How to Take Well-Written Notes

Note taking can sometimes be a hassle during class, especially if it feels like you are just writing lots of words. Today I am going to show you 2 easy ways to take well-written notes that will help you better understand what you are learning.

• pencil or pen
• paper
• highlighter
• any other coloring tools you want

The first method of note taking that I will be teaching you is the most common way, taking traditional notes. Even though taking traditional notes may sound boring, it is a quick and efficient way to write down good quality information.

This step is optional, but I recommend creating a key to organize your notes.

Create a title. You may also add subtitles to break down subjects even further.

After making a title, you are ready to take notes! Summarize and abbreviate to save time. Make sure what you are writing MAKES SENSE TO YOU!

Things to include in notes are:

• important dates
• important locations
• formulas
• causes and effects
• definitions
• diagrams
• anything else that will help you learn better (ex. analogies, acronyms, silly songs)

Congratulations! You have finished learning how to take traditional notes! Here is an example of what your notes should look like.

Now that you have learned how to take traditional notes, I wanted to show you a more fun and creative method called a note map.

Create a title. You can make this as simple or fancy as you want.

After creating a title, you may now organize your notes into different branches (subtitles).

Once your branches have been made, you are ready to start taking notes!

P.S. The branches just signify a different subject. You can have more than one branch and you can expand a branch. Think about a tree!

This step is optional, but feel free to personalize your note map with whatever you like!

Suggestions are:

• adding color
• doodles
• outlining things
• trying new fonts

Congratulations! You have finished learning how to create a note map! Here is an example of how your notes should look.