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Writing lesson · Note-taking
Take Notes: Key Words, Not Sentences, Then Write From Them
Choose key words, group notes under a heading, use short forms, and then turn your notes into clear sentences in your own words.
The idea
Notes are a short record of the important ideas in something you read or hear. They are not a copy of the page. Good notes are quick to write, quick to read and complete enough that you can use them later to write or study.
Start by finding the key words. Key words are the ones that carry the meaning: who or what, what happens, how many, where and when. Small words such as the, a, and, of and that can usually be dropped. In "A beaver builds a dam from sticks and mud," the key words are beaver, builds, dam, sticks and mud.
Next, group your notes under a heading that names the big idea. Use short forms that you will still understand tomorrow: an arrow (→) for "leads to", + for "and", ≈ for "about", and standard short forms such as km or Mon. Always keep numbers together with their units. "50" is a number, but "50 km" is a fact.
Notes can be too long or too short. Copying whole sentences takes time and hides the main idea. One word, such as "water", is too little to bring the fact back. Aim for a short phrase that keeps who or what, plus the fact about it.
The last step is to write from your notes. Close the page and use only your notes. Add the small words back, use complete verbs and write in your own words. This keeps your writing honest, because you are explaining the idea and not copying the author. If something is missing from your notes, go back to the source and check it; do not guess.
See the difference
A first attempt
The rain barrel collects water from a roof and the water goes down a pipe into the barrel and a family can use the water on plants and the barrel needs a lid so mosquitoes cannot lay eggs inside it. Water. Pipe. Lid.
Heading: Rain barrels • roof → pipe → barrel • use: water plants • needs lid (stops mosquito eggs)
A rain barrel collects water that runs off a roof and down a pipe. A family can use this water on plants. The barrel needs a lid so that mosquitoes cannot lay eggs in it.
Why this works: The weak version copies a whole sentence and then adds three single words that are too short to use. Nothing is grouped, and there is no heading. The strong version has a heading and three short points that keep the key words and the cause and effect. Then it writes from the notes in complete sentences and in new words. It adds no facts that are missing from the notes. The passage is invented for practice.
Worked examples
Example 1 · Find the key words
Underline the key words in "The class counted twelve birds at the pond on Tuesday."
- Ask: who, what, how many, where and when?
- Who: class. What: counted birds. How many: twelve. Where: pond. When: Tuesday.
- Drop the small words: the, at, on.
Key words: class, counted, twelve, birds, pond, Tuesday.
Example 2 · Make a short note
Write a note for "The trail is about four kilometres long and takes one hour to walk."
- Pick the facts: trail, about 4 kilometres, one hour.
- Use ≈ for about and km for kilometres, and keep each unit with its number.
- Put the facts in one short line.
Trail: ≈ 4 km; 1 h walk
Example 3 · Group under a heading
Group these notes: "robins: worms", "geese: grass", "owls: mice". What heading fits?
- Look at what the notes have in common: each names a bird and what it eats.
- Write a heading that covers all three lines.
- Put the heading above the notes.
Heading: What birds eat. robins: worms; geese: grass; owls: mice.
Example 4 · Write from your notes
Turn these notes into a sentence: "Pond: frogs lay eggs in spring → tadpoles".
- Add the small words and a complete verb: lay.
- Turn the arrow into a word: then, or "which hatch into".
- Check that nothing new has been added.
In spring, frogs lay eggs in the pond, and the eggs hatch into tadpoles.
Common mistakes
Why this fails: This is slow and hides the main idea. Keep only the key words and short phrases; you can add the small words later when you write.
Why this fails: One word will not bring the fact back tomorrow. Add who or what and the fact: “Students: water Mon + Thurs”.
Why this fails: “50” could mean kilometres, kilograms or dollars. Keep the unit with the number: “≈ 50 km”.
Why this fails: A symbol or short form only helps if you remember it. Use common ones (→, +, ≈, km) and keep them the same each time.
Why this fails: If you keep the page open, you will copy its words. Close it and use only your notes; if a fact is missing, check the source and add it to your notes first.
Why this fails: Writing from notes is about explaining what you read. A new “fact” that you remembered or guessed may be wrong, so check it first.
