Don’t just take notes, take ‘sketch notes’.

Usually when we ask our students to take notes, they use bullet points and text only. Sketch notes are different. They are unique because they combine writing with images and symbols.  They are very visual and are often much easier to read and far more memorable.

In a recent history lesson, I taught my students how to sketch note, first by showing them examples and then discussing their effectiveness.  Next I showed them this 7 minute video about World War 2 (our current topic) and asked them to sketch note it:

---

I asked the students to time lapse video their work.  This worked very well because it made the notes into a timeline of events. Here is one example:

Below are some end products:

---

---

---

If you want to use an iPad or tablet to sketch note, an option is to use the app, Paper 53 .

It is a great tool and you can doodle, insert images and text really easily.  Watch my quick video tutorial:

 

---

Have you ‘sketch noted’?  Let me know how you got on by commenting below.