Mini-Lesson

Taking Notes

Mini-Lesson: Grades 4-6

Objective: Students will take notes as they read a news story.

1. Tell students that President Bush is visiting five countries on the continent of Africa this week. Provide each student with a copy of the timeforkids.com news story, A Call for Action, and a political map of Africa. Have students identify on the map the five countries that the President is visiting: Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia.

2. As students read the article, have them record notes about each country near its location on the map. Encourage them to code their notes by jotting down a plus sign next each positive detail and a minus sign next to each challenge the country is facing.

3. Have students share their marked-up map with a partner. Challenge them to add to their notes by researching another African country online or at the library.