Department of Lifelong Learning: Study Skills Series
Note taking skills • Note taking activities • Note taking reading list • Appendix A • Appendix B
Use the following form to help you work through any reading, picking out the important points. You might like to photocopy this form and use it as a study tool. If you’re using the SQ3R technique, use this form at the ‘recall’ step.
|
Step One: For future reference, record the bibliographic details of your reading in the boxes below. |
|||
|
Name of reading
|
Author’s name |
Year and place of publication |
|
|
Journal details (if any)
|
Page numbers read |
Other bibliographic notes |
|
|
Step Two: Surface read the reading and complete the following tasks. In your own words, briefly describe the main point or argument the author/s of the reading is trying to make.
List three minor arguments that the author uses to support his or her main point or argument. 1. 2. 3. |
Step Three: Read the reading more comprehensively and find quotes or ideas from the text that supports each argument and point that you’ve listed in step two. |
||
Once you understand the main point that the author is trying to make and you understand what evidence and argument the author uses to prove that point, you will then understand the significance of the author’s work. You will understand how the reading fits in with your own learning because you will be able to compare the author’s ideas with those you have learnt from your tutor and the course materials. You will also be able to compare the author’s work with the writing of others. This will help you to gauge if the author agrees or disagrees with other experts in the field. If you are completing an assignment, you will understand how the author’s ideas support or conflict with your hypothesis.
Once you have completed the form in activity one, use the information on the form to create a set of linear or spray notes. There is space below for you to do this. If you’re using the SQ3R technique, use this activity at the ‘review’ step.
|
|
Using the form in activity one and the mind mapping technique from activity two, you should now have a thorough understanding of the argument that the author is making. These tools are also useful for future reference, for example, if you want to use the reading for an assignment or for revision purposes, but you don’t want to re-read the entire chapter or reading over again.
In the space below, use the notes you have taken to write a summary of the chapter or reading you have just studied. Try to ensure that your summary is no more than 100 words long. A good summary should be around 50 words long. This activity could be used as a substitute for activity two in the ‘recall’ step of the SQ3R technique.
Note taking skills • Note taking activities • Note taking reading list • Appendix A • Appendix B