Take Notes, Paraphrase, Categorize, and Cite Sources

Gather relevant information, take notes, paraphrase instead of copying, categorize information, list sources, and draw evidence from texts.

How the lesson starts: Take Notes, Paraphrase, Categorize, and Cite Sources

Mina's fact nest
Mina the magpie collects shiny things. Her favorite shiny things are facts! But her nest is a mess. She copied whole pages into her notes. Let's help Mina take short, smart notes.
Find the key fact
Mina reads one source sentence. Giant pandas spend up to 14 hours a day eating bamboo. What's the key fact? Pandas, bamboo, and up to 14 hours. Those are the words worth keeping in her note.
Choose the best note
Which note is best? The first keeps the key fact in short, new words. The second copies every word. The third gets the fact wrong. The fourth is true, but the key fact is gone. Mina picks the first.