Sturgeon Composite High School - Taking Proper Notes

Improving Your Grades

Taking Proper Notes
One of the most important steps in taking good notes is knowing what your notes are going to be about. Listen to your teacher. They will tell you what you will learn during each lesson with phrases like "today we are going to learn about..." or "by the end of today's class you will be able to..." before giving the notes. Use this information as the title for your notes. As always, your notes should be dated and colour coded for each subject. How you take notes depends upon the structure in the class room and generally follows one of these methods:

Notes Written During Class
This is the traditional method for giving notes during a class and doesn't matter if your teacher uses a whiteboard, blackboard, overhead projector or a video projection system. Your teacher will tell you what you will be learning during the class and then will write this for you to copy. Notes are written on the board or projected on the screen as the teacher relates the material to be copied. Often examples are used to help illustrate the concepts and procedures associated with the lesson. You should be copying both the notes written and the examples provided.

Notes After Discussion In Class
Some classes require you to participate more actively than simply copying notes. During this style of lesson, you will be provided a context or some background information and then will be asked to reflect upon a specific aspect in order to gain insight or understanding of a topic. You may be provided a outline of the lesson either prior to the lesson or following it. In this style of lesson, you should copy the outline and then write your thoughts for each heading. After having a chance to reflect on the material, your teacher will guide the class as you discuss the material covered. Listen and write what you learned using your own words.

Accessing Notes On-Line

As part of your daily routine, review your notes within 24 hours after each class. Check to see if your notes are complete and make sense. The material presented in class will still be fresh in your mind and you should be able to fill in any gaps if you missed something during the lesson. If you were given examples, make sure that you also work through each example and ensure that you understand what's going on. If there is something that doesn't make sense, text or call a friend from your class to find out what you missed. If you still have questions, go early to class and ask your teacher for help with filling in the missing material.

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