Notetaking Tips for When You Are Reading

NOTETAKING TIPS FOR WHEN YOU ARE READING

UNDERLINING:______

Underline or circle difficult words. I like to circle them so I can go back later and look them up.

BOXING/SQUARING: Use square boxes to highlight words or phrases that repeat. For example, if you are examining tone and want to see how many negative or depressing words the author uses, circle them all throughout the page. Then if you sense an uplifting tone later in the story, box in all the positive or uplifting words in a square box so it stands out as separate from the circled depressing words. Again, make sure you make a key or legend so you remember what you circled and what you boxed. Draw that key at the top of the page.

CIRCLE:

Use circles to highlight something else OTHER THAN the squared information. COLOR-CODING: blue, green, yellow, pink, red, black, etc.

Use different colors to represent different things that you want to highlight/underline in a story. For example, highlight all speaking parts of a main character in one color, and the parts for his rival in another. Or highlight/underline setting in one color, action verbs in another, character names in another, etc. Find a system that works for you! Make a key or legend at the top to help you remember what each color represents.

SYMBOLS:

Star, circle, square, check, etc. important parts that you want to remember. You choose the symbols that work for you. 1 Ie. Key words, phrases, plot events, etc.

PICTURES/IMAGES:

Draw pictures, images, or symbols in the margins next to the text the represent. This will allow you to quickly refer to a certain scene in a story that you would otherwise have difficulty finding. For example, if you draw a dress to show that Mademoiselle Loisel wants a new dress, you’ll know what is going on in the story on that page. This saves a lot of time you would otherwise spend skimming or rereading the text. Also, when you go to study the story for the test, you will quickly remember parts of it based on quick-glance images you drew rather than rereading the entire story. And finally, by drawing the picture or making a symbol, you internalize that part of the story, so it is more likely to stay with you!

NOTETAKING IN MARGINS: “Doodle smiles in crib”

Jot down short words or phrases in the margins next to the text those words describe. This will help you remember key things at that part of the story. Do not write complete sentences; you won’t have enough room on the page. Use shorthand or abbreviations here!

QUESTIONS: Why does the main character cry?

When you reach confusing sections, write down questions you have that you would like answered by a peer or the teacher the next day in class. This will help your understanding of the difficult sections!

NUMBERS/RATINGS: 1=easy to understand; 10=hard

Rate paragraph difficulty in the margins next to the paragraph. For instance, if the paragraph was difficult to read or understand, give it a high difficulty rating from 1 to 10, something like a 9 or 10. That way you’ll know to go back and reread that paragraph or ask the teacher about it. If it is somewhat difficult, give it a 4-6 rating. If it is easy, don’t rank or rate it at all. Just keep reading!