Effective Note-Taking

with Graphic Organizers

Overview of the Project

Title: Design Blueprint for Effective Note-Taking using Graphic Organizers
Instructional Designers: Robin J, Nichole W, Deanne C, Audrey S, Corey S
Client’s Information: Cobb County Elementary School, 3rd grade

Overview of the Topic

Introduction and Rationale
Note-taking skills are a vital component of any student’s academic success. Throughout their
educational careers, students will receive information via print, visuals, direct instruction, audio,
etc. The 21st century has moved learning from a stagnate set of skills to an “informational age”
where students are inundated with information at a never before seen rate and through multiple
mediums. With this shift in society comes the educator’s responsibility to teach students how to
organize the information and group it in a way that is conducive to meaningful learning and
retention. Utilizing graphic organizers provides a visual representation of information, similar to
the way our brain organizes information using schemas (Lindon & Brodie, 2016).

Description of the Context and the Learners

Context and Audience
The following lessons will take place in a third grade classroom. The teacher will teach the
lessons to a class of 19 heterogeneous students and then again to a class of 24 heterogeneous
students. All of the students have had limited experience with graphic organizers, in the form of
teacher directed instruction and teacher led “fill-in-the-blank”. None of the students have had
any experience in note taking. When given a story in print, 7% percent of the students (3 out of
43) were able to adequately take notes that included the main idea and supporting details of the
story. When read aloud to the students, 5% (2 out of 43) were able to take notes that included
the main idea and sufficient supporting details.

Ninety- three percent of the students were excited about learning how to take notes using
various graphic organizers. The teacher is knowledgeable in various online and technology
programs that are used to take notes and organize information. The teacher is excited about
scaffolding participation and enabling the students to become active learners in their education
rather than passive receivers of predetermined information.
Needs Assessment
Closing the Gap
According to Robert Marzano, “What students already know about the content is one of the
strongest indicators of how well they will learn new information…” (2009). Beginning the
lessons by activating prior knowledge and allowing students to articulate ideas helps students to
make connections and create meaning. Scaffolding is the next step in each module. The
teacher guides the students as they extricate relevant information to write then slowly
relinquishes responsibility and transfers it over to the students. This encourages the students to
take ownership of the note-taking process and promotes student engagement. Students are
then able to master note-taking through practice or “practice fields” using technology (Barab &
Duffy, 2000). Tools such as Padlet, OneNote, Seesaw, student and teacher created graphic
organizers are incorporated to provide students with a variety of medium to practice and
demonstrate understanding. Using the rubric to assess students’ note-taking skills allows the
teacher to accurately determine if the lessons were successful or if instructional design revisions
are needed.

Design Components

Design Module 1: Time period, 2 classroom days

Instructional Goal and Learning Objectives
Students will recognize relevant information during instruction and discussion.
Students will separate the content into highly organized and easy to understand parts.

Instructional Approach
Project based learning, rationale- The nature of the performance gap or obstacle within our
school is an obstacle that can only be overcome by putting the student in control, otherwise
known as student-centered. Note taking using a graphic organizer, notebook, or computer is
a skill students master through hands on practice. It is largely dependent on the individual to
determine importance, organization, and synthesis of information. The skill of note taking is
also, therefore, a skill in self motivation and self regulation. As teachers, we understand the
importance of good note taking skills, though we see that a very small portion of our students
are capable of taking notes in order to have study materials and learning supports. The only
solution to the performance gap must be a lesson to reteach those students who did not
achieve this skill early on. Additionally, we desire a technology based format for the project
based assessments that may develop students in a way that plays to student strengths.

Module Lesson Plan Outline

1. Introduction to note-taking:
https://youtu.be/X6DwSdFjRTs Video is a teacher read visual aid that provided a brief
overview of the topic. After viewing the video, the teacher can engage the students in
a discussion about note taking and note taking tools (graphic organizers). Some
possible questions are:
● why are notes important to student success?
● What does note taking mean to you?
● How many students know how to take notes but do not? Why ?
● Teacher can transition by offering a different perspective such as: It's just a
snapshot of something bigger that is happening. Think of a trip to disney
world- a picture of everyone smiling and laughing tells the whole story in just a
glance. Notes are the same- it's just a snapshot or reminder of a bigger
lesson.
2. Activate Prior Knowledge:
The objective in this step is to connect the students to content. We also want to link
students to prior knowledge- On a sheet of paper students are asked “how do you like
to remember things?”

