Summarizing and Note Taking
7. Dozen Summary
-Basics:
Time Needed: 2-5 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary
Materials: Dozen Summary worksheet or blank paper, writing utensils for all students
-Process:
After teaching a part of a lesson, students are asked to give a short summary of what they just learned. This summary should be exactly twelve words, or as close to that number as they can get. Summaries do not need to be in complete sentences, but should get across the main points students took away from the lesson so far. Students create new Dozen Summaries at points throughout the lesson which have been pre-determined by the teacher.
-Example:
An example of a Dozen Summary is used in the lesson provided in this Strategies Profile. In this lesson on the characteristics of Iraq, seventh grade students create a Dozen Summary after each PowerPoint slide during the lesson. Several members of the class then share these aloud.
-Source:
Arizona Foundation for Resource Education. (2008). Standards-based instructional planning and designing. Retrieved from http://www.aft.org/pdfs/teachers/teach11materials/t11_providingh3.pdf.
8. Summary Frames
-Basics:
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: Posters of summary frame questions for students to reference, paper, writing utensils for all students
-Process:
A summary frame is an outline of questions students can use to evaluate the main ideas of different types of text. Six basic summary frames are typically used, including a narrative frame, a topic-restriction-illustration frame, a definition frame, an argumentation frame, a problem-solution frame, and a conversation frame. Students answer the questions in these frames and then use their responses to sum up the important information of the text.
-Example:
When reading a science textbook selection about a certain kind of plant in a fourth grade classroom, students can use the definition frame to answer specific questions about the plant based on the text. The questions they will answer include:
1. What is being defined?
2. To which general category does the plant belong?
3. What characteristics separate the plant from the other plants?
4. What are some different types or classes of the plant being defined?
-Source:
Cathcart, W.G., Vance, J.H., Pothier, Y.M., Bezuk, N.S. (2005). Learning mathematics in elementary and middle schools: A learner-centered approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
9. Color-Coded Notes
-Basics:
Time Needed: Varies, 5-30 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: Paper, writing utensils, and highlighters/markers for all students
-Process:
In this notetaking strategy, students begin the lesson by selecting several colors of highlighters or markers to use in organizing their notes. They should have one color for each main idea or part they will be discussing during the lesson. The teacher will instruct students on how many highlighters they need. As the teacher teaches and the lesson progresses, the teacher models for students to use the highlighters to mark the different ideas they learn about. This can be used with notes provided by the teacher or notes students take on their own. Notetaking in this way allows students to better organize the information they are learning so they can have a clearer understanding of the material.
-Example:
This strategy is very effective in a math classroom, especially when learning a new concept with many parts. For example, when learning about mixed fractions in an elementary classroom, the teacher and students could highlight the numerator in green, denominator in blue, and whole number in red. This would help students better classify these parts of the fraction in future problems.
-Source:
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. (2005). Researched based strategies: Summarizing and note taking. Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/summ.php.
10. Web Format
-Basics:
Time Needed: Varies, at least 10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: Small groups or partners
Materials: Paper, writing utensils for all students, possibly coloring utensils
- Process:
Using a web format is simply restructuring how notes are taken. Students still take notes during the lesson, but they take these notes in the form of an organized web. Students may begin with the main idea in a large center circle, and then draw additional arrows and circles out from the center and label these with ideas stemming from the key main idea. The teacher can provide students with a basic web format (especially in earlier grades) or allow students to create their own unique web format of notes based on what makes sense to them. At the end of the note-taking, it is beneficial for students to share their webs with partners or small groups in order to compare, evaluate, and possibly add information.
- Example:
A web format would be an especially valuable method of taking notes when discussing a topic like the government. Students can begin with the main term “national government” in the center circle, and then expand outward as the class discusses the three branches of government and their roles, and some other important facts.
-Source:
Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Denver: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
11. Combination Notes
- Basics:
Time Needed: Varies, at least 10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: Individual desks or small groups
Materials: Combination note format sheet or blank paper, writing utensils for all students
-Process:
Combination note-taking is a type of note-taking which involves both linguistic and pictorial representation. As students read a text or engage in a lesson, they write down important ideas in the left column of their page and then draw pictorial representations of these words on the right. After students are finished with the lesson, they then look back at their notes and write two to five key points at the bottom of their paper. This kind of note-taking is also valuable in small groups, where students can bounce ideas off of each other and work together to form an appropriate summary at the end.
-Example:
Students can use combination notes to record information on a short biographical account of Robert Frost in language arts. As they read, they can record notes as well as pictures to represent the notes. Finally, they sum up what they read at the end, based on the notes they recorded.
