Sketchnoting as a Tool for Taking Notes

We all know how hard it is to recall facts or remember things if we don’t write it down. Today Mrs. Sayre introduced second graders to Sketchnoting as a way to take notes while listening to a magazine article read aloud.  Sketchnoting allows for creating a visual story using pictures, symbols and a few words to retell the important parts.

Students were given the basics about using words and/or images to arrange their notes. The goal was for them to understand how the verbal and visual components work together to explain information.

Second graders took the water cycle and sketched how water gets recycled:  First the sun warms the water in lakes, rivers, and oceans.  The water gives off vapors that go into the air forming clouds.  The clouds produce precipitation in the form of rain, snow, hail, and sleet.  Water then goes through a treatment plant to clean it. Then it is sent to water towers that provide water to our homes.  After that, water leaves our homes through the sewer system and flows back into lakes, rivers, and oceans starting the cycle all over again. Just image we are drinking the same water that prehistoric life once drank.

This is  Ella's sketchnote of the water cycle:

The kids’ concentration on the process of creating their pages was impressive. 

At the end of the lesson students were able to describe the water cycle through illustrating the most important steps in the process.

Here's feedback from some of the students:

Anthony – “It allows you to know what the article is about.  It helps me remember things better.”

Brian – “It helped me learn more about the article.”

Marc – “It helped me with finding and writing the important parts.”

Dominic – “It’s fun to be able to write and draw.”