • Research shows that taking more notes is better than fewer notes, though verbatim note taking is ineffective because it does not allow time for processing the information.

4. Define Summarizing

5. A Definition of Summarizing A brief statement that presents the main points of a body of material in a concise, condensed form.

6. Why are summaries important……. *They clarify learning *Provide an opportunity to communicate what is important *Serve as a way to check understanding *Provide practice in decision making and sequencing *Are an informal indicator of comprehension

7. More reasons why summarizing is important……. * Create reflective learners * Develop Vocabulary * Develop a gateway skill for other types of writing, particularly research papers and persuasive/argumentative writing

8. Do my students know how to effectively summarize?

9. What are some of the things students do when they are asked to summarize?

10. They often don’t know where to start • They don’t include the main idea • They often don’t include supporting details • They can’t decide what is important • Sometimes, they even copy an entire passage word for word and say they have summarized.

11. What must students do to effectively summarize? * To effectively summarize, students must delete some information, substitute some information and keep some information. (DSK)

12. The Summary Process(DSK) Delete Substitute Keep *Trivial *Redundant *Categories for lists *Essential Information *Main Points

13. Summary Example The word photography comes from the Greek word meaning “drawing with light”….Light is the most essential ingredient in photography. Nearly all forms of photography are based on the fact that certain chemicals are photosensitive – that is, they change in some way when exposed to light. Photosensitive materials abound in nature; plants that close their blooms at night are one example. The films used in photography depend on a limited number of chemical compounds that darken when exposed to light. The compounds most widely used today are called halogens (usually bromine, chlorine, or iodine. *Courtesy of Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia

14. DSK (delete, substitute, keep) The word photography comes from the Greek word meaning “drawing with light”….Light is the most essential ingredient in photography. Nearly all forms of photography are based on the fact that certain chemicals are photosensitive – that is, they change in some way when exposed to light. Photosensitive materials abound in nature; plants that close their blooms at night are one example. Photography depends on chemical crystals thatThe films used in photography depend on a limited number of chemical compounds thatdarken when exposed to light. The compounds most widely used today are called halogens (usually bromine, chlorine, or iodine. *Courtesy of Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia

15. So the summary of this passage would be……. Light is the most essential ingredient in photography. Photography depends on chemical crystals that darken when exposed to light.

16. *To effectively delete, substitute and keep information(DSK), students must analyze the information at a fairly deep level. *Being aware of the explicit structure of information is also an aid to summarizing information.

17. Now, let’s try one….

18. Think about the processes you used…. Read the text: FBI Wiretap Uncovers Massive Seventh-Grade Crush Ring 2. Summarize the article using DSK (delete, substitute, keep) 3. Share with your table 4. As a group, on the chart paper, write a brief summary and post it on the wall What would have made this easier?

19. What can we do to help students learn to summarize?

20. Marzano’s, Classroom Instruction that Works, offers several researched based strategies, called “summary frames”, that help students learn to summarize.

21. Most students don’t naturally know how to summarize. Why is summarizing such a difficult process?

22. Summarizing requires: • Reading comprehension/listening/viewing skills • Critical thinking skills such as analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information • Summarizing must be intentionally taught.

23. Marzano’s “summary frames” help encourage the thought processes necessary for students to learn how to summarize on their own.

24. These “summary frames” are questions designed by the teacher to highlight the critical elements for specific types of information. Classroom Instruction that Works offers 6 different types of summary frames.

25. Please look at your “summary frames” handouts.

26. Now that we have all these summary frames, what are we going to do with them? *Do we have to use all the summary frames? *How do we decide which frames we are supposed to use? We are going to use summary frames to teach students how to summarize. NO Choose the frame based on which ever one works best for the assignment or for the students

27. You probably already do some of this…. Don’t you ask questions at the end of reading sections or at the end of a video clip? You are checking for understanding right?

28. You are basically SUMMARIZING the important information aren’t you?

29. The biggest difference in what you are doing now and Marzano’s summarizing is that you are communicating to students that you are teaching them to summarize.

30. Instead of calling the questions….questions You call them summary frames. This re-enforces to students that what they are actually doing is summarizing.

31. You are teaching them to DSK Questions????

32. Note-Taking The research base suggests: -Verbatim note-taking is, perhaps, the least effective way to take notes -Notes should be a work in progress -Notes should be used as study guides for tests -The more notes, the better

33. *As educators, we understand and embrace the importance of note taking. *On the other hand, students don’t understand the purpose of taking notes and often see note taking as a daunting task that they have to do in order to make their teacher happy.

34. Why is note taking important? *Highlights the information to be learned *Captures the essential elements in a student’s own words. *Provides a record for review and reflection *Focuses the student’s attention

35. Why is note taking a difficult process? *Note taking requires students to identify what is MOST important and state it in their own words. *It requires: - reading/listening/viewing skills - critical thinking skills *analyzing *synthesizing *evaluating

36. Just like summarizing, the note taking process must also be intentionally taught…..

37. The note taking process (STARS) Set up paper Take Notes Apply your thinking to your notes Reflect and revise your notes Summarize/Synthesize your notes

38. Please look at your Note taking packet. *These examples have all aspects of the STARS note taking method.

39. Questions??????

40. What next? Let’s collaboratively create a plan for how you will use summarizing/note taking in your classroom next week.