HOW TO ILLUSTRATE YOUR NOTES - MASTERPOST

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Note-Taking

Hey guys! So I’ve been receiving questions regarding my note-taking style and strategy for quite some time now but I believe I have never answered them in detail. The good news is, I finally decided to make a post about this (plus, I had fun making the graphics :D). Note that I am a visual learner, so my note-taking methods may not be effective for some of you, but I hope you can all learn something.

Class Notes

I only use one notebook for all my class notes, an A4 grid notebook whose pages I divide into two columns.

I use the outline method for in-class notes, which means I write information chronologically, in the order that they are taught. Some teachers do not have properly structured presentations/lessons (good thing my physics teacher does) so when in need, I use arrows to connect related information.

Abbreviations to me are one of the most important things to master when taking notes. I personally make them up as I go along. Some examples of abbreviations I use are:

w/c - which

w/ - with

cpd - compound

envt - environment

digenz - digestive enzyme

It might be confusing, but to me, knowing the context and part of speech are enough for all abbreviations to be comprehended.

Here’s an example: ‘Indonesia’s tsunami pre-warning system is made up of two types of components’ could become ‘Indo’s snmi pre-warn sys 2 type comp’.

After Class

The first thing I would do is highlight keywords and terminology (and sometimes formulas). For physics, since my teacher is relatively succinct, I don’t really highlight, but for humanities and biology, I look for words that would be expected by a mark scheme, words that are crucial to the understanding of each particular piece of information.

I would then check if the material taught coincides with the syllabus, and if not, note down any points that are missing or have yet to be taught. You could write these on a post it or on the syllabus itself, but I prefer to highlight the syllabus’ pdf file.

Rewritten Notes

My rewritten notes are arranged based on the order they appear in the syllabus unless there are pieces of information that are related to more than one topic.

I use a black pen for rewriting notes as well as colored pens to write keywords and terminology only. I know some people who write whole sentences in colored pens but to me that is ineffective; we all have our own learning styles. When making tables, I usually use different colors for different columns (see the table for different types of radiation above) which is most often the color I associate with each word. For example, water would be blue, ocean would be a darker shade, ice would be a lighter shade, and water vapor would be purple.

I still abbreviate words in my rewritten notes, but they’re not as condensed as the ones in my class notes. Another thing I find helpful is leaving a bit of space between separate points especially if the page doesn’t have a lot of diagrams. I can’t think linearly, so I can’t remember super lengthy bullet points.

I use mildliners and a drawing pen to make my diagrams (more of these in my biology notes) but I only start with pencil if it’s a complex diagram. I rarely highlight my rewritten notes, but even if I do, it’s usually only the headings and formulas.

I don’t have a rough draft for my notes, but I try to visualize the layout. I try to alternate between words and pictures/diagrams so that when I’m sitting for an exam, all I have to do is imagine that I’m looking at that page and I can remember where everything is.

Well, that’s all from me. I hope that this information could be of some use to every single one of you. Don’t hesitate to ask me questions if you’re confused about note-taking or any other problems you might have :)

Planning out my blog and continually staring at Empire of Storms because IT’S FINALLY HERE!!!! 🎉

hi! which extension/software are you using in your header pic? (the clock one)

hiya anon! I used the Padbury clock (http://padbury.me/clock/)!!! it’s only available on Mac computers :)

AP Cram Packets Galore!

Someone on the Internet consolidated this list and sent it to me. So so helpful! GOOD LUCK everyone!

Art History Smarthistory: a multimedia web-book about art and art history Course-notes Barrons pdfs Biology AP Biology Exam Guide Chapter Review Giant Review Sheet Calculus AB & BC Cheatsheet (AB & BC) Stuff You MUST Know Cold for AP Calc (AB) If you see that, do this (AB) Chemistry AP Chemistry Notes Podcasts Quick Review Comparative Government and Politics Government Comparisons Cramsheet Study Sheet Computer Science Review: Part 1, Part 2 English Language Rhetorical Strategies AP Language Review Environmental Science Vocab to Know Tips APES Review European History STUDY GUIDES Exam Review Sheets French Language Cram packet Human Geography Course-notes Macroeconomics Every Graph You Need To Know (YouTube) Cram packet Microeconomics Cue cards Study guide

Physics B & C Cram sheet (B) Equations (C Mech) Equations (C Mech) Unit Notes (C Mech) Unit Notes © Unit Notes © Equations © Psychology Crib notes Cram packet Quizlet sets Statistics Cram packet Inference Procedures AP Stats formulas U.S. Government Cheat Sheet Review Materials U.S. History Cram Packet: part 1, part 2 The Giant AHAP Review Unit study guides Quizlet sets Quick Review The Comprehensive AP US History Study Guide World History Cram Packets and Review Sheets Cram packets by era Course-notes Mr. Hubbs History Reviews Released MC and review books Kiwiasian’s site ‒ released MC exams, review books in pdf Chilldude’s collection ‒ released MC exams, review books, textbooks in pdf

(note: NOT MY STUFF. The MC exams have been officially released by College Board. None of these materials were acquired through illegal means.)

Teen Wolf (2011 - 2017)

It’s been a while since I’ve made a post, and I figured that these tips might be extra helpful with exam season approaching. As someone who struggles a lot with procrastination, I do everything I can to fight the urge to put assignments off until the last minute (even though I’m not always successful). 

As always, good luck! (ᵔᴥᵔ)

MICROSOFT WORD HAS A FUCKING “INSERT CITATION” BUTTON WHY THE FUCK DID NO ONE EVER TELL ME THIS IS SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION FUCK THE SCHOOL SYSTEM THIS IS MICROSOFT WORD 2007 I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF THIS IN HIGHSCHOOL WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK I HATE EVERYTHING

reblog if it’s 100% okay for your followers to message you and tell you how productive they’ve been or how they aced a final exam or even just talk about their new study supplies