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Hello Math Friends!
Do you have difficulty getting students in Middle School to actually take notes? It can be an uphill battle. However, I’ve discovered some methods for making the process easier, and even enjoyable!
Teaching students to take notes on the content they are learning can be an uphill battle. Middle School students, in particular, may not know what information is most important, and may dread taking notes if they are unfamiliar with the process.
However, in Middle School, students need to start learning this process. Note Taking helps students internalize what they’ve learned and helps them retain that knowledge.
If students can learn how to organize a notebook, adding page numbers and even a Table of Contents, this skill will be invaluable in the coming school years. Some teachers teach students with Cornell Notes. They divide their pages into three sections. One is for keywords and questions, a section for notes, and a summary at the bottom. Students can use colorful highlighters to emphasize important points. The opposite page can be some type of visual or diagram to expand understanding of the concepts.
This method can be difficult to learn for middle school students, but with practice, they can master this effective method of note taking.
What I found to be most effective for my reluctant Middle School students, was the use of sentence frames. This makes notetaking so much easier for beginning note takers.
Students only need to find the missing terms. This insures that no valuable content is left out, and students are much more likely to embrace the assignment.
Once the notetaking is complete, a fun addition to the notebook is with a foldable. The foldable can be a way for students to internalize content while displaying their knowledge in a fun, artistic way. They will cut out and fold according to instructions, show concepts with colored pencils and markers, and then glue into their notebooks.
Completing notebooks can be something students take pride in. They feel like they are creating something that has their own style and personality, as well as being useful for test review.
Till next time,
Kelly
Kelly’s Kool Math Club