Lesson Plan: Note-Taking
English
Objective
To encourage students to become active readers by taking notes; to get students to come to class prepared to discuss the reading
Total Estimated Time
50 minutes (20-25 minutes for the lesson and class discussion of assigned readings)
Work Completed Before Class
Students have read an assigned text for homework and have been asked to bring any notes they took on the text.
In Class
- Have a conversation about note-taking strategies. Ask your students what they look for when they read, what they mark, how and why they mark things in the text. (5-10 minutes)
- Talk to students about marginal notes, sign-posting their text, summarizing reading on a separate piece of paper, reading with class discussion in mind (i.e., looking for things in the text that relate to issues raised in class or connections between the text they’re reading and previous texts read for class). (5-10 minutes)
- Ask students to freewrite on one of the passages they marked in their reading. (3-5 minutes)
- Use their freewrites to start a discussion of the assigned reading. (remaining class time)
Lauren Holm and John Plotz
Developed at Brandeis University through a grant from the Davis Educational Foundation
Faculty Spotlight
"I could not believe how effectively my colleagues had designed classes with a series of linked short writing exercises, culminating in a single longer piece of writing that was almost woven out of those bits and pieces. It's changed how I design both undergraduate and graduate classes."
Professor John Plotz