Nonfiction Note Taking

There are two ways students might take notes while reading nonfiction: notes based on structure of the text and notes based on personal agenda. Many students take notes based on their own agenda (i.e. Chocolate milk should or should not be served) but many need to be pushed to take notes based on the structure of the text (boxes and bullets, compare and contrast, cause and effect, etc.). It is also important to note that we have to encourage students to get away from reading with a pen. Remember, students are not copy machines!