{"id":143523,"date":"2021-08-18T12:00:53","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T16:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truthforteachers.com\/?p=143523"},"modified":"2022-01-03T23:08:33","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T03:08:33","slug":"visual-note-taking-one-pagers-and-sketchnoting-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/truthforteachers.com\/visual-note-taking-one-pagers-and-sketchnoting-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use visual notetaking, sketchnotes & one pagers for almost ANY lesson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students are very in tune with the world around them. They learn from words and images from social media, television, and even Tik Tok.<\/h2>\n

From logos to phrases, kids will latch on to the next great thing based on what they see and hear. Think about a famous brand and what comes to mind? Most likely the logo or symbol, and the catchphrases such as the Nike brand, \u201cJust Do It\u201d and the famous swish logo. Why not take this type of memory igniting method and use it in the classroom?<\/p>\n

I like to use one-pagers and sketchnotes in my classroom to bring creativity and learning together as a way to stir up excitement and engagement in subject areas, especially language arts. Combining art and writing allows students to spill out their thoughts and ideas onto paper. Offering colorful pens, pencils, and markers and different types of paper (grid, dot, templates, blank, etc.) helps to engage students in this process. It is not about creating masterpieces or the quality of the art, it is about combining ideas, imagery, symbols, and even questions onto a page to express thoughts and wonderings.<\/p>\n

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If you are new to one-pagers and sketchnotes, let me help define what each can offer:<\/p>\n

Sketchnotes<\/b><\/h2>\n

Sketchnotes are a form of visual note-taking. This is a way to understand what students are thinking: expressions take on the form of doodles, numbers, symbols to help remember key ideas (map skills, learning about states, countries, cultures, etc.). Studies have been done on the benefits of visual note-taking, such as \u201cThe Picture Superiority Effect\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sketchnotes are a great invitation for the teacher to ask students questions about their thinking. Just like the old saying, \u201cA picture is worth a thousand words\u201d, sketchnotes offer that opportunity for students to elaborate on their thinking, and many times lead them into providing more detail in their writing.<\/p>\n

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Provide visuals when modeling Sketchnoting.<\/h5>\n

Sketchnotes lead to greater student questions. As they sketch or notate with symbols, numbers, or words, even using an artistic font, students tend to be more relaxed and think deeper, creating questions and more ideas.<\/p>\n

There is a social-emotional benefit to sketchnoting. Students who find themselves in conflict, whether with a peer or outside of school, can use this technique to share how they are feeling. Too often, students struggle with issues they simply don\u2019t understand and when given the opportunity to express their thoughts through sketching, they find a release helping them to cope. Much like journaling to relieve the many thoughts that run through our mind, sketchnoting is very helpful to students in the same way. As educators, the insight student\u2019s sketches can offer is invaluable.<\/p>\n

Sketchnoting is also very useful in the margins of a printed out article or story. Where we\u2019ve traditionally asked students to highlight or annotate, now students can sketch what they are thinking while interacting with the text on the page.<\/p>\n

Point of View takes on a new light when students share their visualizations of characters, settings, or thoughts. Walking around my classroom while reading aloud, it is amazing to see the different variations of the main character in the story. It truly takes one notice of a student’s work to have students eagerly wanting to share their thoughts and ideas.<\/p>\n

Vocabulary lists: If you search \u201csketchnoting\u201d on the internet, one of the most common ideas is using sketchnotes to help students learn new vocabulary. The act of sketching out the definition\u00a0 of a word helps students retain the meaning.<\/p>\n

It truly is not about the quality of the artwork, but the thoughts that spill onto the page. There are times I look at a student’s sketches and have no idea of how their thoughts connect to the article, discussion, or story. This is many times a turning point as students share their thoughts and ignite the discussion as others eagerly want to share.<\/p>\n

Elementary age students tend to be visual thinkers and as they grow into the middle grades the expectation of writing notes and thoughts on a page in words takes over. Sketchnotes help to bring visual learning back into the mix and offer a way for students to become more engaged in stories or text, as well as new curriculum or concepts. The visual learning aspect actually helps many students recall better.<\/p>\n

Use sketchnoting with brainstorming ideas for writing essays or reports. Encourage that initial brainstorming session to include Sketchnoting, especially when responding to a text. Instead of paper, students can use index cards or sticky notes to sketch out ideas. This offers the opportunity to move ideas around and allows the student to get a sense of flow, then structure how they will organize and craft their writing.<\/p>\n

Sketch quotes<\/h2>\n

Sketch quotes are a fun twist on sketchnoting as they offer the opportunity to highlight a quote that resonates or stands out in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n

How sketch quote works:<\/p>\n