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50 min
Student Lesson
Lesson 30: Taking Notes on Research
Content
Students will learn how to paraphrase and record relevant information from their sources to answer their research inquiry question.
Language
Students will use attribution phrases and clause restructuring to paraphrase source ideas and explain how evidence answers a research question.
How do different disciplines and traditions, including scientific inquiry and cultural knowledge, help us understand our relationship to the natural world?
Knowledge-Building:
Students continue learning about the research process by building an understanding of how to avoid plagiarism as they take notes on their research sources.
Enduring Understanding:
When knowledge is shared across generations and worldviews, it can restore balance between people and the planet.
Future Lessons:
In Lesson 31, students create synthesis paragraphs about their research. In Lesson 32, students learn how to cite sources from their research.
Unit Performance Task:
Students need accurate notes and proper attribution to explain research clearly without plagiarizing when they do their final presentation.
| Lesson Flow | Purpose of Learning Experience |
|---|---|
Launch5 Minutes | Students discuss what plagiarism is with a partner. |
Literacy Lab10 Minutes | Students learn how to paraphrase source material, avoid plagiarism, and decide when to quote directly. |
Learning in Action30 Minutes | Part A: How to Take Notes on Research (W.8.8) Students learn how to read and take notes on their research using a 3-Column Chart. Part B: Take Notes from Your Own Sources (W.8.8) Students read and take notes on their research sources. |
Material List
Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer, adapted by Monique Gray Smith, Illustrations by Nicole Neidhardt
Unit 3 Lesson 30 Student Edition
3-Column Chart
Routines
Think-Pair-Share
Quick Write
Display the word plagiarism and its definition. Review the term with students before having them discuss the following question with a partner.
plagiarism: using someone else’s words or ideas without giving credit
Transition students to working with a partner.
Say these Directions: Think about the definition of the word plagiarism and discuss the following question with your partner.
Display the following question:
How do you incorporate evidence from a source into a report without plagiarizing?
I can read a section, identify the key idea, and restate it in my own words while naming the source. If the exact wording is important, I can use quotation marks and include a citation from the text itself.
Say: Today, we will discuss how to take notes on your research without plagiarizing by practicing how to paraphrase and attribute evidence accurately.
Paraphrasing Without Plagiarizing
Students learn how to paraphrase without plagiarizing while taking notes on their research.
Say: Plagiarism happens when a writer uses someone else’s words or ideas without giving credit. Researchers avoid plagiarism by paraphrasing, quoting when needed, and clearly naming their source. Paraphrasing means keeping the meaning of a source while changing both the wording and sentence structure.
Display the following quotation from Braiding Sweetgrass.
“Here the ritual burning of the headland cemented the people's connection to salmon, to one another, and to the spirit world, but it also created biodiversity. The ceremonial fires converted forests to fingers of seaside prairie, islands of open habitat in a matrix of fog-dark trees. Burning created the headland meadows that are home to fire-dependent species that occur nowhere else on earth” (pp. 214–215).
Say these Directions: Let’s practice all together. Rewrite the following quotation in your own words by using paraphrasing. Begin with an attribution phrase to the author.
Display the following quotation from Braiding Sweetgrass.
“Old-growth cultures, like old-growth forests, have not been exterminated. The land holds their memory and the possibility of regeneration. They are not only a matter of ethnicity or history but of relationships born out of reciprocity between land and people” (p. 247).
Instruct students to practice paraphrasing this quotation in their own words.
According to Kimmerer, cultures that have been around for a long time are still here, supported by the land and the concept of reciprocity.
Say: Sometimes, you may want to keep a short phrase from the original text if it is especially precise or meaningful. In that case, you can include it as a direct quote within your sentence
Display the following example:
According to Kimmerer, ceremonial burning created a species habitat found “nowhere else on earth” (p. 215).
Say: Notice that the exact words are inside quotation marks and the source is named. A quote may be better than a paraphrase when the author’s exact words are especially clear, powerful, or precise, like “nowhere else on earth.”
Check for Understanding
Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.
Reflection |
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Reflect on your ability to paraphrase text without copying the exact ideas of the author using the Reflection routine.
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Provide each student with a copy of the 3-Column Chart. Tell students that they will use this chart to take notes on their sources during today’s lesson.
Say these Directions: Today, we are going to use the 3-Column Chart to take notes on our research. Create the chart below with the following headings.
Display a model 3-column chart. Instruct students to label the columns in their chart as follows.
Source Title, Author, URL, Date Retrieved | Important Information from the Source | How This Source Answers My Research Inquiry Question |
|---|---|---|
Model for students how to take notes on one of their sources using the 3-Column Chart.
Display a model inquiry question:
How does cultural burning support ecological balance and community relationships?
Say: First, I record the source information so I can track where my ideas come from. Next, I read a small section, not the whole text, and ask: Which details help answer my inquiry question? Then, I paraphrase those ideas in short bullet points. I do not copy sentences. Finally, I explain how the notes connect to my inquiry question. This helps me turn notes into evidence for thinking, not just a list of facts.
Say: Review the model example of research note-taking.
Provide students with time to review the model example.
Source Title, Author, URL, Date Retrieved | Important Information From the Source | How This Source Answers My Research Inquiry Question |
|---|---|---|
Braiding Sweetgrass (Young Readers Edition), Robin Wall Kimmerer, print text, 4-7-2026 |
| Shows cultural burning supports both biodiversity and relationships, which explains ecological balance and reciprocity |
Ask: How does this model source help answer the inquiry question?
It shows that cultural burning supports both ecosystems and relationships. This answers both parts of the question about ecology and community.
Say these Directions: Use these steps as you take notes on your research.
Display the steps for taking research notes.
Research Note-Taking
Start a new row for each source.
Record source details in Column 1.
Read one section at a time.
Identify key ideas that answer your question.
Paraphrase in Column 2 (bullet points).
Explain the connection in Column 3.
Teacher Tip | |
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If needed, remind students that a print text may not have a URL but that it still needs the title, author, and where it was accessed. |
Students work independently to read their research and take notes.
Say these Directions: Work independently to read and record notes on your sources using your 3-Column Chart. Read a small section at a time, then paraphrase and record only the information that helps answer your inquiry question.
Provide time for students to read and take notes on their sources using their 3-Column Charts. Circulate and provide feedback on paraphrasing, attribution, and how well notes connect to the inquiry question.
Teacher Tip |
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Display the following scaffolds to support students’ individual note-taking if necessary.
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As you circulate and confer with students, use prompts such as:
What did you learn from this source?
Which note best answers your question?
Are you paraphrasing in your own words or copying from the source?
What is your next step?
Students reflect on their research-based note-taking process.
Say these Directions: Reflect on your research process. Use specific details from your work today to respond to the following questions:.
Display the following questions.
What is one challenge you faced with note-taking or paraphrasing?
What is the next step you will take in your research?
(Student responses may vary.) One challenge I faced was changing the sentence structure when paraphrasing. My first attempt was too close to the source, so I had to look away and restart using an attribution phrase. My next step is to complete notes from my strongest source and begin a second source with a different perspective. I also want to check that my explanations clearly answer my inquiry question.
Instruct students to continue taking notes on their research sources using the 3-Column Chart and their Journal.
Continue reading and taking notes on your research sources using your 3-Column Chart.