This activity would also work as a poll on kahoot if the teacher were so inclined. Survey:
 ● It is important to have a personal record of information?
● Do you keep a diary or journal?
● Do you text messages?
● Do you ever leave reminders for yourself?
● Alexa, set a reminder?
● Social media reminders of birthdays?
● A calendar?
● Do you ever draw a picture to show how you feel or how your day went?
3. Analysis: Using the data gathered in the poll/survey, the teacher should be able to
gauge the depth of student ability in note taking or use of graphic organizers. This
data is also important to develop a positive culture within the classroom. In other
words, students should not be “lost” moving in to the instructional activities. The
teacher can use this transitional time to answer questions or correct common
misconceptions about note taking or graphic organizers. It is most important that
students see the skill as potentially useful and something they already use on a daily
basis. Prepare students for instructional activities. Students will need a computer, a
pencil, and one handout of a Venn Diagram.
Instructional Activities

1. The traditional graphic organizer: Students, as a whole group, listen to a popular story
being read aloud. They are asked to write details of two different characters on a
Venn diagram as practice. This task also serves as data for the teacher on varied
degrees of ability within the classroom. The book titled “The adventures of Captain
Underpants” is wildly popular with the age group and will most certainly engage the
students. The book takes approximately 9 minutes, but the teacher may want to take
time to pause between pages to give students a chance to write on their organizer.
Students Compare and Contrast the two main characters, George and Harold.
Students are asked to write down two unique things about each as well as two things
they have in common. After completion of the book and activity, students pair up to
share what they came up with and to see what others wrote down.

https://youtu.be/BpWjueaynRw
2. Padlet for Note taking/ organizing content: Students practice journaling using
Padlet. Padlet allows for students to leave digital short notes/texts in a social media
like environment that can only be seen by teacher and student. Students can be
creative as they like in theme and design of their unique “wall” of information they
deem important. The assignment should be unique to each student as a way to
differentiate. For example, questions could be “what is your favorite thing to do,”
“your best vacation ever,” or “a day in the life of me and my friends.” Whatever the
question it should allow for summarization of content. The teacher should expect at
least 10 minutes for a short tutorial of padlet, though in my experience students
recognize the features very quickly as it is a natural progression from smart phone and
tablet use. If the student has any social media experience, padlet is a very easy
transition. Students should leave notes in words, picture, or media form. At least 6
posts are necessary for proper assessment. See example below:
Assessment Activities:
The first activity in which students listen to a book and complete a Venn Diagram will be
assessed informally. After students “think, pair, share” with their individual graphic organizers,
they are turned in for teacher assessment and for feedback. The next module could be
modified to reflect student ability based on teacher evaluation.

The second activity in which student’s use padlet to create a unique “wall” of notes, the
teacher assesses the activity using a rubric and leaves feedback directly on each student
padlet. The assessment is formative and can be modified for a more challenging or less
complicated activity based on student ability. The teacher can also use these two activities as
baseline data to form small groups in future activities or student centered projects.

50-69 Needs Work 70-85 Good 86-100 Very Good

Content Used Padlet, but Used Padlet, but Used Padlet
only had 1-2 posts only had 3-4 and completed
of notes on wall posts of notes on 5+ posts of
wall notes.

Creativity Posts did not Posts included Posts are

include any visuals some visual aids visually
of any kind. There such as picture, appealing and
was no theme or memes, color, or very creative.
wallpaper. graphics. Student used
themes,
pictures, and
other media.

Completion Posts were Posts were Posts were

incomplete in terms somewhat completed
of information complete. There using adequate
pertaining to was some notes that
chosen topic. information summarized the
There was not summarized that larger story
enough description gave a glimpse being told. The
to understand the into the story story was clear
story. chosen. through chosen
words.

Example of Teacher feedback on Padlet:

Design Module 2: lesson length 4 days

Instructional Goals and Learning Objectives

Students will recognize relevant information during instruction and discussion.
Students will make judgements on importance of content.
Students will organize content into a new context using graphic organizers

Instructional Approach
Type of learning will be varied. At first, learning will be teacher led and then it will
transition to student centered with small group practice and finally students will show
their knowledge individually. The goal for the varied approaches of instruction is to
improve writing using graphic organizers. The key to helping third graders write is to
teach them to use organizers for planning writing and then give them opportunities to
practice the skill. Proper instruction of using organizers helps learners classify ideas and
communicate more effectively. Graphic organizers are a pre-writing tool used to produce
effective writing. The only way to build fluency in writing is to practice writing and by
using graphic organizers across all subject areas it gives students the tools to master
content faster and more effectively. Allowing students an opportunity to practice writing in
segments boosts confidence, motivation, and success.

