Note Taking ~ Unit Introduction

Students' experiences at Hidden Villa are very personal. Accordingly, their Hidden Villa notes should also be very personal - filled with the things that caught their own interest, delighted them, puzzled them or seemed of great importance to them. Before you embark on your Hidden Villa field trip, you will probably have already planned the projects your students will be working on back in class. I have found that it can be extremely helpful to give students a brief overview of the project(s) before the field trip. In this way, students can prompt their minds to notice those things they think will be helpful. However, students should NEVER be given a list of things on which to take notes. This stifles their ability to participate fully in the field trip and stunts the development of their independent note taking skills.

Some students may already have an idea about how to take notes, without being specifically taught. However, the majority of our students need structured lessons in order to be successful. In this short unit you will guide your students in learning three different types of notes: diagrams, informational notes and personal notes. If you have already taught your students to take notes in your classroom in a particular way, by all means simply explain how to apply this skill to their field trip.