Foundation
Foundation practice
Choose key words and short notes.
1. Which is the best set of notes for the sentence "The class walked to the park and counted twelve birds at the pond"?
- The class walked to the park and counted twelve birds at the pond
- class; birds
- park; twelve
- class → park; pond; 12 birds
2. Which words are the key words in "A beaver builds a dam from sticks and mud"?
- A, from, and
- beaver, builds, dam, sticks, mud
- builds, a, from
- beaver, a, and
3. What is the main purpose of taking notes while you read?
- To keep the important ideas in a short form that you can use later
- To copy every sentence so nothing is missed
- To make the page look busy
- To skip reading the rest of the text
4. Which shortcut is a clear note for "about 50 kilometres"?
- 50
- 50 k
- ≈ 50 km
- far
5. Notes about a garden are grouped under three headings. Which heading best fits "tomatoes need sun; beans climb fence; lettuce picked spring and fall"?
- Watering days
- The school
- What each bed grows
- Lunch time
Practice
Practice practice
Take notes on a short invented passage and turn them into sentences.
6. Invented passage: "Our school garden has three beds. The first bed grows tomatoes, which need sun and a tall stake. The second bed grows beans, which climb a fence. The third bed grows lettuce, which is picked in spring and again in fall. Students water the beds every Monday and Thursday." Which notes about the second bed are best?
- Bed 2: tomatoes, stake
- Bed 2: beans
- Bed 2: lettuce, spring
- Bed 2: beans, climb fence
7. Invented passage: "Our school garden has three beds. The first bed grows tomatoes, which need sun and a tall stake. The second bed grows beans, which climb a fence. The third bed grows lettuce, which is picked in spring and again in fall. Students water the beds every Monday and Thursday." A student wrote this note: "The third bed grows lettuce, which is picked in spring and again in fall." What is the problem?
- It copies a whole sentence instead of using key words
- It has a mistake in the facts
- It is missing a heading
- It is too short to be useful
8. Invented passage: "Our school garden has three beds. The first bed grows tomatoes, which need sun and a tall stake. The second bed grows beans, which climb a fence. The third bed grows lettuce, which is picked in spring and again in fall. Students water the beds every Monday and Thursday." Another student wrote only: "water". Why is this note not enough?
- It is too long
- It leaves out who waters and when, so the reader cannot tell the fact
- It has the wrong heading
- It uses a symbol
9. Notes: "Tomatoes: sun, stake. Beans: climb fence. Lettuce: spring + fall." Which main idea heading fits these notes?
- Beans
- Watering
- What each bed grows and needs
- The school year
10. Turn these notes into one complete sentence: "Students: water beds Mon + Thurs".
- Students water the beds every Monday and Thursday.
- Water beds Mon + Thurs
- Students water beds.
- The students are in the garden on Monday.
Challenge
Challenge practice
Take your own notes and write from them.
11. Invented passage: "A rain barrel collects water from a roof. The water runs down a pipe and into the barrel. A family can use the water on plants. The barrel needs a lid so that mosquitoes cannot lay eggs inside." Write notes with a heading and three short points. Use key words, not whole sentences.
12. Fix these notes so that they are shorter and keep the facts: "The barrel needs a lid so that mosquitoes cannot lay eggs inside it."
13. Passage (invented): "The library opens at 9 a.m. on weekdays. It opens at 10 a.m. on Saturdays and is closed on Sundays." Which notes keep every fact?
- Open 9 a.m.
- Weekdays 9 a.m.; Sat 10 a.m.; Sun closed
- Weekdays 9 a.m.; Sat 9 a.m.
- Open Mon to Sat
14. Notes (invented): "Pond: frogs lay eggs in spring → tadpoles → legs grow → adult frog". Write two or three sentences from these notes. Use a sequence word such as first, then or finally.
15. Read a short page from a book or website with an adult. Write notes with a heading and three to five short points. Then write a paragraph of three to five sentences in your own words from your notes only, with the page closed.
Your turn to write
Choose a short page about an animal, a place or an activity, from a book or a website with an adult. Take notes with a heading and three to five short points. Then close the page and write a paragraph of four to six sentences using only your notes. Use your own words and do not copy sentences.
