Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 5: Going through chapters the first time
• Part 2 of 5: Read for understanding
• Part 3 of 5: Taking notes
• Part 4 of 5: Link notes from your textbook with learning in class
• Part 5 of 5: Using your notes
• Tips

Notes are useful for reference and remembering later. Ideally, the information in your book will repeat and complement what you learned in class. However, some teachers expect you to learn from your textbook on your own, and do not necessarily cover the material from the book with direct instructions. It is therefore important that you learn to read and understand study material effectively and that you learn to take notes from a textbook.

To step

Part 1 of 5: Going through chapters the first time

1. Know what your reading assignment is. Check your syllabus, diary, or notes, which indicate which chapter or sections of your textbook you should read. It is best to give yourself at least five minutes per page of the textbook you need to read. If you read a little more slowly, give yourself some extra time to read.
2. Read the headings and subheads of the chapters and sections. Before you start reading or taking notes, skim through the entire chapter. Most textbooks are divided into easier-to-understand parts, often indicated by headings. By skipping through a chapter and reading the headings and subheads from beginning to end, you can give an idea of ​​the length and progression of each chapter. While reading, also pay attention to any core concepts if you have seen them in bold (as subheads) later in the chapter.
   • Also pay attention to any bold words. These are often core concepts or terms that you need to know that are defined in the chapter or glossary.
   • If there are no headings or subheadings in your textbook, read the first sentence of each paragraph.
3. View additional tables, graphs or diagrams with additional information. Many students ignore the information in the margin or within the text associated with a chapter. However, this is a bad plan; this information is often essential for understanding or reviewing the main concepts in the chapter. Review the supplemental material (and read the captions below the images or charts) to focus on important information as you read.
4. Read the "review questions" at the end of the chapter or section. Review questions are provided to ensure that students have been able to get the "big picture" or essential concepts from a particular portion of the text. Reading these review questions beforehand can help you draw your attention to the most important aspects of a chapter.

Part 2 of 5: Read for understanding

1. Avoid distractions. It is easier to focus on reading and remember what you are reading when there are no background noises or distractions while actively reading. It is especially important not to get distracted while learning new material or reading about complex ideas. Find a quiet and comfortable place and settle there to read and learn.
2. Divide the text to be read into manageable parts. If you need to read a 30-page chapter, try breaking that chapter up into smaller chunks. The length of the sections may depend on your attention span. Some people recommend dividing the work to be read into 10-page chunks, but if you have trouble concentrating when working through large chunks of text, you may want to limit it to 5 pages at a time. The chapter itself can also be broken down into more manageable pieces.
3. Read actively. It's all too easy to passively read something that you find complex or uninteresting. Passive reading occurs when your eyes look at every word but don't remember anything you read or don't think about what you read. In active reading, you try to think while you read. This means summarizing ideas, linking ideas to other concepts you are already familiar with, or asking yourself questions about the text as you read.
   • To actively read, do not immediately start making notes or highlighting the first time you read the material; instead, just focus on reading to understand.
4. Use resources to help you understand the material. Make sure you understand the text when you are reading it. You may need a dictionary or the textbook glossary or index to look up the definition of unfamiliar words.
   • When you get into the note-taking phase, write down new keywords that are important to the chapter, along with the page number where you found that term and definition. That way you can easily revert to the textbook if needed.
5. Summarize the main points along the way. After you have gone through each section of the text (be it your own format or that of the textbook), start thinking about the main points. Try to summarize the section of text and indicate the three main details of the section.
6. Do not skip the supplemental material. Hopefully, as you went through the chapter, you looked at additional teaching materials, such as pictures, tables, and charts. If you haven't, make sure to study them while reading the section. Viewing these details within the given frame will aid in taking in the information and making connections.
   • These types of supplements can be especially helpful for students who have a visual learning style. If you are trying to remember information, it may be easier to visualize a graph or diagram than a piece of factual information.