Module Lesson Plan Outline

Introduction
The teacher will introduce the lesson as a continuation of the previous lessons using the
class read aloud, Captain Underpants, and will explain that the focus will be identifying
the main idea and supporting details on each chapter read aloud daily.

Activate Prior Knowledge

The teacher will review the previous lessons that compared and contrasted the
characters of the read aloud, Captain Underpants, with the use of a Venn Diagram.
Students will use prior knowledge to think critically about story characters while learning
to determine the main idea and supporting characters in the daily read aloud.
Instructional Activities
Day one-The teacher will read the next chapter in the read aloud, Captain Underpants.
After the reading, teacher will lead a discussion comparing and contrasting the
characters (previous lesson). Then the teacher will discuss with the students how to
determine the main idea and supporting details of the chapter. The teacher will then
verbally give the summary of the chapter.
Day two-The teacher will read the following chapter in the read aloud, Captain
Underpants. After the reading, the teacher will model identifying the main idea and
supporting details using a graphic organizer on the classroom interactive white-board.
Next, the teacher will model creating a summary of the chapter using Office 365.
Example:

Day three-The teacher will read the following chapter in the read aloud, Captain
Underpants. After the reading, the teacher will place the students in small groups of
heterogeneous grouping. Each group will be assigned to work together to determine the
main ideas and supporting details of the chapter. Together they will complete the
graphic organizer (same tool that the teacher used for the whole class) using the
Seesaw App on the IPad. Next, they will write a summary of the chapter using Office
365. Students will be given the assessment rubric to use as reference to self-reflect as
they complete the assignment. If time permits, groups will share their final summary.
Day four-The teacher will read the following chapter in the read aloud, Captain
Underpants. After the reading, the student will work individually to complete the
interactive graphic organizer and use that tool to write a summary of the chapter using
Office 365. They will be encouraged to use the assessment rubric as they work to create
the summary.

Analysis
Teacher judgement based on continuous discussions and teacher observation will be the
primary forms of assessment during instruction. The group graphic organizers and
summaries written on day 3 will be reviewed to determine if re-teaching needs to take
place. Final assessment of the skill will be following the completion of the lesson on Day
4. The intention is for the students to continue to use these skills in upcoming instruction.
Assessment Activity
A rubric will be given to the students to use when writing summaries as a group on Day
3. The same rubric will be used for final assessment after Day 4 of the lesson.
Example:
Design Module 3: Time period, 2 classroom days
Instructional Goal and Learning Objectives
- Students will recognize relevant information while reading about a topic.
- Students will use different graphic organizers to help them separate the content into
easy to understand chunks.

Instructional Approach
Project based learning will be used in this lesson. Students will be able to utilize different formats of
graphic organizers in their hands-on approach to note taking for writing. Allowing students to be
hands-on in creating the organizers gives them a sense of ownership and creates an environment
where students are responsible for the work they are creating, not leaving it up to the teacher’s
graphic organizer to tell everyone what to do. This allows each individual the opportunity to learn
about note taking on a topic they are interested in, which helps keep them engaged in the process.

Module Lesson Plan Outline

I. Review of prior knowledge about note taking
A. Teacher will ask students about note taking and how they look for information
B. Teacher will discuss how to look for chunks in writing to find important
information
II. Graphic organizer review
A. Teacher will spend day one reviewing each of the graphic organizers provided:
Narrative, Opinion, Informational, Animal, Planet, and how-to.
III. Student completion of one graphic organizer
A. Day two will be spent allowing students to complete their own research through
the use of the internet and books to complete a relevant graphic organizer to
their topic using Padlet.
IV. Assessment
A. Teacher will use a rubric to assess how well students utilize their graphic
organizer to help with their note taking.

Instructional Activities
Day one will be spent reviewing each organizer and how it can be used and what it can be used for.
The class will review each organizer as a whole group to provide an example for students on how
they can be used.

