NOTE-TAKING
A2-B1-B2 SPRING
OMG! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!
• The first thing you have to do is
to understand what the recording is going to be about.
• Ex: You are going to listen to a recording about ………
• Ex: Today, we are going to talk about ….
While you are listening, pay attention to…
1. Lecture topic and organization
2. Signal phrases
3. Causes and effects
4. Lists
5. Examples
6. Definitions
7. Numbers
8. Key terms
What to do while taking notes?
• Personalize your notes (use symbols)
• Organize your notes : make an outline or use the outline the teacher
gave you.
• Prepare your paper according to it
- Introduction
- Notes
- Conclusion
While you are taking notes, …
• Do not try to write everything your hear!
• Do not try to write complete sentences!
• Do not care too much about spelling or grammar!
• Put a mark for the part that you did not
understand, and be careful about it when you listen for the second
time.
Use symbols while taking notes
• Students Ss
• Homework HW
• Today tdy
• Example ex.
• Minimum min.
• Maximum max.
In time, you start to develop your own
symbols as well.
• increase /more
• decrease / less
• therefore / so
• equal to / the same =
• not the same / different ≠
• At @
• And &
• Good √ / better √ √
• Not good / bad X
Lecturers use some phrases to signal order!
Pay attention to these phrases!
• First, I want to talk about …….
• My first / second / third point is …..
• Next, …….
• Finally, …….
• In conclusion, …….
• My last point is ……………..
MAIN IDEAS AND SUPPORTING DETAILS
Signal Phrases for Main Ideas Detail Indicators
• "The key point is..." • "For example..."
• "The main concept..." • "Such as..."
• "Most importantly..." • "Including..."
• "The central issue...« • "Specifically..."
• Today, our topic is…
• The first ….. of …… is …
Listen and take notes:
Compare your notes with your friend.
• MAIN: Sustainable Urban Dev.
• 1. Transport infra →
• ↓ car usage
• → public transport
• 2. Housing density
• → max land use
• 3. Green spaces
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Listen for:
• "leads to," "results in"
• "consequently," "therefore"
• "due to," "because of«
• There are two / three / many reasons for ….
• …… is a result of …..
• ……… happens because of ….
• …….. is caused by ……
• Another effect of ………
WHEN YOU HEAR THESE, GET READY TO TAKE NOTES!
Listen and take notes.
Compare your notes with your friend.
• ↑CO2 → ↑temp → ice melt → ↑sea levels
INTRODUCING AN EXAMPLE
• For example, ………..
• For instance,
• To illustrate,
• Chocolate is a good example of …….
• Our third example / way is ……
GIVING CONTRASTING IDEAS OR DIFFERENT
POINTS OF VIEWS
• But ……
• However …..
• Nonetheless,
• Nevertheless,
• On the other hand ……
• On the contrary,
• In contrast ……
• While some people believe that …, others think …
Listen and take notes:
Compare your notes with a friend.
• SOCIAL MEDIA
• Good Things ✓ Bad Things ✘
• ----------------------------------
• 1. Friends & Family 1. People feel
• - talk to far away - sad –
• see photos - lonely
• - send messages - not good enough
• 2. Small shops 2. Real life
• - show products - less talking
• - cheap - less meeting
• Work:
• Good Bad
• - work together - waste time
• - quick info - don't do work
In this activity, did you …
•Listen for basic time words: first, then, next
•Use simple symbols: ✓ (good) and ✘ (bad)
•Draw a line to separate different ideas
•Use short, simple phrases
•Don't try to write every word
•Use arrows (-) for extra information
PROBLEM SOLUTION
• Listen for:
• "The issue is..." → "To address this..."
• "One challenge..." → "Can be solved by..."
• "A major problem..." → "The solution is..."
Listen and take notes:
Compare your notes with a friend.
• Prob: food waste
• Sol: 1) portion control 2) composting
CONCLUSION OF THE MAIN IDEA
• Let me conclude by saying …..
• In short ……
• In conclusion …..
