Sketchnotes: A Strategy for Individualized Note-Making

Do you prefer wide-ruled or college-ruled paper? That was a question I posed to a group of teachers recently as they were note-making. Of the sixty or so adults in the room, only five preferred wide-ruled paper, myself included. The question was posed out of curiosity but has since stuck with me as a piece […]

Written By aperkins

On January 14, 2025
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Do you prefer wide-ruled or college-ruled paper? That was a question I posed to a group of teachers recently as they were note-making. Of the sixty or so adults in the room, only five preferred wide-ruled paper, myself included. The question was posed out of curiosity but has since stuck with me as a piece of a larger discussion. Every person has individual preferences when making notes.  

Note-making should not be confused with note-taking. Note-taking is the initial recording of information that happens as the teacher provides information during direct instruction or while information is extracted during reading of a text. Note-making is the next step. This happens when the learner actively processes the information by organizing the material in personally meaningful ways. 

One strategy that students can use to note make is Sketchnotes. Students are able to take the notes and translate them into their own words through connecting, summarizing, paraphrasing, and synthesizing to enhance comprehension and retention. The note-making process encourages the use of words and visual representations. 

One resource I like to share with teachers comes from educator, author, and illustrator David Rickert. He has sketched and embedded an infographic in his online article How to Draw Sketchnotes that offers a menu of sorts to help students understand the choices they have in individualizing their notes. It makes for an easily accessible resource!

Because note-making is personalized, no two products will look the same even though the content they are processing is the same. Because of this, it is important to provide a variety of models for students in how content could be organized when using Sketchnotes. There are key features to Sketchnotes that will help students organize their thinking: pattern (i.e., mind map, concept map, flowchart), frames, connectors/separators, bullets, and fonts. Provide a mini-lesson to define the vocabulary, including a Think Aloud modeling its use in context. 

It is important that students understand that Sketchnotes are NOT doodles. Doodles are absentminded scribbles or drawings like the infamous ‘90s “S” doodled in margins of worksheets across high schools. Sketchnotes, on the other hand, are intentional. We also want to be intentional in providing success criteria that are discussed before engaging with the assignment and referencing during the process. To invite metacognition, ask students to pause to consider responses to the following questions:

  • I picked the pattern _____ because _____.
  • I chose the frame(s) _____ because _____.
  • I selected the connector(s) _____ because _____.
  • I selected the separator(s) _____ because _____.
  • I picked the bullet(s) _____ because _____.
  • I decided on the font _____ because _____.

It is also important for students to receive formative feedback from their peers, using a structured student-to-student dialogue strategy to discuss the content of their notes while applying the Thinking and Learning Practices. For example, students might partner with a peer to share their responses to the metacognitive questions while a peer actively listens to pose questions. 

Every person has individual preferences when making notes, whether wide-ruled or college-ruled, pencil or pen, bullets or sentences. Sketchnotes is one strategy to honor those preferences in your students while also providing the opportunity to process your content effectively.