Writing From a ModelWhat wonderful writing has come out of our last work shop!• a dog chasing a horse• a shopper going to the mall• a roller coaster going for a spin• a boy going to the fair• one cloud going for a flight• another cloud going for a run• a pig working his way through a meal

Each of these was unique in its own way. I saw interesting topics, great descriptive words, and loads of creative ideas.

Please have a piece of paper and a pencil ready. We will use them during class this morning.

Taking Notes

Elluminate Writing WorkshopNovember 15, 2010

Taking Notes

Outline Form1. Topic

a. detailsb. details

Point Form– phrase– phrase

Visual Organizers Charts

Webbing

heading heading

details details

heading

sub-heading

ideaidea

idea

A unique form of note-taking for:

Stick-figuring

• the less-verbal, • the creative, • or the purely adventurous

A Bible study curriculum that engages the intellect while stimulating the imagination!

PO Box 2123, Glenrock, WY 82637

Call Toll Free : 877-436-2317 Email : info@GrapevineStudies.com

Website: www.GrapevineStudies.com

used by permission

Stick-figuring

Beginner

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3 4

Stick-figuring

Intermediate

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

Your Turn

Genesis 1: Beginner

2

3 4

1

5 6

7 8

Your Turn

Genesis 1: Intermediate

2

3 4

1

5 6

7 8

Try Your Hand at Stick-figuringSocials / English / BibleOrigin StoriesReview the Creation story. Discuss how the Creation story was kept “pure” and how other stories have changed over time. Use the Creation story as a reference (a measuring rod) while you listen to other origin stories. Listen for fragments of Truth. Listen for distortions. Listen for outright differences. Devise a system for analyzing and identifying the similarities and differences.

Example: • Stick figure the sequence of events• Circle events that are true to the original creation

story.• Underline events that are distortions of Truth.• Lightly X events that are totally outside the framework

of the original Creation story.

History• Select a historical event or story• Show the basic sequence of events.

Science / EnglishYou’ve read independently or as a group and now it is time for narration. Consider using stick-figuring as your mode of delivery.

Literature Approach• Identify your main character (human or otherwise). • Show the basic sequence of events.• Challenge older learners to go back and add details

and specialized symbols. • Orally “read” from your notes or use them to

prepare a written composition.

Explain a Process• Identify the process - Make sure you are dealing with

a process rather than a simple “how to”. Simple processes would include the water cycle, seed cycle, a migration route, or the life cycle of a frog. (imagine stick figuring a frog!) The evolutionary process could be considered both complex and theoretical.• Show the basic sequence of events.

Resources and Ideas for Stick-figuring

Socials / English / BibleOrigin Stories• The Spirit of Canada (available at many libraries or from

CHER). The Spirit of Canada is an Anthology of Canadian literature arranged in a sequence that follows the Canadian history timeline. It is a great Language Arts supplement for any Canadian history study. Like all anthologies, the stories are best read against the backdrop of Scripture as the “measuring rod” for truth.• All Is Beautiful: The Navajo Creation Story - A free audio

book ... (http://www.podiobooks.com/title/all-is-beautiful-the-navajo-creation-story)• The Creation and Adam and Eve | Free Audio Story (A good

example of the importance of using Scripture as a measuring rod. How many differences can you detect?)• Audio stories for children | Kids audio

books | Listen online or ...

HistorySee the Course Links column of your Socials tab for:• Canadian History on the Web • The Canadian Encyclopedia • Far West - The Story of BC • A Concise History of BC • The Encyclopedia of BC

Science / English Processes• google: life cycle of a flower, frog, bird, butterfly,

bee, fish…. •Water cycle: http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_c0ZzZfC8c&feature=related (animation)• Birth and eruption of a volcano

Sequences• How the needs of a baby animal are met• How you interact with the seasonal changes in

your part of the world (http://www.raz-kids.com/ See: The Four Seasons)• Harvesting plants for food• Exploring an extreme environment• An organism adapting to changes in its

environment

Notes for Success With Stick-figuring

Stick-figuring (note-taking for the non-verbal, the creative, or the purely adventurous)

The following information can be accessed at any time from the English Writing Samples link in the English Learning Plan column of your Planner. http://www.estreams.ca/index.php/english-writing-samples.html Though stick-figuring appeals to a variety of students, it isn't a fit for everyone. Try it once but don't press this form of note-taking unless the student finds it a pleasure.

For those students who tend to be less verbal or less expressive than their peers, stick-figuring may provide a strategy that helps them retain and organize their learning without causing the stress that standard note-taking forms can cause. Rather than take notes in the traditional semantic form (words), stick-figuring encourage students to take their notes in symbolic form.

Most of us are familiar with "stick people" - a man of straight lines and a female with long hair or a triangle for a dress/skirt. These figures exemplify the simplicity of stick figuring.

In stick-figuring, the goal is to capture chunks of content using very simple stick-like line drawings. As with any note-taking procedure, stick figuring is best taught in short sessions beginning with the very simple and moving to the more complex.

Notes for Success With Stick-figuring

Reinforcing LearningConcepts "saved" in the stick-figuring form can be further reinforced at the end of each note-taking session when the student is given opportunity to:

• read their notes to themselves adding details as needed• read their notes out loud to a good listener

ProcessAn early procedure might look something like this:

1. Play with the idea of drawing stick-figures to represent a concept. (try: a man running, 3 men in a boat, a family walking to town, 2 boys on a horse, a girl feeding a cat, 5 sheep, .... (simple, simple, simple ..... What is the least information you can record and still remember what it means? Use number symbols if it works for you.)

2. Read a paragraph, 2 or 3 paragraphs, or an entire section from your resource. (amount is determined by student maturity and ability level) Discuss what the main idea is. (If you had to tell me this in one sentence, what would you say?) Discuss how this idea might be represented with symbols. (There is no right or wrong way! If the symbol helps the student remember, it is the right symbol for that student.)

3. Give the student time to record.4. Ask the student to "read back" their notes.

Repeat the process each day for 4 days.

On the fifth day, ask the student to get out their notes. Younger students can use their notes to dictate a weekly e-mail. Older students can use their notes to type their own weekly e-mail.

Notes for Success With Stick-figuring

Time and PracticeIn time, students will develop the ability to take notes while larger bodies of new material are presented. Like any note-taking process, students become fluid with time and practice. "Beginner" or young students will need frequent pauses during presentation of material while more practiced students will need fewer pauses. These pauses may occur every few paragraphs, at the end of each reading section, or at the end of chapters. At first, you will give students opportunity to "read" their notes as soon as they have made them. As they develop confidence, you can wait until the end of the day's session before giving students opportunity to "read their notes" out loud.

How detailed should the notes be?These "notes" need not be particularly detailed. The goal isn't to get down every bit of information but to create a symbol that is a visual reminder for a body of content, a thought, or a concept. Even if a symbol doesn't work for you, the observer, if that symbol works for a particular student, it is the right symbol for that student.

How do we know if a symbol "works" for a student? At the end of the learning session, each student is given opportunity to read over their notes, adding in any detail that they may want to. When they are ready, they "read back" what they have recorded. If they are able to recall sufficient detail when "reading" their notes, they have accomplished the task. Working through content in this way may slow you down some or even a lot but if the system is a fit, you will generally see a marked increase not only in total retention but in how long the student remembers.