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: 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