Focused Note-Taking
Phase 2
Phase 2
A collection of strategies and ideas to use for planning and implementing the processing phase of the focused note-taking process.
Instructional Steps
Processing the Notes
Content Recreation
Guided Paraphrase
Timed Note Share
Top 5
30 - Second Expert
Keyword Brainstorm
The Curve of Forgetting
Keyword Brainstorm
As a collaborative way to initiate the initial processing of notes, use the Whip-Around collaboration strategy to allow students to brainstorm in round-robin fashion and highlight key words and vocabulary in their notes. The words can be compiled to create a digital or paper community word bank to use for further writing or speaking opportunities or lessons about the topic.
Guided Paraphrase
Use a Think–Say–Write strategy to paraphrase using guiding questions posed by the instructor. Students think for 30–60 seconds, share with a partner, receive feedback, and then add to their notes in writing.
Possible topics for guiding questions include:
How would you rewrite a definition of a term in your own words?
What would be an example of _______?
How is _______ related to _______?
What might be confusing about this topic to someone else?
Why is this important or significant?
What are some other ways to say this?
Timed Note Share
After students have divided the notes into chunks, give students one minute each to select one chunk and share their answers to the following questions with a partner or trio:
The most important thing I learned in this chunk of my notes is…
Something that is still a little foggy is… /Something I want to know more about is…
Top 5
Ask students to identify and mark (highlight or circle) the top five most important words or terms in the notes. Then have students explain to a partner why they selected those words. An optional extension is to ask students to mark the next five words in importance if the notes are complicated. Add the words to a digital or paper community word bank.
Content Re-creation
Students attempt to re-create the content of the lecture, video, or reading using the keywords they highlighted in their notes to guide them. Re-creations can be oral (as in a Pair–Share) or written (as in a quickwrite).
30 - Second Expert
To review the content of notes after processing, ask students to form pairs. Partner A explains one topic he or she is an “expert” on for 30 seconds using the stem, “One topic from my notes that I have expert understanding of is…” Partner B then paraphrases what Partner A said (for 30 more seconds) with the stem, “According to (expert’s name), _________. Did I get it right?” Partners then switch roles and complete the process again.
Phase 2- FNT
Michelle Wiesend-Befort
Created on October 23, 2025
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Transcript
Focused Note-Taking
Phase 2
Phase 2
A collection of strategies and ideas to use for planning and implementing the processing phase of the focused note-taking process.
Instructional Steps
Processing the Notes
Content Recreation
Guided Paraphrase
Timed Note Share
Top 5
30 - Second Expert
Keyword Brainstorm
The Curve of Forgetting
Keyword Brainstorm
As a collaborative way to initiate the initial processing of notes, use the Whip-Around collaboration strategy to allow students to brainstorm in round-robin fashion and highlight key words and vocabulary in their notes. The words can be compiled to create a digital or paper community word bank to use for further writing or speaking opportunities or lessons about the topic.
Guided Paraphrase
Use a Think–Say–Write strategy to paraphrase using guiding questions posed by the instructor. Students think for 30–60 seconds, share with a partner, receive feedback, and then add to their notes in writing. Possible topics for guiding questions include: How would you rewrite a definition of a term in your own words? What would be an example of _______? How is _______ related to _______? What might be confusing about this topic to someone else? Why is this important or significant? What are some other ways to say this?
Timed Note Share
After students have divided the notes into chunks, give students one minute each to select one chunk and share their answers to the following questions with a partner or trio: The most important thing I learned in this chunk of my notes is… Something that is still a little foggy is… /Something I want to know more about is…
Top 5
Ask students to identify and mark (highlight or circle) the top five most important words or terms in the notes. Then have students explain to a partner why they selected those words. An optional extension is to ask students to mark the next five words in importance if the notes are complicated. Add the words to a digital or paper community word bank.
Content Re-creation
Students attempt to re-create the content of the lecture, video, or reading using the keywords they highlighted in their notes to guide them. Re-creations can be oral (as in a Pair–Share) or written (as in a quickwrite).
30 - Second Expert
To review the content of notes after processing, ask students to form pairs. Partner A explains one topic he or she is an “expert” on for 30 seconds using the stem, “One topic from my notes that I have expert understanding of is…” Partner B then paraphrases what Partner A said (for 30 more seconds) with the stem, “According to (expert’s name), _________. Did I get it right?” Partners then switch roles and complete the process again.