During selected Social Studies units throughout the school year, students take what we call "flowchart" notes.  This note-taking technique has students break the story up into key parts, write short sentences explaining each part, and then draw pictures that will help them remember the different parts of the story.  Words underlined in blue are the chapter's vocabulary words.  Here's more detailed information on how to use the flowchart technique in your classroom.

    In addition to being extremely effective with helping students retain the information presented in class, I have found flowchart notes to be very popular with my students.  The technique actually gets students excited about taking notes!  Just think about it.  It asks students to do what most of them are already wanting to do -- draw.

    Below are examples of some of the flowcharts we have created over the past couple of years.  I hope you find them helpful.

Click on a scene of a flowchart below
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"Christopher Columbus and the Taino"

"Hernando Cortes and the Aztec"

"The Spanish Build an Empire"

 

"The Virginia Colony"

"The Pilgrims Come to Plymouth"

 

"The French and Indian War"

"A New British Policy"

"The Revolution Begins"