Part 3 of 5: Taking notes

1. Be selective but thorough. There is no need to copy every bit of information from the book. Nor is it helpful to write down just one fact per page. It can be a bit tricky to strike the right balance between writing enough and too much, but it's the key to taking effective notes. By reading a paragraph and then summarizing it, you can gather the right amount of information.
   • Depending on the topic and level of the textbook, 1-2 summary sentences per paragraph could be the right balance between information and note-taking.
2. Summarize the information from the text in your own words. You must write your notes in your own words. Paraphrasing information usually shows that you have really understood what you have read (it is difficult to say something in your own words if you don't know what it means). It probably means more to you later when you review your notes, if you have written them in your own words.
3. Use a format that works for you. Your notes can take the form of an enumeration of information. You can draw a timeline of events so you can see the order in which things happened, not just a list of events. You can draw a flow chart to emphasize a sequence. Or maybe you prefer a traditional outline with big ideas on one level and support ideas indented underneath. Ultimately, the notes will help you with your studies, so it's best to write them down in a way that makes sense to you.
4. Add visual elements if that helps. Visual learners often benefit from visual representations in their own notes. You can make a quick copy of a chart, instead of writing down the information about it. You can draw a simple comic to depict a specific event or the interaction between people. Don't let the addition of visual elements distract you from your task - gaining insight and annotating the text - but add visuals if it can help you process or remember the subject matter better.
5. Organize your notes in a meaningful way. Depending on the topic, you can organize your notes in a certain way. History notes are usually best recorded in chronological order (or even in the form of a timeline). Notes for nature and technology may best be put in a certain order that shows mastery of a concept, before moving on to the next concept.
   • If you have any doubts about organizing your notes, follow the textbook format. If the information in the book is written in a certain order, there is usually a reason for it.

Part 4 of 5: Link notes from your textbook with learning in class

1. Pay attention during class. Teachers will often indicate which chapters or sections of a textbook are most relevant to an upcoming test. Having this information before going through the textbook can save yourself a lot of time and energy; in addition, it helps to focus on what is most important to know.
   • Write down everything the teacher writes on the board. This information is likely to be relevant to future discussions and upcoming assignments or tests.
   • Ask your teacher if you are allowed to record the lesson and listen to it again at home. If you missed something while taking notes in class, you can use the recording to listen to those pieces so you can add that information to your notes after class.
2. Learn shorthand. It is difficult to jot down notes as quickly as the instructor speaks. Learning shorthand is a great way to make sure that the notes you take in class cover everything the teacher expects you to know.
   • Write down important names, places, dates, events and concepts. If you include these topics in your notes, it will likely be much easier to remember the details surrounding those people or places when you review the textbook.
   • Follow important topics with short contextual clues. This can be a few words or even a short sentence, but short notes can help put names or dates you wrote down during class in context.
3. Review your class notes. Now that you have the lesson notes, review them to begin learning the important topics covered in the lesson.
   • Go through your notes immediately after the lesson. By going through your notes immediately after the lesson, you will often be able to remember the information a little longer.
4. Combine the lesson notes with those from your textbook. If you have notes from both the lesson and your textbook, combine and compare them. Pay attention to topics highlighted by both the textbook and your teacher; this is probably a very important concept.

Part 5 of 5: Using your notes

1. Study your notes. Think of your notes as a study guide for the tests and exams on the subject. The act of writing often helps you remember certain things, but you probably won't be able to remember everything from the textbook if you don't go through the notes you've taken. Reviewing notes can help you remember important concepts and concepts, even months after the information has been covered.
2. Share your notes with others. When you collaborate with other students in your class, you can start exchanging and sharing notes. This can be a useful strategy as each student will focus or emphasize different concepts. Additionally, if a friend or classmate missed that class or didn't understand a concept, share your notes with them to help.
3. Make flash cards. If you have an upcoming exam, you can convert your notes to flash cards. This can make it easier to learn and remember names, dates and definitions. In addition, you can use these flashcards to collaborate and study with another student or in a study group, which will improve your grades.

Tips

• Budget your time. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by everything you need to learn, but if you take good notes and learn to manage your time properly, it will become much more manageable.
• Write dates and headlines on your notes to organize them. You can also number the pages of your notes if they are not bound together or if you plan to remove them from a notebook.
• Use bullets. There is no need to write everything down in full sentences - often just the most important information is enough. This is more convenient when you are learning your notes, as you will not be overwhelmed by text.
• Learn which study habits work best for you. Whether you're a morning person or a night owl, it's always better to keep up with your study work to stick to a consistent schedule while reading and taking and reviewing your notes.
• Stay alert. Relax, stretch, and take short breaks.
• Make one or two bullet points per paragraph; then use it to summarize the entire paragraph.
• If you don't understand what a particular text means, ask a teacher and rewrite the text so that you can understand it better.
• Use color, if allowed. Your brain is drawn to color and this can help you better remember the chapters you need to study from the textbook.