INTERNATIONAL INDIAN SCHOOL AL-JUBAIL

CLASS: XI ENGLISH CORE

NOTE MAKING
Note Making is an important study skill. It is a way of recording important details from a source. In
note making, the writer records the essence of the information. It helps us to understand and clarify
thinking. Note making saves a lot of time by going through the notes made. One can get a glimpse
of a lot of information from a short note.
FORMAT
There is a fixed note making format. One needs to follow this note making format in order to have
a clear and unambiguous understanding from it. The note making format has-
i) Heading
It shows the title or the heading of note. ii)
Subheading

As the name suggests, a subheading is a subdivision of the main topic. One can use as many
subheadings as he or she wants.
iii) Point
Below subheading, there are some points which are the part of the main topics.

iv) Sub-subheading

One can add more headings below the points for showing the category, types, advantages, etc.
v) Key or Keywords
The key portion of the note shows the various codes, symbols or the abbreviation used. It helps to
get a clear understanding of the keys used in the note making format.
Points to Remember for Note Making
• Avoid using long sentences as heading or title
• Never lose the main idea of the passage
• Ignore information which is less important
• Don’t use quotations, examples etc.
• Be brief, clear, and specific
• Use logical sequencing
• Use proper indention
• Leave no spaces to avoid confusion
• Do not include your own version or understandings
• Use abbreviations
SUMMARISING:
• Summarising follows Note making. The purpose of note making is usually for one’s own
personal reference. If the main points are to be reported we present a summary. It is not as
severely shortened as note-making.
• Summarising is the selection and paraphrasing of all important information of the original
source.

HOW TO SUMMARISE:
• The points should be expanded into full sentences and linked using suitable connectors.
• We need to be precise in our expression.
• The summary will contain all the main ideas of the original.
• Avoid examples, explanations, repetition.
• A summary is usually one-third the length of the original passage.

WORKSHEET: #1
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:
Effective speaking depends on effective listening. It takes energy to concentrate on hearing and to
concentrate on understanding what has been heard. Incompetent listeners fail in a number of ways.
First, they may drift. Their attention drifts from what the speaker is saying. Second, they may counter.
They find counter-arguments to whatever a speaker may be saying. Third, they compete. Then, they
filter. They exclude from their understanding those parts of the message which do not readily fit with
their own frame of reference. Finally, they react. They let personal feelings about the speaker or subject
over side the significance of the message which is being sent.
What can a listener do to be more effective? The first key to effective listening is the art of
concentration. If a listener positively wishes to concentrate on receiving a message, his chances of
success are high!
It may need determination. Some speakers are difficult to follow either because of voice problems or
because of the form in which they send a message. There is then a particular need for the determination
of a listener to concentrate on what is being said.
Concentration is helped by alertness. Mental alertness is helped by physical alertness. It is not simply
physical fitness but also positioning of the body, the limbs, and the head. Some people also find it
helpful to their concentration if they hold the head slightly to one side. One useful way for achieving
this is intensive note taking, by trying to capture the critical headings and subheadings the speaker is
referring to.
Note-taking has been recommended as an aid to the listener. It also helps the speaker. It gives him
confidence when he sees that listeners are sufficiently interested to take notes, the patterns of eye
contact when the note taker looks up can be very positive; and the speaker’s timing is aided he can see
when a note-taker is writing hard and can then make effective use of pauses.
Posture too is important. Consider the impact made by a less competent listener who pushes his chair
backward and slouches. An upright posture helps a listener’s concentration. At the same time, it is seen
by the speaker to be a positive feature amongst his listeners. Effective listening skills have an impact on
both the listener and the speaker.

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes on it using headings and
subheadings. Use recognizable abbreviations wherever necessary and also suggest a suitable
title.
(b) Write a summary of the passage in not more than 80 words using the notes.

WORKSHEET: #2
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
The epidemic of heart attacks has been attaining alarming proportion in recent times causing grave
concern especially to the medical fraternity.
To contain and control the increasing death and disability from heart attacks and to focus on
public awareness and their involvement at the global level, the World Health Organisation and
the World Heart Federation observed September 24th as the World Heart Day.
What causes heart attacks? Dr. H.S Wasir, chief cardiologist and Medical director, Batra Hospital
and Medical Research Centre lists four main habits which adversely affect the heart health. These
are lack of physical exercise, wrong eating habits, cigarette smoking, and stressful lifestyle.
The importance of physical exercise in minimizing the incidence of heart attacks cannot be
underestimated. ‘Physical exercise’, says Dr. Wasir, ‘plays a major role in achieving a long and
healthy life in general and prevention of heart attacks in particular’. There are several studies showing
the physically active people have higher longevity than those sedentary or physically inactive.
In fact, the review of modern medical literature sums up the role of physical activity in health as
‘regular physical exercise adds not only years to life but also life to years.’ It is the experience of
many modern day physicians that some patients of angina (chest pain or discomfort on physical
or mental exertion or after meals) do get relief with regularly done physical exercise.
What type of physical exercise and how much, one may ask. It is the isotonic (dynamic) exercise
that is beneficial for the heart and not the isometric (static) exercise which should be avoided by
heart patients. Weight lifting, carrying heavy suitcases while travelling, pushing a car are some of
the examples of isometric exercises. Examples of the beneficial type of physical activity
(dynamic exercise) are brisk walking, swimming, golf without power carts, badminton and tennis
(doubles for those with old heart attacks but fully recovered, to be started only after physician’s advice)
Walking is the best mode of doing regular physical exercise which requires no equipment,
money, material or membership of a club! 30 to 60 minutes brisk walk even or alternate day has
been proven to be beneficial. Stationary cycling or walking on a treadmill at home are the other
alternatives.
Walking up the stairs instead of using a lift if going up to three or four floors or getting off the lift
two or three floors before the destination and walking up the rest through stairs. Going up several
floors in an overcrowded lift with limited fresh air to be shared by so many may also prove
unhealthy.
Park a little away from the work place and walk that healthy distance.
Best time for brisk walk would be the early mornings before the traffic flow picks up and walking
in the parks with thick plantation. Jogging on the roads with heavy traffic should be avoided as
you will be inhaling air polluted with the toxins from vehicular exhaust such as dioxides of
sulphur and nitrogen.
‘ Before starting any physical exercise programmes for the first time, one must get fully evaluated
by a cardiologist so as to avoid any harm being done by exercise if there is serious underlying
heart disease needing treatment’, warns Dr. Wasir.
1.1 On the basis of your reading of the above passage make notes using points only. Use
abbreviations wherever necessary. Supply a suitable title. ( 5 Marks)
1.2 Write the summary of the above passage in about 80 words ( 3 Marks)