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About this assignment (note to instructors):

This assignment integrates reading and writing by providing a structure for students to take and share notes about what they have been studying. It also encourages them to return to notes taken in class and to rethink and revise the notes that are significant to them. This assignment supports all of the goals in English 101 because it helps students to review course materials each week and to consider how they will use course material and information in English 101 assignments and in assignments in coming semesters. It’s a metacognitive assignment that supports study skills, note taking, learning beyond the classroom, and finding value and meaning in their coursework by identifying the components that are particularly useful to them individually. 

This assignment is a modified version of the Zettelkasten method of note-taking. It treats classroom notes as “fleeting” notes and asks students to make literature & permanent notes out of the fleeting notes. The Zettelkasten method is meticulous. Here, I’ve modified and combined elements to make it easier to use as students develop a system of note-taking for their work. 

In preparation for this assignment, I cover note-taking and the Zettelkasten method in class. 

For ENG 101, this will be a standing assignment due each week.

For ENA, we will do this in class together in weeks 2-4 to transition students into this assignment. 

This is a weekly assignment. It is due every Sunday, prior to the beginning of the next week. I do not assign it in the weeks when students are handing in a major draft (so we do this assignment 9 times).

Assignment Overview:

Each week, you’ll spend some time reviewing our work together this week. I want you to look through the notes you took in class. I want you to review the slides. I want you to think about the readings we did. I want you to consider the writing activities that we did. I want you to think about other things people in class have observed or shared. To begin, I want you to think about all of that as fleeting notes: things you were thinking about as we went along. 

Next, I want you to create literature notes for yourself. This weekly assignment asks you to review and then decide what information you think you’ll need for the rest of the semester and for future classes. 

This is an accountability practice, helping you to develop a regular note-taking practice for your courses. Each week, you can copy and paste these questions and answer them in your own document (Google Docs, Microsoft Word, etc.). 

The first part of your weekly notes can be very quick: you can provide a few words to answer the check in.

The second part is our real work. Coming to class, listening, asking questions, and participating are all important keys to learning! Reading and highlighting or making notes are also important ways to learn, but they don’t help you to make connections and think about what you’re learning. So,  we need to take it one step further: how will you use, apply, and make this learning your own? Each question should have detailed responses in this section. 

We are going to use a modified Zettelkasten method of note-taking. As we discussed in class, there are many different note-taking methods. This method is designed to help you sort through the notes you take quickly and to reorganize, rearrange, and rethink notes that you think will be helpful in the future. 

You can read more about the Zettelkasten method here if you’re interested:

• https://www.nateliason.com/blog/smart-notes
• https://mrgmpls.wordpress.com/2020/05/25/smart-notes-a-powerful-tool-for-knowledge-elaboration/
• https://zenkit.com/en/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-the-zettelkasten-method/

Part One: Weekly Check In:

1. Date:
2. This week’s theme:
3. This week, were you:
   • Fully immersed in writing, going beyond the basic assignments for our course? 
   • Focused, but had limited time, completing just the required work? 
   • Unfocused and off track, not completing the required work? What got in the way this week? What’s your plan to catch up?
4. OPTIONAL QUESTION: Is there anything you want Liz to know this week?

Part Two: Weekly Literature Notes

• AFTER you have reviewed the material from class this week, put it away. Then, describe and explain ideas you are learning in your own words.
• Make a list of the key ideas that are important to you.
• Whose ideas are you building on? (Make a citation here for what you’ve read / explored)
• Do you see any connections between key ideas this week? Between ideas this week and last week?
• In your own words (no copying or quoting), how would you compare and contrast key ideas or key readings this week?
• In your own words (no copying or quoting), how would you compare and contrast key ideas or key readings this week to previous weeks?
• What are your thoughts and ideas about the key ideas or key readings this week? What do you want to remember? How will you use it? What do you want to research more? How do these ideas apply to your life and interests? To your academic and career goals?
• Any surprises? Are there things that popped up in your thinking about this idea that surprised you? Is there something you want to explore further, extending your thinking?