Hello all,
I hope that you have enjoyed your time off. Now, back to our writing and
reading theme. Today we will practice note talking. Please read the following
explanation and follow the tasks below.
By the way, since this Friday is off, our
weekly presentation will be on Thursday, please check it and start working on
it!
Note Taking While Reading
When reading for study purposes, it is common to take notes. People take
notes for different reasons: to stay focused on what they are reading or
listening to, to remember information better, or to deepen their understanding
of the information. Here are some steps for note-taking focused on what they
are reading or listening to.
Here are some steps for note-taking:
1.Define your purpose for reading. Is it
to get a general understanding of the text? To find specific information for a
class assignment? Or to be able to recall information during an exam? Thinking
about the purpose will help you stay focused on the information in the text
that is relevant to your needs.
2.Preview the text to get a general sense
of its content and how the information is organized. For example, skim
headings, sub-headings, chapter summaries and charts. Getting a sense of how
the entire text is organized and what the main ideas are will help you organize
your notes. For example, the headings in the text (or table of contents) can be
used as headings for your own notes.
3.While reading the text, try to
differentiate between the main points and supporting details. It is helpful to
read the introduction to the text and topic sentence of each paragraph for the
main points. Take notes of the main points and supporting details.
Skim the following text to find out what it is about.
In today’s economy, more and more
workers are being laid off and relying on the employment insurance program.
Today we’re featuring the history of Canada’s Employment Insurance program.
When did it start? Why did it start? What’s it like today?
The Employment Insurance program was
launched in response to severe economic conditions during the Great Depression.
The Depression lasted from 1929 right up until the Second World War in 1939.
During that time, millions of Canadians were out of work. With no government aid,
families were forced to rely on whatever community aid was available. Many
Canadians lost their homes, and many more were unable to provide for their
families.
There was a lot of discussion about the
pros and cons of an unemployment insurance program (as it was then called).
People who were in favour of unemployment insurance said it would give families
enough income to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. But others
felt that such a program would encourage people to stay unemployed.
Despite the debate, the Unemployment
Insurance Act came into effect in 1941. In 1971, the program expanded, and
began to cover maternity and sickness benefits. In 1996, the program changed
its name to Employment Insurance. Today, EI places an emphasis on skills
training. The program encourages laid-off workers who receive benefits to
attend training programs before re-entering the workforce.
Employment Insurance operates like any
insurance program: workers pay into a fund, and can apply for benefits under
certain conditions. Workers most commonly receive benefits when they are laid
off. However, they can also receive benefits when caring for a newborn or newly
adopted child (maternity, parental and adoption benefits), when suffering from
a long-term illness (sickness benefits), or when caring for a family member who
is seriously ill (compassionate care benefits). Not all workers are eligible
for benefits. Eligibility depends on how long workers have been employed and
what type of work they have been doing.
Adapted from information on
www.hrsdc.gc.ca
Task
1:
- Highlight the
information you think you need to take notes on.
- Compare and
discuss with a partner.
- Take notes on
the key information.
- Use your notes
to write one paragraph summary of the text.
Note Taking While Listening
Most of the strategies for note taking while reading also apply to
note-taking while listening: you need to think about your purpose for
listening, recognize the main ideas, and make decisions about what information
is relevant to your purpose. But there are two important differences. First,
your note-taking must keep up with the speaker, so you have to take notes
quickly. And second, your initial notes will follow the order and outline of
the speaker’s talk, so you may need to review and re-organize your notes later
so that they make sense to you.
Here are some tips for effective note taking while listening:
1.Listen carefully to the introduction of
the presentation because most presenters will give an overview of their talk in
the introduction.
2.Use symbols and abbreviations to speed
up the process of taking notes. You can develop your own system of symbols and
abbreviations, but make sure you use them consistently so that you always
remember what they mean.
3.Listen for phrases (signposts) that
indicate how the presentation is organized and signal different parts of a
presentation/lecture. For example:
a)
Introducing the topic: The topic of my presentation
today is ...; I intend to show that ...
b)
Indicating the organization: First, I’d like to talk
about ...; In the second place ...; And finally..
c)
Reviewing information: As I mentioned previously ...;
It’s clear that ...; You probably remember that ...
d)
Emphasizing information: I’d like to stress that ...;
The main point is that ...
e)
Starting a new point: I’d like to move on to ...; Now
let’s turn to ...
4.Listen for logical connectors that
express the relationship between ideas. For example, as a result of, in
contrast to, although.
Task 2:
- How many parts
are in the talk?
- Write the main
topics that the presentation will address. Take notes on key
information.
- Write headings for your
notes.
- Compare your notes with two
of your peers and discuss the strategies you used (listening for key words,
using abbreviations, using a chart).
- List all the new vocabulary
that you have picked from the presentation and use them in sentences of your
own.
