Chapter 7

Before reading this chapter, I thought from the title "Getting It Down: Making and Taking Notes Across the Curriculum" was just going to inform of the basic skills of note taking and ways I can help my children with note taking and making. I didn't know you could ever teach students how to take notes. When I was in middle school and so on, they never taught us "how" we just did it they best way for us with learning/reviewing the material and getting the information down quick enough before the teacher changed slides on the overhead quickly. I want my students to know how to take notes in a way that is best for them, and like the chapter says, help my students be successful in it. Yes, saying that, "be successful in note taking" does sound  a little strange but honestly it is true. Some students are so disorganized that things are scattered or not organized or neat on their paper that when it comes time to studying for test or looking back over the notes for projects, they have no clue as to what is on their paper and have to go back and read chapters upon chapters because of not knowing the correct and effective way of note taking. I never knew there was a difference in note taking and making either so this was interesting to read in the chapter too. I loved how the chapter explained and showed in different content areas of strategies for note taking and making. This was really helpful to teach me now of taking better notes, that I can use for certain classes. I really enjoyed reading this chapter because I do believe that students do need to know how to write notes correctly not only for their learning and to help them be successful but it will teach them a sense or responsibility and organizational skills for later in life.

Chapter 3- Vocabulary

Before reading this chapter, I was not too excited about it because in school I was never too fond of vocabulary or really English for that matter. When I was in school, the only "strategy" that we used in our classrooms was to write a definition, put it with a sentence, and study it for a test at the end of the week. Looking back, this did not help me at all, maybe I learned some words, but I can't imagine how many more I could have learned if I had these strategies mentioned in the chapter. I loved how one of the strategies mentioned in the book was to do a word wall with your students starting with typically 5 words and doing and interesting "revealing games to help the students in understanding and knowing the vocabulary better. I would have personally loved this if I was younger because that would be better than having 20 words all at once and not knowing what to do or what any of them mean and learning in a fun way while doing it.
 Another thing that spiked my interest was when in the chapter of how they explained and talked about how to pull in personal connections for students (own ways of learning). When students are able to come up with their own ways of learning vocabulary words, it will help them in learning themselves new words. We know ourselves and how we learn best, so when we put work into our own words it will and can help students succeed. Most student's might have difficulty in science or with social studies relating to the vocabulary words or really understanding them, but when students are allowed to put certain words like "photosynthesis" or "chemistry" it will make it easier to understand and be able to even help other peers out with it as well. I like
I am really glad that I read this chapter now and I look at vocabulary with more than just a boring perspective since I had such a bad experience with it when I was younger. The only question I have now would be are there any other "games" or activities that teachers could use to involve students in on using vocabulary?