Different Strategies for Note-taking - the Lesson Plan Example

Subject: Social Studies

Lesson title or topic: Taking notes on the roles/responsibilities of the 3 branches of government in Social Studies

Estimated length of the lesson: 1 hour, 40 minutes

TEKS standards:

Mayo, Murralyn Y. 2006. Use Of Note Taking Strategies At The Middle School. 1st ed.

The students are expected to learn and practice the most appropriate strategy which will help them during their learning experience of note taking. However, the students are encouraged to try other alternative strategies that can be applied during the note taking process.

In this case, students are expected to perform the following:

Apply the strategy learned to make brief, precise and clear points

Highlight the roles of the three branches of the government

Objective(s)

To help students learn the different strategies that are used for note-taking

To help students practice the note taking skills and identify the one they are most suitable and comfortable using

Assessment

This is an important step in the learning process and the students are expected to be assessed to find out their progress. As such, the students are expected to restate some of the strategies that they learnt that could help them in the note making activity.

The students will also work in groups and do group presentations on some of the strategies they think are more effective and easy to work with when making notes from a given source of information.

Materials

Social studies textbooks and handouts

White board

RealiaMarker pens

Charts

Instructional proceduresIntroduction

At the beginning of the lesson, it is very important for the teacher to understand the capability of the students as far as notes making is concerned. I would pick on individual students and allow them give their definitions on what note taking is and how many of them had previously had an experience of doing note taking. I will then tell the students about the different strategies of note making that can be employed by an individual interested in note making. I will then ask the students to compare the strategies they used with the examples I have given them. Finally, I will select on one strategy that I deem fit and suitable to be used when taking notes from a detailed source of information in the field of social studies.

Body lesson

Step1

I first inform the students that the strategy for taking notes that I will teach them is called the split page method. I then inform the students that the process of taking notes involves 3 steps which include organization, followed by recording and the finally reviewing of recorded information. One should organize themselves by getting to class early and brainstorming on the notes that were taken during the last class. The teacher then urges the students to make their materials available and ready for the class.

For the recording process, one has to be a good listener so as not to miss the points. One has also to be keen. The teacher also urges the students to use abbreviations for the m to be brief and precise. Teacher urges the students to only note down important points and in most cases give examples. The teacher encourages the students to right down the roles of the arms of government in bullet form. The teacher then encourages the student to review the notes taken for better organization if need be.

Step 2:

I then give the students a brief description of the strategy as being one that the page is divided into two allowing the students to take the notes while organizing them simultaneously.

Step 3:

I would chose a text from Social studies then do the note taking process step by step with the attention and participation of the students.

Step 4:

This step would involve the memorization of the strategy. At this point, I involve students in a discussion by asking them to give suggestions of how easy to memorize the strategy step by step.

I would then ask the students to group up and discuss on the note making process. They will then do note making for texts I assigned them and then present before the class.

Step 5:

At this particular strategy, the teacher encourages the student to do their own work by enhancing their ability to efficiently implement the note taking strategy chosen.

Conclusion:

The teacher finalizes the class by engaging in a question and answer session where students are given the time to ask the questions that they might have found difficult doing during the entire class.

The teacher then asks the students to list the importance of note taking.

The teacher also gives the students some assignments.

Modification and enrichment:

For this case, the teacher will encourage the students to do multiple practice in order to fully equipped with the note taking skills.

The table below is the daily record sheet that would help the teacher in assessment

Note taking strategy recall

Students name Attempts Problems areas

Work cited

Mayo, Murralyn Y. 2006. Use Of Note Taking Strategies At The Middle School. 1st ed