I can't tell you how many times I've labored away at pages of notes, only to find them disorganized and illegible. It's important that one's notes are easy to review, both for upcoming tests and for cumulative exams. I'm still working on making my notes easy to read, but I've come up with strategies that have made note taking faster and more efficient.
First off, outlining. The outline's structure will vary from book to book, but most have headings, sub-headings, main points, and supporting details. I like to use colorful highlighter for distinguish different sections. I find that this breaks up the page, making it easier to read. I also find it easier to find and review specific sections. Within each section, I summarize a paragraph or so into a main idea such as "Mexica society was rigidly hierarchical and exalted warrior class." Don't worry about complete sentences. Instead, summarize ideas in a way that makes sense to you. Finally, details should support the main idea and be more factual in nature, such as statistics, definitions, and names. Underlining names and places helps me find information on a specific person much quicker. One of the most helpful tips I've been given is "You aren't rewriting the textbook." Remember, notes distill information as much as possible. Keep this in mind while note-taking. Notes should jog your memory and provide you with essential facts. You can use them to create a study guide or questions. For example, say there are three paragraphs describing the mechanics of the Byzantine "theme" system. Try cutting it down to the basics: - theme = imperial province - run by general who recruited army from peasant class - peasants recieved land in return ---> strengthened economy It takes time to strike a balance between brevity and comprehensiveness. I'm still working on it myself! However, I hope this gave you some tips on good notes. Next time, I'll discuss creating a productive study environment. Bye!
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AP World is one of many classes that requires an obscene amount of reading and note-taking. It might seem like a daunting task to do thirty pages of reading in a night, but by dividing up the work and taking efficient notes, writing and studying will be much more achievable. Start off by dividing your chapter in segments between ten and fifteen pages. Try and keep them roughly the same size, and end before a large heading. Even if you're doing all your work in one night, dividing up the chapter makes the work more manageable by building in opportunities for breaks and adding variety. To keep myself on track, I like to set timers. I've embedded one below! By allotting specific amounts of time for tasks, I find I'm less likely to get off track. Even if I do get distracted, a timer reminds me of how long the specific assignment is taking. Try and work in thirty minute chunks of time, with timed two to three minute breaks. During the breaks, try and move a bit. I wouldn't recommend getting on your phone, simply because it's easy to get distracted. Here's the schedule I use for AP World notes: 20 min: read through first segment 2 min break 30-40 min: take notes 3 min break 20 min: read through second segment 2 min break 30-40 min: take notes Keep going until all sections are finished. I try and plan it out so that I only have to do one or two segments a night, but even if I have to do the entire chapter, it's so much easier to do it in parts. In the next part, I'll cover outlining and note-taking strategies. Bye! |
AuthorMegan. Student. I wrote this. Archives
April 2015
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