How to Take Notes for a "Chapter Book" Book Report

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Start with 25 pages in your notebook.

   You will need 5 pages labeled with the name of the book in each of the 5 sections of your notes.
   
   The sections are:
   Characters, Settings, Vocabulary, Plot or story notes, Predictions.
2. 2

   Step 2: Near the left margin on the first page of each section

   , As you read, you will need to watch for the names of people and places; also watch for any dates or other numbers given. , Leave half a page for writing down things about them.
   
   You will only have two characters on each page of paper! Every time their name is used or they are talked about in the book, the author is telling you clues about the character.
   
   Be a detective.
   
   Catch as many of those clues as you can and list them under the character's name.
   
   Age? Physical description? Personality? Fears? Friends? , The setting is where and when the story is taking place. (You will only need a few lines for each setting though, so more will fit on each page.) You don't need to copy the full description from the book, but briefly tell about it
   - i.e. "A cold dark cave" "Aunt Tillie's house in the city."
   
   Many of them you can guess at.
   
   If a word is new or unfamiliar to you, write it down in your vocabulary section.
   
   Write down the page number where you first saw the word, and the sentence it was used in (this is very important).
   
   Leave four more spaces for adding a definition later. , Write 1-3 sentences (in your own words) about what has happened in this chapter.
   
   Try to pick out what you think will be the most important things that happened. , Don't look ahead! Guess what will happen in the next chapter.
   
   It's okay if you don't get it right.
   
   One fun thing to do here is think, "If I was writing this story, what would I have happen next?" See if you can figure out what the author is going to do next. , Many words will have more than one meaning.
   
   You will need to copy down only the meaning for the word as it was used in the story (that's why you wrote down the sentence it appeared in, so you would know which meaning you needed). ,,,, When you have finished the book, you will have everything you need to do an excellent book report! You will have an entire story line, descriptions of all the characters, new words you've learned, and even notes about what you thought would happen and if the author could surprise you or not!
3. 3

   Step 3: write the Chapter Name (or number if it doesn't have a name) of the chapter you are working on (do not skip this step).

4. 4

   Step 4: Begin reading.

5. 5

   Step 5: Characters: The first time you see someone's name in the book

6. 6

   Step 6: write it in your notebook

7. 7

   Step 7: in the "Characters" section.

8. 8

   Step 8: Write down the Setting: Do the same thing for the setting!

9. 9

   Step 9: Vocabulary: As you read

10. 10

    Step 10: you will come to many words that you don't know.

11. 11

    Step 11: Plot: After you have read the entire chapter

12. 12

    Step 12: close the book and think about what you read.

13. 13

    Step 13: Predictions: Take a chance here.

14. 14

    Step 14: Get a dictionary and look up the meanings of the words you wrote on your vocabulary list.

15. 15

    Step 15: Go through each of the 5 sections of notes and draw a double line under the last note in each section.

16. 16

    Step 16: Skip 3 spaces under the double line and write down the name of the next chapter in each section.

17. 17

    Step 17: Begin reading the next chapter.

18. 18

    Step 18: Take notes in exactly the same way for each chapter.

Detailed Guide

About the Author