Self-Directed Academy · Studio 1 · Week 2 · Thursday Mini-Lesson
Notes That Argue
How to take notes that build your case — not notes you'll never use.
Hook the problem. Most kids copy facts they never use. Notes should serve the argument.
The problem with most notes
Facts you'll never use
aren't evidence.
Copying stuff down isn't digging. A note only counts when you know what point of your argument it serves.
Teach the note format. Every note = these 4 fields. Model one live on a shared source.
Every note has four parts
The note
A quote or a paraphrase — the actual evidence.
The source
Where it came from. Always. No orphan facts.
So what?
What it proves — in your own words.
Where it goes
Which point of your argument it supports.
Quote vs paraphrase. Quote exact + short; paraphrase = your words, still cited.
Quote or paraphrase?
Quote when…
the exact words matter — they're powerful, precise, or you'll analyze the wording. Keep it short. Use quotation marks.
Paraphrase when…
you just need the idea. Put it fully in your own words — and still name the source. Changing a few words is not paraphrasing.
Introduce the organizer. Hand it out. Each row = one note, the 4 fields as columns.
Your tool today
The Evidence Organizer
One row per note: quote/paraphrase · source · what it proves · which point it supports. Fill it as you read — and your outline half-writes itself next week.
Release to work. They take notes-that-argue on their real sources using the organizer.
Now — work time
Take 3 notes that argue.
Go back to your best sources and pull at least three notes onto the organizer — each one tagged with a source and a job. Log it before you leave.
Remember
A note with no source
is not evidence.
Every claim you'll make next week has to point back to a source you can name.
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