Note Taking Basics

Adapted from: Tamara Taylor Fall 2002Intensive English Language InstituteUniversity of North TexasDenton, Texas USA

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.

Note taking is an important part of

academic life.

Get the BIG PICTURE!

What’s the speaker’s main point?What does he want you to learn?

Like All Skills

• Practice every day for 5-10 minutes.

• Listening and note taking improve ONLY

with practice.

Note taking = Dictation

Note taking is writing complete ideas; dictation is writing complete sentences.

Dictation:

Examples

History 1002 meets 2 days a week, from 10:00 am to 10:50.

Hist 1002 - 2 d/wk 10 – 10:50 am

Notes:

Successful Note taking:Listen for KEY WORDS

causes

FACTORS

differencestechnology

First - costs

Stages of deve

lopment

Successful Note taking:

3 keys to green environ

1- educate public

2- improve tech.

3-help incr. demand for recy.ing

Three keys to green environment – educate public, improve techno., and help increase demand for recycling.

Use space. Move your hand.

Use space to show relationships.

3 keys to green environ

1- educate public

2- improve tech.

3-help incr. demand for recy.ing

Gas Use -Factors

Europe U.S

Less good hwysMore $$ cheap gasMore trains auto ind.+pub transp. oil comp.

Use vertical space. Use horizontal space.

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 UW pop of NSCC

• 1990 int’l st < 2% of NSCC st

BUT now > 9+%

As You Study

•Develop your own style.

•Rewrite your notes ASAP (as soon as possible) after class.

One More Point

Quantity is important!

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Now let’s change sentences to ideas . . .

Change dictation into notes:

A sole proprietorship is a business entity owned by one person. The life of the business ends when the owner is no longer willing or able to keep the business going. Many small businesses are operated as sole proprietorships.

One way to write this info

A sole proprietorship is a business entity owned by one person. The life of the business ends when the owner is no longer willing or able to keep the business going. Many small businesses are operated as sole proprietorships.

Sole proprietorship – bus. w/ 1 owner-bus. ends w/owner-many small bus.

Change dictation into notes:

Costco’s report shows a drop in retail sales from twenty-two and four-tenths percent in 1995 to twenty and three tenths in 2000.

One way to write this info

Costco’s report shows a drop in retail sales from twenty-two and four-tenths percent in 1995 to twenty and three tenths in 2000.

Costco - fr 22.4% in ’95 to 20.3% in 2000

What important information is missing?

There was a drop in retail sales.

Remember

Use• Key words• Space• Headings• Abbreviations and symbols

• Complete ideas• Quantity – take a lot of notes!

Remember

• Get the big picture!

• Rewrite your notes.

• Develop your own style

Practice, practice, practice.