Unit 3: Note-Taking Skills

Lessons 8 and 9 focus on an important study skill—taking notes. Learning to take notes on oral presentations is not easy, but it will produce big results. It is easy to daydream during lectures, especially when the topic is one in which you are not interested. Taking notes forces you to pay attention to what is being presented. When you are writing down main ideas and important facts, your mind has to stay focused on what is being said!

Notes are invaluable in helping you remember information that would be lost otherwise, especially if the speaker supplements your textbook information with information from other sources.

Many of you are already using techniques that make note-taking easier. Do you use abbreviations when you send instant messages or e-mails to your friends and family? If you do, you are already using a great note-taking shortcut!

And now, your mission awaits …