Day two students will choose a topic of their own to write about/research. Students will use the
internet and books to help them in their research. They will have the option to utilize the template of
any of the graphic organizers discussed on day one or create their own, choosing the one that is best
suited for their topic. They will use their Padlet account from Module 1 to document and create their
graphic organizer, this will create a portfolio of their work.
- Activity one: Students will be asked to complete one organizer on their own using books and
or the internet.
 - Activity two: Student will be asked to complete a different graphic organizer than in activity
one. Student will be given a partner with the same topic/organizer and they will
compare/contrast their note taking/organizer information to ensure that they are both finding
the important pieces of their reading and that their note taking reflects good information.

Graphic Organizer Choices:

Assessment:

50-69 Needs Work 70-85 Good 86-100 Very Good

Content Some of the graphic Most of the All of the graphic
organizer was used graphic organizer organizer was used
in research note was used in in research note
taking. research note taking.
taking.

Note Taking Student wrote down Student wrote Student wrote

very few important down some down all of the
chunks from the important chunks important chunks
research. from the research. from the research.

Completion Padlet graphic Padlet graphic Padlet graphic

organizers were organizers were organizers were
incomplete in terms somewhat completed using
of information complete. There adequate notes
pertaining to chosen was some that summarized
topic. There was not information the larger story
enough description summarized that being told. The
to understand the gave a glimpse research
research. into the research information was
chosen. clear.

Design Module 4, Time period, 3 classroom days

Instructional Goal and Learning Objectives
- Students will identify main points while reading a historical short story.
- Students will use complete a flow map to organize the order of events from the story.

Instructional Approach
Students will understand the benefits of the use of flow maps while reading historical reading piece.
Flow maps help students obtain and organize the order of sequence of the events that took place.
This graphic organizer allows them to pull out the important events and elaborate what took place.
Students will read the historical reading in pairs and discuss the important events together before
formulating their flow map. The final goal will train the students on how they can take notes and
organize the order of events that took place from the short story on the European Exploration of North
America.

Module Lesson Plan Outline

I. Review of the use of flow maps
A. Teacher will introduce flow maps to the students and the benefits of
implementing the graphic organizer with their note taking while reading a short
story on the European Exploration of North America.
II. Graphic organizer review
A. Teacher will have the students to create a flow map detailing their daily order of
events.
III. Student completion of one graphic organizer
A. Students will read the short story in paired reading.
B. After reading the story, the students will discuss what they believed were the
important events in the story and create a flow map organizing the order of
each event that happened.
IV. Assessment
A. The students will create a foldable on the historical piece they read while using
their flow map for their resource.

Instructional Activities
Day One
Teacher will introduce flow maps to the students and the benefits of implementing the graphic
organizer with their note taking while reading a short story.
Teacher will have the students to create a flow map detailing their daily order of events as a practice
activity.
Day Two
Students will read about the European Exploration in North America in pairs. Teacher will
demonstrate how to create a flow map using Piktochart.
After reading the story, the students will discuss what they believed were the important events in the
story and use Piktochart to create a flow map organizing the order of each events.

Day Three
The students will create a foldable on the historical piece they read while using their flow map for their
resource.

Graphic Organizer Choices:

Assessment:

Foldable Rubric
4 3 2 1
Appearance
Neat and
organized with
legible writing.

Content
Information is in-
depth and
includes important
events

Illustration
Graphics are
relevant to the
information about
the story.

Grammar
Correct usage of
spelling
 Additional Multimedia Resources
● Videos & Visuals
https://youtu.be/BpWjueaynRw - The Adventures of Captain Underpants

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploration_of_North_America#/media/File:The_arrival_of_Christop
her_Colombus_to_America,_1492.jpg - Christopher Columbus

● Web-based Programs
https://padlet.com/ - Note-taking and organization
https://web.seesaw.me/ - journaling and communication
https://kahoot.com/ - survey, games, etc
https://piktochart.com/ - create a flow map

● Graphic Organizers
https://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/
http://www.writedesignonline.com/organizers/index.html
http://flashmedia.glynn.k12.ga.us/Glyndale.cfm?subpage=49941

References
Barab, S., & Duffy, T. (2000). From practice fields to communities of practice. In D. Jonassen &
S. Land (Eds.), Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments (pp. 25-55). Mahway, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Lindon, J. & Brodie, K. (2016). Understanding child development 0-8 years, 4th edition: Linking
theory and practice. London: Hodder Education

Marzano, R. (2009). Helping students process information. Educational Leadership, 67(2): 86-
87.

Pilkey, D. (1997). The adventures of captain underpants. New York, NY: Blue Sky