Power Notes

Purpose:  To assist students in organizing information while differentiating between hierarchies of importance

Description:  Power notetaking is a strategy used to record essential information while denoting its level of importance. Students who use Power Notes will be differentiating between levels of importance by designating a Power level to each information bit recorded in their Power Notes.

Procedure:  

  1. Model the Power Notes strategy with a common example like animals:

    2. Power 1: Animals

    Power 2: Domestic

    Power 3: Dogs

    Power 4: German Shepherd

    Power 4: Dalmatian

    Power 4: Cocker Spaniel

    Power 3: Cats

    Power 4: Calico

    Power 4: Siamese

    Power 2: Wild

    Power 3: Indigenous to Africa

    Power 4: Giraffe

    Power 4: Hippopotamus

    Power 3: Indigenous to India

    Power 4: Elephant

  2. Select an appropriate, information rich reading, video, or other source of information to share with the students.
  3. Pass out a Power Notes structure with Power 1's and 2's already filled out
  4. Allow students to use the Power Notes organizing structure to take notes, filling in the remaining levels of Power with information from your primary source of material.

Hint: For advanced students or those familiar with Power Notes, eliminate the provision of the Power Notes structure. Allow students to create their own structure from scratch as they read, view, or listen for information.

 

Power Notes Activity Sheet 

 

from Instructional Strategies for Engaging Learners
Guilford County Schools TF, 2002

Return to Cognitive Strategies