• What this all means is ……
• So, if you are still unclear about the main idea, listen to the
conclusion part very carefully.
NUMBERS and DATES
•Use abbreviations: K (thousand), M (million), B (billion)
•Write years in short form: '90s, '21
•Use arrows for trends: ↑↓→
• Listen for marker words:
• "approximately," "roughly," "about«, more, less
• "precisely," "exactly," "specifically"
• "between," "ranging from"
Listen and take notes:
Compare your notes with a friend
• 2023: renewable energy inv. ≈ 1.7T
• ↑ 24% from '22
• Forecast 2030: 3.5-4T/yr
BE CAREFUL WITH SIMILAR SOUNDS OF THE
NUMBERS!!!
• 13-30: thirTEEN - THIRty
• 15-50: fifTEEN - FIFty
• 17-70: sevenTEEN - SEVENty
• THE STRESS ON THE FIRST OR SECOND SYLLABLE MAKES IT CLEAR!
• FOR BIG NUMBERS, REPEAT THE NUMBER IN YOUR HEAD!
Listen and take notes:
Compare your notes with a friend.
•
•
CITY CHANGES
Population:
• Library:
• 19th cent. ≈ 15K • - 23K+ books
• 20th cent. ≈ 47K
• Now > 125K
• - +240 new (last month)
• Park: • - Hours: 9:15-17:30
• - opened 1873 (≈150 yrs ago)
• - trees: ±25 types • - PCs: 19 (now) + <25 (next yr)
• + 13 new (last summer)
• + 17 more (planned)
• - oldest tree: 80-90 yrs • Museum:
• Transport:
• - 28 bus lines
• - 18th-20th cent. items
• - 14 metro stations • - ≈16,700 objects
• - Bus: 13-15 min
• - Metro: 4-6 min • - Visitors: ~27K
• - Users: 45-50K/day • - Price: $24 / $13 student
Speaker's Tone and Emphasis
Vocal Cues
Rising intonation → importance
Slower pace → key point
Repetition → emphasis
Pauses → transition/important point
Note-taking Indicators:
! for emphasis
!! for strong emphasis
for key points
→ for transitions
NEW WORDS/TERMS
• Culture means ……..
• Culture, that is ……….
• Culture, also called …….
• Culture, or …………..
UNKNOWN WORDS
•Listen for context clues:
•Definition signals: "means," "refers to"
•Examples: "such as," "like"
•Opposites: "unlike," "contrary to"
•Word Part Analysis:
•Prefixes: un-, dis-, re-
•Suffixes: -tion, -ment, -ity
•Root words
Paraphrasing Techniques
• Use simpler synonyms
• Break down complex sentences
• Maintain key information
• Example: "The implementation of renewable energy infrastructure
necessitates substantial initial investment."
• Notes: "Green energy setup → needs big starting costs"
Identifying Repeated Information
•Mark repeated ideas with *
•Connect related points with arrows/lines
•Use different colors/symbols for new vs. repeated info
Priority Marking System
! Essential information
•Important details
° Supporting examples
? Unclear points (for follow-up)
Methods
• Cornell Method • Mind mapping
• Structure:
• Center: Main Topic Branches: Major Points Sub-
• Keywords/Questions (left) | Notes (right) | Summary
(bottom) branches: Supporting Details
• Effects of Global | 1. Rising temps → coral bleaching • Solar Power
• Warming on Oceans | - destroys marine ecosystems • - panels
• | • - thermal
• Key impacts? | 2. Polar ice caps melting
• ↑
• | - causes ↑ sea levels
• | • Wind Power ← Renewable → Hydropower
• Migration effects? | 3. Changed water temps • Energy - dams
• | - disrupts marine migration • ↓ - tidal
• --------------------| • Biomass
• Summary: Global warming severely impacts oceans through
• coral destruction, melting ice caps, and disrupted
• - plants
• migration patterns. • - waste
Do not forget!
• Note-taking is a FREE STYLE.
• There is no wrong or correct note-taking.
• In time, you will develop your own style and get better.
• This skill requires a lot of practice!
GOOD LUCK!