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  • TIPS:
    • *  Always read and reread the passage before writing.
  • *  Read for a purpose: reflect on what facts are most important to record and whether the facts answer your questions.
  • *  Be brief and focus on the important information (i.e. facts, statistics, definitions)
  • *  Incorporate some form of symbol system that decreases the amount of writing and avoid plagiarism.
  • *  Keep track of the sources you used, either in a Working Bibliography or in Noodletools.
  • *  Always read and reread the passage before writing.

Taking Great Notes

Taking notes is an important part of the life of every student. There are two main reasons why note-taking is important:
  1. When you are reading or listening, taking notes helps you concentrate. In order to take notes - to write something sensible - you must understand the text. As listening and reading are interactive tasks, taking notes help you make sense of the text. Taking notes does not mean writing down every word you hear; you need to actively decide what is important and how is related to what you have already written.
  2. Notes help you to maintain a permanent record of what you have read or listened to. This is useful when revising in the future for examinations or other reasons.
Good notes should be accurate, clear and concise.  The methods below may help you in creating great notes.
chomp-quick-guide-note_taking.pdf
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  Cornell Method

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According to Wikipedia: The Cornell Notes system (also Cornell note-taking system,Cornell method, or Cornell way) is a note-taking system devised in the 1940s by Walter Pauk, an education professor at CornellUniversity. Pauk advocated its use in his best-selling book How to Study in College.

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Outline Method

Thoughtco.com defines:  An outline is a plan for or a summary of a writing project or speech. An outline is usually in the form of a list divided into headings and subheadings that distinguish main points from supporting points. Most word processors contain an outlining feature that allows writers to format outlinesautomatically.

Mind Mapping Method

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According to Lifehacker.com: Mind mapping is one of the best ways to capture your thoughts and bring them to life in visual form. Beyond just note-taking, though, mind maps can help you become more creative, remember more, and solve problems more effectively. Whether you're new to mind maps or just want a refresher, here's all you need to know about this technique.  
A mind map is basically a diagram that connects information around a central subject. I like to think of it like a tree, although it has more of a radial structure. In any case, at the center is your main idea, say, poetry, and the branches are subtopics or related ideas, such as types of poetry, famous poets, and poetry publications. Greater levels of detail branch out from there and branches can be linked together.
Mind maps can be used for pretty much any thinking or learning task, from studying a subject (such as a new language) to planning your careeror even building better habits. 

​Flow Method

​Shout-out to Scott Young for coming up with this one! In mind mapping, you connect a main topic to sub-topics, which are each connected to relevant points. Flow-based notes are similar in principle, except that the note writing structure is less restrictive! 
 
The idea is to create your own personal mental image of the material. Try to identify connections wherever possible between ideas, and visually connect them with arrows!
 
Linking new details to previous points and sub-topics presented earlier in the lecture is another key part of this method!
There are other methods and ideas available and many great videos on Youtube to help you in your quest to take great notes.  For example thos video on your left.

See Some Examples

cornell_outline.docx
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mapping_outline.docx
File Size: 33 kb
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flow_outline.docx
File Size: 69 kb
File Type: docx
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outline_outline.docx
File Size: 44 kb
File Type: docx
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