How to Take Notes in School

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By StacyP
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Note taking to get better grades.

Taking notes in school is necessary to get better grades. But taking any old notes in school is not the way to get better grades. Note taking is not some random thing you can do on the fly. You need to know how to take notes in school the smart way. There is a method to note taking that will help you get better grades in school. Read on to learn how to take notes to ace your tests and get better grades in school.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

writing paper
writing utensil

Step 1

First of all, if you want to do note taking the smart way, you need to come to school prepared. Read your homework assignment before you come to class to take better notes. This will give you background knowledge for the lecture. Why is background knowledge so important? It will make it a lot easier for you to understand the information given in the lecture. And the less confused you are during the lecture, the better the note taking you’ll be able to take in school. Your notes won’t be bogged down with unnecessary information.
Step 2

The next step on how to take notes in school is to get a good seat in class. You want to sit near the front of the class to see and hear the lecture better. This is especially important if your instructor has a soft voice or tends to use visual aids during lectures. Sitting near the instructor also means that you’ll be less distracted by your peers. This will also help you take better notes.
Step 3

Have your reading assignment out in front of you to take better notes. During the lecture, it’s good to follow along with the textbook. This comes in handy when you need to spell a work correctly or want to look at a graphic more closely. I especially like following along with the textbook to write down page numbers in the margins of corresponding notes. This helps later on when I’m studying and need to quickly find additional information about my notes. Also, if you follow along with the textbook, you’ll be able to glance at the headings and bolded words on the page to get a better idea of what’s important for the test and what’s not.
Step 4

On to the actual lecture, you want to take better notes by listening for main ideas. If you are a fast writer, you could try to write down every word your instructor says. But that is not at all necessary. And besides, do you really want to have to wade through pages upon pages of notes. All you really need to do to pass the test and get better grades is write down the main points of the lecture during your note taking.
Step 5

The fifth step to taking notes in school is to write down everything your instructor writes. Usually, if it’s important enough for the instructor to write on the overhead or chalkboard during a lecture, then it’s important to include in your note taking. Always write down information like formulas and definitions (unless your instructor specifically says not to). Even if this information is in your textbook, writing it down in your notes will help you retain that information better.
Step 6

The last step on how to take notes in school is to keep your notes organized. There are different methods to note organization. What helps me stay organized with my notes is to leave a space or two between each separate idea I’ve written down, in case the instructor adds more information to the idea later on. I also put symbols in the margins that help me when it’s time to study my notes for the test. Like, stars are put next to very important things to know for the test and underlines are used for definition words. Do whatever works best for you to keep your notes organized.