Helpful sentence starters
- Heading: ___
- ___ → ___
- ___: ≈ ___ (unit)
- According to my notes, ...
- First, ... Then, ...
- All of these notes show that ...
Write in a notebook or a document. The model and checklist are available without signing in.
Check and improve
- My notes have a heading that names the big idea.
- Each point uses key words and is not a whole copied sentence.
- Every number has its unit.
- My notes are not so short that I cannot understand them later.
- I closed the page before I wrote the paragraph.
- My paragraph uses complete sentences and my own words.
- Every fact in my paragraph comes from my notes or the source.
This checklist is for parent-and-child self-review. No automatic writing score is assigned.
Answer key
- 1. class → park; pond; 12 birds
Good notes keep the key words (who, where, how many) and drop small words such as the, and, at. "class → park; pond; 12 birds" keeps the people, the places and the number. The long copy is not notes, and the other two lose the number or the place. - 2. beaver, builds, dam, sticks, mud
Key words carry the meaning: who (beaver), what it does (builds), what it makes (dam) and what with (sticks, mud). Words like a, from and and can be dropped without losing the idea. - 3. To keep the important ideas in a short form that you can use later
Notes are a short record of the main ideas and facts. They are not a copy of the page, and they are not a way to avoid reading. A short, clear note is easier to use when you write. - 4. ≈ 50 km
Symbols and short forms such as ≈ (about) and km save time, as long as you will understand them later. "50 k" could mean kilometres, kilograms or thousands, and a single "50" loses the unit. Keep the unit with the number. - 5. What each bed grows
All three notes tell what grows in a bed and how. A heading names the idea that the notes share. "Watering days" would not match, and "The school" is too wide to be useful. - 6. Bed 2: beans, climb fence
The second bed grows beans that climb a fence. The best note keeps the bed number, the crop and the fact. Writing "Bed 2: tomatoes" gets the crop wrong, and "beans" alone loses where they grow and what they do. - 7. It copies a whole sentence instead of using key words
Notes should be short. A better note is "Bed 3: lettuce; picked spring + fall". Copying whole sentences takes longer and makes it harder to see the main ideas. - 8. It leaves out who waters and when, so the reader cannot tell the fact
A note needs enough key words to bring the fact back later. "Students: water Mon + Thurs" keeps who and when. One word could mean many things. - 9. What each bed grows and needs
Each line names a crop and something about it. The heading should cover all three lines. "Beans" covers only one line, and "Watering" is a different idea. - 10. Students water the beds every Monday and Thursday.
Turning notes back into sentences means adding the small words and a complete verb, and spelling out the short forms. Mon + Thurs becomes every Monday and Thursday. The sentence keeps the facts and adds no new ones. - 11. Sample answer: Rain barrel — roof → pipe → barrel; use: water plants; needs lid (stops mosquito eggs)
Answers vary. Good notes have a heading, three or so short points, key words such as roof, pipe, barrel, plants, lid and mosquitoes, and no copied sentences. - 12. Sample answer: needs lid → no mosquito eggs
Drop the small words, keep the cause and effect (lid, no eggs) and use an arrow for "so". Any short version that keeps lid, mosquitoes and eggs is acceptable. - 13. Weekdays 9 a.m.; Sat 10 a.m.; Sun closed
Each part of the passage needs a note: weekdays, Saturday and Sunday. The other choices drop a day or change a time. - 14. Sample answer: In spring, frogs lay eggs in the pond. First the eggs hatch into tadpoles. Then the tadpoles grow legs, and finally they become adult frogs.
Answers vary. A strong answer uses every step in the right order, adds complete verbs and small words, uses a sequence word and does not add new facts that are not in the notes. - 15. Sample answer: Notes: Heading: Rain barrels; roof → pipe → barrel; water plants; lid stops mosquitoes. Paragraph: A rain barrel collects water that runs off a roof. A family can use that water on plants. The barrel needs a lid so that mosquitoes cannot lay eggs in it.
Answers vary. Check that the notes use key words, that the paragraph uses complete sentences in the writer’s own words, and that every fact in the paragraph came from the notes.