INSTRUCTIONS FOR TAKING NOTES 

For Mr. Greenwood’s Math Courses, Mt. Everest Academy

 

Part of your work each month involves taking notes about what you are learning. You need to make these notes before you do the practice problems in a section—it doesn’t make sense trying to do the problems when haven’t really learned how yet. These are the requirements for the notes:

1. Do at least one page of notes for each section. You must fill up at least 2/3rds of the page. You will lose credit if there is too much blank space in the page, at the teacher’s discretion (or if you write to big, or do other things that appear like purposely filling up space but not with legitimately helpful math).

2. Put the this heading in the top right corner:

a. Name (first and last),
b. Chapter and section number (such as, “4-7” for Chapter 4, section 7).
c. The word “NOTES.”
d. Date you are doing these notes (at least, the date you start this page).  


3. Keep the work and these notes separate. The required work for the section must be on separate paper, not on the back of the notes page. 

4. Do not copy word-for-word what is in the textbook. Put the information in your own words, or repackage it in some way.

5. You may use the information from the examples, but you must use a different problem than the exact example problem. It’s ok to use one or more of the practice problems, but if they were assigned as part of the monthly work, then they must still be completed on the work pages also. 

6. The notes must be explanatory, meaning that you must explain what is happening. You can explain in various ways, with words, diagrams, steps, arrows, flow chart…combinations. REMEMBER: you are explaining it for yourself, to help you remember the important things, and to help yourself understand them better. The teacher will not look in detail at how and what you write, except to make sure you’re following these rules.


7. You may put anything on the notes that helps you remember what the section is about, how to do things, little or big steps that are easy to forget or are hard to do, and anything else that helps you learn the math. The whole point of the notes is for you to write down, in some form, your understanding of the math. Research shows this is one of the best ways to learn something well. You will understand it better and remember it better. You will be able to focus on the little details where most mistakes are made. You can use the notes to help you study for and be better prepared for the monthly test. The notes cannot be used on the tests, but can help you beforehand.

8. TURNING IN THE NOTES. You have two ways to do it (your choice which way).

a. Show the notes directly to Mr. Greenwood (NOT with the monthly work packet). If you do this, you may then keep them for your studying.  Make sure you see Mr. Greenwood write your name down as having shown the notes to him. 

b. Turn in the notes in with the monthly work packet, but make sure you do these things:

(1)  notes MUST BE BUNDLED TOGETHER, not combined with the textbook work. 

(2) directly underneath the cover sheet

(3) in order by section number

(4) at the beginning of the turn-in packet. 

(5) DO NOT put one page at a time with the sections they match.