Notetaking Strategies

KNOWING EACH SYMBOL

100

What symbol do we use to highlight the MAIN IDEA of a passage?

"M --- I"

200

What symbol do we use to represent EVIDENCE found in a passage?

"E"

300

What symbol do we use to represent an unfamiliar word for which we do not know the definition?

CIRCLE the word

400

What symbol do we use to represent a line or section that we find difficult to understand?

" ? " = Question Mark

500

What symbol do we use to represent a line or section that we find very IMPORTANT or INTERESTING?

" ! " = EXCLAMATION POINT

MAKING TEXTUAL CONNECTIONS

100

What symbol do you use to represent a connection you make between the text and YOURSELF?

" T -- S"

200

What symbol do you use to represent a connection you make between the text and ANOTHER TEXT / article you have read?

"T -- T"

300

What symbol do you use to represent a connection you make between the text and some FAMOUS EVENT / PERSON in the WORLD?

"T -- W"

400

EXPLAIN A TEXT TO SELF connection with the following passage: "One of the most profound contradictions of modern America is that more than 45 million Americans don't have enough to eat, but the country wastes an estimated 40 percent of its food. The study noted that Americans waste $165 billion every year on food destined for landfills."

"I relate to this because my family sometimes throws away old food as well."

500

EXPLAIN A TEXT TO WORLD connection with the following passage: "This fall, most elementary school students in the Maryland School District are getting 40-minute weekly computer science lessons as part of their core instruction. The lessons are part of a growing effort nationwide to expose more public school children to computers, even as early as in kindergarten.

"I can relate this article to events in the real world because 21st Century also focuses on the importance on computers in learning."

READING COMPREHENSION PASSAGE

100

What is the MAIN IDEA of the following passage? "The latest figures on U.S. high school graduation rates were recently released by the federal government. The news is both good and bad. The good news is that the graduation rate has inched up to 82 percent. In addition, the gap between the graduation rates of white and non-white students has narrowed. The bad news is that the increase in the graduation rate was smaller than in the three previous school years. Furthermore, the improvement was limited to only some types of students. Education officials and others remain concerned that too many students are dropping out of high school without getting a diploma.

Graduation Rates have increased for high schools in the United States.

200

Write down a piece of EVIDENCE to show that graduation rates are increasing in the United States: "The latest figures on U.S. high school graduation rates were recently released by the federal government. The news is both good and bad. The good news is that the graduation rate has inched up to 82 percent. In addition, the gap between the graduation rates of white and non-white students has narrowed. The bad news is that the increase in the graduation rate was smaller than in the three previous school years. Furthermore, the improvement was limited to only some types of students. Education officials and others remain concerned that too many students are dropping out of high school without getting a diploma.

Graduation Rates have increased up to 82% for U.S. high schools.

300

Read the following line and use context clues to write your own DEFINITION of "INCHED": The good news is that the graduation rate has "inched" up to 82 percent.

Inched = Increased

400

When I read the same passage, I put to a QUESTION MARK next to the following line. Why do you think I found this line unclear? "Furthermore, the improvement in graduation was limited to only some types of students."

This sentence is UNCLEAR about which TYPE of students graduated, and which type of students did not.

500

Explain which line you would put an EXCLAMATION POINT next to, and state why you think it is so important: "The latest figures on U.S. high school graduation rates were recently released by the federal government. The news is both good and bad. The good news is that the graduation rate has inched up to 82 percent. In addition, the gap between the graduation rates of white and non-white students has narrowed. The bad news is that the increase in the graduation rate was smaller than in the three previous school years. Furthermore, the improvement was limited to only some types of students. Education officials and others remain concerned that too many students are dropping out of high school without getting a diploma."

(Multiple answers accepted)