-Source:
Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Denver: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
-Basics:
Time Needed: 2-5 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary
Materials: Dozen Summary worksheet or blank paper, writing utensils for all students
-Process:
After teaching a part of a lesson, students are asked to give a short summary of what they just learned. This summary should be exactly twelve words, or as close to that number as they can get. Summaries do not need to be in complete sentences, but should get across the main points students took away from the lesson so far. Students create new Dozen Summaries at points throughout the lesson which have been pre-determined by the teacher.
-Example:
An example of a Dozen Summary is used in the lesson provided in this Strategies Profile. In this lesson on the characteristics of Iraq, seventh grade students create a Dozen Summary after each PowerPoint slide during the lesson. Several members of the class then share these aloud.
-Source:
Arizona Foundation for Resource Education. (2008). Standards-based instructional planning and designing. Retrieved from http://www.aft.org/pdfs/teachers/teach11materials/t11_providingh3.pdf.
8. Summary Frames
-Basics:
Time Needed: 5-10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: Posters of summary frame questions for students to reference, paper, writing utensils for all students
-Process:
A summary frame is an outline of questions students can use to evaluate the main ideas of different types of text. Six basic summary frames are typically used, including a narrative frame, a topic-restriction-illustration frame, a definition frame, an argumentation frame, a problem-solution frame, and a conversation frame. Students answer the questions in these frames and then use their responses to sum up the important information of the text.
-Example:
When reading a science textbook selection about a certain kind of plant in a fourth grade classroom, students can use the definition frame to answer specific questions about the plant based on the text. The questions they will answer include:
1. What is being defined?
2. To which general category does the plant belong?
3. What characteristics separate the plant from the other plants?
4. What are some different types or classes of the plant being defined?
-Source:
Cathcart, W.G., Vance, J.H., Pothier, Y.M., Bezuk, N.S. (2005). Learning mathematics in elementary and middle schools: A learner-centered approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
9. Color-Coded Notes
-Basics:
Time Needed: Varies, 5-30 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: No special arrangement necessary.
Materials: Paper, writing utensils, and highlighters/markers for all students
-Process:
In this notetaking strategy, students begin the lesson by selecting several colors of highlighters or markers to use in organizing their notes. They should have one color for each main idea or part they will be discussing during the lesson. The teacher will instruct students on how many highlighters they need. As the teacher teaches and the lesson progresses, the teacher models for students to use the highlighters to mark the different ideas they learn about. This can be used with notes provided by the teacher or notes students take on their own. Notetaking in this way allows students to better organize the information they are learning so they can have a clearer understanding of the material.
-Example:
This strategy is very effective in a math classroom, especially when learning a new concept with many parts. For example, when learning about mixed fractions in an elementary classroom, the teacher and students could highlight the numerator in green, denominator in blue, and whole number in red. This would help students better classify these parts of the fraction in future problems.
-Source:
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. (2005). Researched based strategies: Summarizing and note taking. Retrieved from http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/summ.php.
10. Web Format
-Basics:
Time Needed: Varies, at least 10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: Small groups or partners
Materials: Paper, writing utensils for all students, possibly coloring utensils
- Process:
Using a web format is simply restructuring how notes are taken. Students still take notes during the lesson, but they take these notes in the form of an organized web. Students may begin with the main idea in a large center circle, and then draw additional arrows and circles out from the center and label these with ideas stemming from the key main idea. The teacher can provide students with a basic web format (especially in earlier grades) or allow students to create their own unique web format of notes based on what makes sense to them. At the end of the note-taking, it is beneficial for students to share their webs with partners or small groups in order to compare, evaluate, and possibly add information.
- Example:
A web format would be an especially valuable method of taking notes when discussing a topic like the government. Students can begin with the main term “national government” in the center circle, and then expand outward as the class discusses the three branches of government and their roles, and some other important facts.
-Source:
Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Denver: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.
11. Combination Notes
- Basics:
Time Needed: Varies, at least 10 minutes
Classroom Arrangement: Individual desks or small groups
Materials: Combination note format sheet or blank paper, writing utensils for all students
-Process:
Combination note-taking is a type of note-taking which involves both linguistic and pictorial representation. As students read a text or engage in a lesson, they write down important ideas in the left column of their page and then draw pictorial representations of these words on the right. After students are finished with the lesson, they then look back at their notes and write two to five key points at the bottom of their paper. This kind of note-taking is also valuable in small groups, where students can bounce ideas off of each other and work together to form an appropriate summary at the end.
-Example:
Students can use combination notes to record information on a short biographical account of Robert Frost in language arts. As they read, they can record notes as well as pictures to represent the notes. Finally, they sum up what they read at the end, based on the notes they recorded.
-Source:
Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., Stone, B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Denver: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning.