2021 TERM2 Note-Taking Final SB

Listening and note-taking skills - Term II (Student’s book)
BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀ NỘI
NGHIÊN CỨU, BIÊN SOẠN

GIÁO TRÌNH LUYỆN KỸ NĂNG NGHE HIỂU VÀ GHI CHÉP – HỌC KỲ II
(Giáo trình dành cho sinh viên)
Nhóm thực hiện: ThS Nguyễn Thị Phương Mai (chủ nhiệm)
ThS Nguyễn Quỳnh Hoa
ThS Nguyễn Thị Thư


ENLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES DEPARTMENT
LISTENING AND NOTE-TAKING SKILLS _ TERM 2
Student’s book
Nguyen Thi Phuong Mai M.A.
Nguyen Quynh Hoa M.A.
Nguyen Thi Thu M.A.
HANOI, 2020
1

Introduction
To the students
Listening and note-taking skills is designed for learners of English in general and for students in
English Specific Purposes Department in Term 2. So user-friendly is it that this book can be used
for self-study on your own. The content and exercises will help you sharpen listening and note-
taking skills when you listen to a talk or a lecture. On top of that focusing on one factor at the
expense of the others is the common constraint of many of you; hence, you will be equipped with
essential note-taking skills, short term memory skills and a wide range of vocabulary, enhancing
your competence in comprehending the talks and taking notes simultaneously.
To the teachers
When attending a lecture many students may encounter hindrances in comprehending it and taking
notes simultaneously owing to insufficient skills, language and vocabulary. The materials in
Listening and note-taking skills – Term 2 is created to address these difficulties providing learners
with necessary skills practice, a wide range of vocabulary and intriguing topics. Communicative
pair work and group work are also frequently exploited to maximize the opportunities for students
to exchange ideas and learn from others.
Listening and note-taking skills – Term 2 can be of great benefit to students when used under the
guidance of teachers in classroom. Teachers will find it confident when using this student’s book
in class since the content and activities are systematically designed. Other than that suggestions on
tasks and supplement material in aid of lesson preparation can be found in teacher’s book. The
content of the book becomes increasingly demanding from unit 1 to unit 11 and each unit purposely
focuses on different sub-skills of note-taking skills; therefore, it is strongly recommended that
teachers strictly follow the order of the book.
2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Unit Topic Skills
1 Orientation Getting to know about note-taking skills
2 Tourism Increasing short-term memory skills
3 Education Increasing short-term memory skills (cont.)
4 Geology Extracting main ideas from the introduction
5 Botany Dealing with unknown vocabulary
6 Inventions Using telegraphic language
7 Animals Handling passages with comparison and contrast organisation
8 Historical figures Handling passages with chronological order organisation
9 How it works Handling passages with process organisation
10 Natural disasters Handling passages with classification organisation
11 Consolidation Revision
3

UNIT 1: ORIENTATION
In this unit, you will:
• get to know about note-taking skills.

• understand why taking notes is necessary while listening to lectures.
LEAD-IN
Exercise 1: In groups, discuss the following questions.

- Why is taking notes important?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
- What do students do with the notes after lectures?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
- Why do the volume and focus of the notes vary from one student to another?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
- What kind of information should be written down? What should not?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
- What is a good note?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
4

Exercise 2: Match the questions with suitable answers:
Questions Answers
1) Why is taking notes important? a) Because their purposes of taking notes, their
background knowledge of the topic and their
competence are different.
2) What do students do with the notes after b) Taking notes does not mean writing down
lectures? every word you hear; you need to actively,
decide what is important and how it is related
to what you have already written. Content
words are mostly written down while
grammatical words are usually omitted.
3) Why do the volume and focus of the notes c) It should be accurate, clear and concise. It
vary from one student to another? should show the organisation of the text, and
this should show the relationship between the
ideas.
4) What kind of information should be written d) Taking notes helps you concentrate. In
order to take notes - to write something
down? What should not?
sensible - you must understand the text.
Taking notes helps you make sense of the
text.
Furthermore, the lecture may contain

information not available anywhere else. This
will be your only chance to learn and record
it. What your lecturer thinks is important, and
he makes up the exams.
5) What is a good note? e) Notes help students to maintain a

permanent record of what they have listened
to. This is useful when revising in the future
for examinations or other reasons.
5

Exercise 3: [Track 1.1] Listen to a conversation and answer the following questions.
a. What is Clare worried about?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
b. What’s wrong with Clare’s notes?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
c. What are “Notes”?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
d. Rewrite this sentence in a shorter form: “King Henry the Eighth was married six
times.”
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
(The audio file was taken from http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening-

skills-practice)
NOTE-TAKING SKILLS
Two main methods for organizing notes appropriately
LIST: The topic is summarised one point after another, using numbers and letters and
indentation to organise information in order of importance. The numbers and letters can
be used by themselves or in combination.
DIAGRAM: A diagram of the information shows how the main ideas are related and reflects
the organisation of the information. You can use flow charts, pictures, tree diagrams, mind
maps, tables etc. You can also include circles, arrows, lines, boxes, etc.
6

LIST
Example:
Oils
I. animal A. from 1. mainly whales - fat called blubber protect
from cold
2. also livers of cod and halibut
B. use 1. given to e.g. sick children etc. who need

vitamins.
2. soap
II. vegetable A. known from antiquity
B. use 1. in cooking
2. oils of certain flowers perfumes
3. for soap
DIAGRAM
Example 1: This tree diagram is suitable for classification
Example 3: This flow chart is suitable for process
Tea
native to SE Asia
drunk in China since C10th BC, C28 BC ?,
7

brought to Europe by Dutch C17
intro to USA - Boston Tea party 1773
main producers China, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan
PRACTICE
Exercise 4: [Track 1.2]

First listening - Listen and answer the following questions.
1. Who is talking?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Who is listening to the orientation talk?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
8

Second listening – Listen and take notes in the guided notes below.
Topic: Communication
Communication: - (1) _______________________________
- (2)___________________________(body language)
I. Def of b/lang: - (3) ______________________________________________
- (4) _____________________________________________
- do w/out thinking, w/out taught what gestures mean.
II. Problem of b/lang: - different in each culture
à(5) ____________________________________________________________
III. Differences of b/lang btw Ame culture and other cultures:
American culture Other cultures
Making eye contact (7) ____________________ (6) ___________________
______________________ _____________________
(8) ____________ a) firm: (9) _____________ - Less common
_______________ ______________________ - (11) _________________
b) soft/ limp: (10) ________ ____________ : acceptable
______________________
A “thumbs up” “OK” In (12) ________________
__________ not mean “OK”
9

Others - (13) _________________ for ppl

in love
-(14) __________________
-(15) __________________
* exceptions:
+ (16) _________________
+ (17) _________________
(18) ___________ • (19) _______________________________
_______________ • (20) _______________________________
FOLLOW - UP ACTIVITIES
Exercise 6: In groups of four, compare the differences of body language between

Vietnamese people and people from other countries.
10

UNIT 2: TOURISM

• understand the nature of listening and note-taking skills.
• increase short-term memory skills.

LEAD-IN

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the words in the box below.
Canada Sri Lanka China Portugal Argentina Italy Switzerland
Vatican City Venezuela Germany Greece Indonesia
1. Buenos Aires is the capital of _________________

2. Ceylon was the original name of _______________
3. Lisbon is the capital of _______________
4. Rupiah is the currency of ____________
5. Zurich is the largest city of __________
6. The world’s highest waterfall is in ___________
7. Adidas originally comes from _________________
8. A red maple leaf is in the flag of _______
9. The world’s smallest country in the world is _______
10. The islands Mykonos and Santorini are in __________
11. Leonardo da Vinci was from _______
12. The third largest country in the world is ___________
11

NOTE-TAKING SKILLS
Note-
Listening
taking
Short-term
memory
Listening & Note-taking: “dual task”

Short-term memory: a system controlling the temporary storage and processing information
Note-taking = external form of memory
Memorization helps note-takers better retain information in their memory, facilitating the
challenging tasks of listening and note-taking simultaneously.
Therefore, training and boosting working memory capacity is of great importance to establish
listening and note-taking skills, particularly during a lecture where note-takers have to do a
“dual task” and make up for the gap between the rate of the speech and their writing speed.
Tips: Training short-term memory

Develop routines
- Rehearse/ Recall information in spoken or written form after listening to a spoken
passage. The passages should be gradually graded in length to expand short-term
memory.
- Create stories based on information remembered from a spoken passage.
12

Exercise 2: [Track 2.1] - Listen to each question enclosed with three options. Rehearse and
write them down.
1.______________________________________________________________________
A.
B.
C.
2.______________________________________________________________________
A.
B.
C.
3.______________________________________________________________________
A.
B.
C.
4.______________________________________________________________________
A.
B.
C.
5.______________________________________________________________________
A.
B.
C.
13

6.______________________________________________________________________
A.
B.
C.
7.______________________________________________________________________
A.
B.
C.
8.______________________________________________________________________
A.
B.
C.
9.______________________________________________________________________
A.
B.
C.
10._____________________________________________________________________
A.
B.
C.
(The audio file was taken from Objective Pet)
14

Exercise 3: [Track 2.2] – Listen to the keys, rehearse and write them down with further facts
& figures.
No. Answers Further facts & figures
10
(The audio file taken from Objective Pet)
Exercise 4: [Track 2.3] - Listen to the conversation between Karl and his wife Jenny about
his recent holiday without taking notes. Rehearse and create a story based on what you
remember.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
15

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
(The audio file was taken from Cambridge Preliminary English Test 7)
Exercise 5: Use the created story in exercise 4 to answer the following questions.
1. How did they feel after a holiday?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. What was the weather like during the holiday?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. How were the meals served in their hotel?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. What problems did they encounter in their hotel stay?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. Where do they plan to go for their next holiday?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
16

PRACTICE
Exercise 6: Vocabulary preview.

Find ONE suitable word for each group of three sentences.
1. ________________
a) The weather here is not mild but ___________
b) Plants often thrive in ______________ rainforest
c) He has spent a lot of time searching for ________ medicine in ____________ gardens
2.________________
a) Our new living room on the second floor is light and ________ because of big windows.
b) She always finds herself very comfortable in this ___________ dress.
c) He showed an __________ unconcern for what neighbours had told him about his
girlfriend.
3. ________________
a) The government save this land for _____________ of trees for timber.
b) Thai Nguyen province in Vietnam is very famous for tea ______________
c) The first successful _____________ of England in North America was Virginia which was
re-established in 1607.
4. ________________
a) Modern humans have different _________ of fashion compared to those living in the past.
b) Travelling to different parts of the world, we are offered a chance of getting ________ of
exotic foods
c) The trip to Mount Fansipan, the highest mountain in Vietnam as well as Indochina at 3,143
meters will give mountaineers an incredible __________ of climbing experience.
5. ________________
a) There are two rubbish _____________ a day in my community.
b) Vietnam Fashion Week has launched a preview of spring-summer ____________.
c) The Airforce Museum, Hanoi houses a vast ________________ of military aircrafts.
17


First listening - Listen to an announcement about a holiday in Sri Lanca. Listen and choose
the best answers.
1. What is NOT MENTIONED by the speaker in his talk?

a. Accommodation
b. Tax
c. Tours
2. Where is Sri Lanca?

a. Pacific Ocean
b. Atlantic Ocean
c. Indian Ocean
3. Which nature of Sri Lanca is mentioned in the talk?

a. Mountain
b. River
c. Wildlife
4. Which is crucial to Sri Lanca’s economy?

a. Information technology
b. Tea
c. Fishing
5. What is there in Sri Lanca country house?

a. Sculptures
b. Lanterns
c. Paintings
(The audio file was taken from PET Test builder)
18


Second listening - Listen and finish the guided notes below.
A holiday in Sri Lanca:
Location:
o (1)_____________________
o West coast: (2)_________________________________
Accommodation: (3) _________________________________
o (4) ___________________________________________________________
o Rooms: light & airy w. (5)__________________________________________
Tours:
Tour 1: (6)_____________________________________
o (7)___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
o See (8) ________________________________________________________
Tour 2:(9)__________________________
o (10)__________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
o (11)__________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
o (12)__________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
19

Prices
o (13)_______________________________________________________________
o Include:
(14)__________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
o Extra fee:
(15)_______________________________________________________________
(The audio file taken from PET Test builder)

Exercise 9: Work in groups. Set up a 5-day tour to one tourist attraction in Vietnam for a
group of 10 people and present the plan to the other groups.
20

UNIT 3: EDUCATION
• increase short-term memory skills (cont.).
• practice different ways to memorize information from spoken sources.
LEAD-IN

Exercise 1: In groups, discuss the following questions.

- Which classroom(s) do you like to study in? Why? Why not?
21

Exercise 2: Put following factor(s) in a scale to show how important they are to your choice
of course at university?
A. Passion/Interest
B. Capacity Competence
C. Parents
D. Market
E. Peer influence
1____ 2_____ 3_____ 4______ 5_____
Least Most important
22

NOTE-TAKING SKILLS

Note-
Listening
taking
Short-term
memory
Listening & Note-taking: “dual task”

Short-term memory: a system controlling the temporary storage and processing information
Note-taking = external form of memory
Memorization helps note-takers better retain information in their memory, facilitating the
challenging tasks of listening and note-taking simultaneously.
Therefore, training and boosting working memory capacity is of great importance to establish
listening and note-taking skills, particularly during a lecture where note-takers have to do a
“dual task” and make up for the gap between the rate of the speech and their writing speed.
Tips: Training Working Memory (Cont.)

Develop routines
- create stories based on information remembered from a spoken passage.
- group items remembered from a spoken passage into categories.
23

Exercise 3: [Track 3.1] - Listen to the radio interview about “memory improvement”
without taking notes. Then answer the following questions.
1. How many types of memory are there? What are they?
________________________________________________________________________
2. How many ways are suggested by the speaker to enhance memory capacity? What are
they?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 4: [Track 3.1] - Listen again to the radio interview about “memory improvement”
and take notes.
I. Memory
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
I. Tips á memory quality

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
24

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
(The audio file was taken from http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening

skills-practice/how-improve-your-memory).
Exercise 5: [Track 3.2] - Listen to the announcement about “Evening leisure courses”
without taking notes. Then rehearse and finishing the guided notes below.
Evening leisure courses at Lancaster College
ab
Length:
(1)_______________________________________________________________
Schedule:
(2)____________________________________________________________
Location:
(3)_____________________________________________________________
A. Three-month courses:
Schedule: (4)______________________________________________
Options:
• (5)_____________________________________________________________
• (6)_____________________________________________________________
25

B. Six-month courses:
Schedule:(7)_____________________________________________
Options:
• (8)_____________________________________________________________
• (9)_____________________________________________________________
Fees
• (10)____________________________________________________________
• (11)____________________________________________________________
• (12)____________________________________________________________
(The audio file was taken from PET Test builder)

PRACTICE

Exercise 6: Vocabulary preview - Underline the word that does not belong
1.
a. He tackled the trouble with great intelligence/ intellect/ brilliance/ intuition
b. Special device has been purchased by Central Intelligence Agency to gather intelligence/
confidence/ anonymity /secrets.
2.
a. She always thinks over/ wonders about/ considers/ ponders the issue before reaching any
conclusion.
b. They have kept thinking about/ considering/ remembering/ missing their hometown since
they abandoned it to search jobs in another country.
26

3.
a. He is such a successful businessman thanks to his great business sense/ capacity/ ability/
skill.
b. There is no sense/ occasion/ motive/ excuse in continuing the process while involved parties
have had lots of disagreements.
4.
a. A good deal of / a large amount of/ much/ large effort was exerted to master this
complicated skill.
b. The two companies have made a three-year business deal/ agreement/ contract/ treaty on
exporting and importing major produce.
5.
a. Without realizing/ recognizing/ noticing/ approving it, he began to deliver his speech in
front of the public.
b. After many years researching, their inventions have been widely recognized/ approved/
noticed/ praised by the public.

First listening - Listen to a lecture about “Intelligence” without taking notes and choose the
best answers.
1. How many types of intelligence are there in traditional view?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
2. How many types of intelligence in the modern view are MENTIONED in the talk?
a. 7.
b. 8.
c. 9.
3. How many types of intelligence are there in the modern view?
a. 7.
b. 8.
c. 9.
27

4. What information is NOT MENTIONED in each type of intelligence?

a. employment
b. weaknesses
c. strengths
5. Which type of intelligence is NOT MENTIONED by the speaker?
a. intra-personal intelligence
b. visual-spatial intelligence
c. naturalist intelligence

Second listening - Listen and finish the guided notes below.
(1) _____________________________________
I. Linguistic intelligence
o (2)_____________________________________________________________
o learn lang. easily
o (3)_____________________________________________________________
o think in words > pictures
o (4) _____________________________________________________________
o recommended employment areas: (5) _________________________________
II. Logical Mathematical intelligence
o (6) _____________________________________________________________
o reason well
o (7)_____________________________________________________________
o (8) _____________________________________________________________
o Recommended employment areas: (9) _________________________________
28

III. Interpersonal Intelligence
o (10)____________________________________________________________
o understand others’s feelings & thoughts
o (11) ____________________________________________________________
o Recommended employment areas: counsellors, salespeople, politicians &

managers.
IV. Intrapersonal Intelligence
o Understand yourself
o (12) ____________________________________________________________
o Recommended employment areas: researchers, theorists & philosophers
V. (13) _________________________________
o think in pictures > words
o (14)___________________________________________________________
e.g. doodle on notes
o Have a good sense of direction
o (15) ___________________________________________________________
o Recommended employment areas: (16) ________________________________
VI. Bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence
o (17) ____________________________________________________________
o Recommended employment areas: athletes, dancers, actors
29

VII.(18) __________________________________________________
o (19) ____________________________________________________________
o Tap out rhythms in class
o Recommended employment areas:

(20)__________________________________
(The audio file was taken from IELTS Foundation)
Exercise 9: Work in groups. Identify which type of intelligence you might have and share
with your partners.
30

UNIT 4: GEOLOGY
• extract main ideas from the introduction.

• learn the language and functions of the introduction of a lecture.
LEAD-IN
Exercise 1: Look at the maps below and guess the name of each river.
31

32

NOTE-TAKING SKILLS
Exercise 2: Read some introductions and match them to their suitable function.
Introductions Functions
1. However, that’s not the type of motivation I want to discuss

today. What I want to look at is extrinsic motivation, i.e.; the
a) limit the scope of the
motivation refers to behavior that is driven by external rewards
lecture
such as money, fame, grades, and praise.
2. Because I know some of you are not from the South East
b) refer to what students
Asia, what I want to do first is just to give a very simple
should/should not write
introduction to ASEAN members.
down
3. Maria Mirror has a great chapter on autism, and I’m going to c) preview the content or
mention just some of the examples that she mentions. structure of the current
lecture
4. There are in a sense two issues – there’s a qualitative stream
d) refer to research on the
of market research and there’s a quantitative stream. I’m going
subject - this often
to deal with basically the quantitative stream of data collection
includes mentioning
first.
specific reading material
5. So today, I’m going to talk about the local environment, the

e) give background
role of local government, and also look at the interaction with
information to the lecture
the community.
topic
f) introduce different
6. I’ll be giving a handout, so you don’t have to write them
approaches to the subject
down verbatim.
Pay attention to the following signals in the introduction of a talk or a lecture.
In my talk today Today I want to consider

My topic today is In this talk, I would like to concentrate on
Today, I'm going to talk about The subject of this talk is
I'm going to talk to you about The purpose of this talk is to
This talk is designed to
33

Exercise 3: [Track 4.1] Listen to the recording and identify the topic of the talk and take
notes.
1. What is the topic of the talk?
____________________________________________________________
2. What is the function of the talk?
Which river? Where? How long? Other information

Nile
From equator ->

Mediterranean sea
Amazon
Yangtze
Mississippi chief waterway
Missouri longest 2340

miles, slightly >
Mississippi
(The audio file was taken from Introductory Course for the TOEFL Test iBT.)
34

PRACTICE
Exercise 4: Vocabulary preview

Write the correct form of the words in brackets.
1. A (evolution) process à ___________________________________
2. A (volcano) activity à ____________________________________
3. (volcano) active à _______________________________________
4. A (majesty) mountain range à _____________________________
5. A major (collide) à ______________________________________
6. (impress) height à _______________________________________

First listening: Listen to the introduction of the lecture and answer the following questions.
1. What is the topic of the lecture?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What is the function of the introduction?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. How many mountain chains will be discussed?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Why Appalachians and Cascade are discussed in the lecture even though they are not the
world’s tallest mountains?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
35

Second listening: [Track 4.2] Listen to the rest of the lecture and take notes.
Mountain Where? When formed? How long? More information

range
Rockies 1___________ 2 _________
Andes 3 __________ 4 ___________ 5 _________ 6 _________________

Ring of Fire, Pacific
Ocean
Alps
7__________ 8 ___________ 9 _________ 10 _________________
Tectonic plates
Himalayas
11 __________ 12 _________
Appalachians 13_________ 14 __________ 15 ________________

Impressive height but
16 ________________
Cascade 17 _________ 18 __________ 19 ________________
20 _________________
Ring of Fire
(The audio file was taken from Listening and note-taking skills 1)
Exercise 6: In groups of four, do the quiz below.

1. The Himalayas were built by the movement of Earth. A fancy term for the movement that
caused the mountains to rise is?
A. Shifting tectonics
36

B. Erosion
C. Plate tectonics
D. Platonics
2. The Himalayas are the source for many rivers. What does that mean?
A. The source is a type of glacier
B. The source is where a river starts
C. The source is the name for a type of river
D. The source is the downward angle that makes a river flow
3. What is the name of the highest mountain in the Himalayas?

A. K2
B. Denali
C. Saint Helens
D. Everest
4. What is a country that borders the Himalayan mountains?

(Please choose 2 answers)
A. Nepal
B. India
C. North America
D. Africa
E. Antartica
5. How high is Mt. Everest?

A. 50.000 m
B. 29.092 m
C. 5000 m
D. 10.000 m
6. What are tour guides of the Himalayan mountains called?

A. Guidence
B. Tour Guides
C. Sherpas
D. Mountain Climbers
37

UNIT 5: BOTANY

• learn how to deal with unknown vocabulary.
• learn vocabulary about plants and trees.
LEAD-IN
Exercise 1: Complete the drawing of a tree and label as many its parts as possible.
38

NOTE-TAKING SKILLS
Dealing with unknown vocabulary

New words or specialized terms may hinder the process of listening comprehension.
Without the understanding of unknown words note-takers might encounter huge trouble in
comprehending the aural input, even fail to grasp key ideas in a lecture and get stuck in
their note-taking.
Tips: Dealing with unknown vocabulary

Coming across new/ strange words or specialized terms/ terminology in a lecture,
note-takers should pay attention to the surrounding where particular words and
context might then function as clues to assist them in processing unknown words.
Often, there are some common expressions that signal a definition.

That is, …
In other words, …
X, meaning …
By X, I mean …
What do I mean by X ?
Well, I mean …
Let me define that; …
The definition of that is …
Example:
Read the transcript from a lecture and pay attention to the phrases or sentences that
the lecturer uses to signal and give the definition of “echolocation”.
(Professor) ……Today, I’ll be talking about whales, specifically about how whales use
echolocation. Do you know what echolocation is? Well, in broad terms, it’s a technique
used by whales to determine what’s going on in their surroundings. The term is
echolocation; this term is composed of two ideas: echo and location. Basically,
echolocation refers to the technoquesof using echoes to determine the location of whatever
is in the surrounding area……….
39

Exercise 2: [Track 5.1] Listen to the introduction part of the lecture in a botany class and
answer the following question.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Is the key term defined? If yes, how?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. How is the rest of the lecture organized?
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Listen to the lecture in a botany class and complete the guided notes below.
Topic: Tropism
Def.:1 _____________________________ response to outside stimulus
Classification: Phototropism; geotropism, and hydrotropism
• Phototropism:
o 2___________________
o 3___________________
• Geotropism:
o 4___________________
o 5___________________ bcoz pulled of gravity
• Hydrotropism:
o 6___________________
o 7___________________
(The audio file was taken from Introductory Course for the TOEFL Test iBT)
40

Exercise 3: [Track 5.2] Listen to the introduction part of the lecture in a botany class and
answer the following questions.

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Is the key term defined? If yes, how?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. How is the rest of the lecture organized?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Listen to the lecture in a botany class and complete the guided notes below.
Topic: Phyllotaxy
I. Background
- Def.: 1__________________________
On most plants: Leaves are arranged in a definite pattern
Unusual: A plant has randomly placed leaves.
41

- Reason for orderly leaf arrangement: to ensure that

2______________________________
II. Types
• Alternate:
o 3________________________
o a node 4___________________
• Opposite:
o 5____________________
o 6____________________
o 7____________________
• Whorled:
o 8____________________
o 9____________________
III. Assignment
• Ass.
o 10_______________________
o 11_______________________
o 12_______________________
• Deadline: 13_________________________
42

Warning: not delay ass. until Thursday evening as

14_______________________________
(The audio file was taken from Longman: Introductory Course for the TOEFL Test iBT)
PRACTICE
Exercise 4: Guess the following words in the sentences and select the best answers.
1. The trees cast their shadow on lawn, providing an ideal place for people to rest at noon.
2. Due to constant sunny days plus low rainfall, the soil in this region loses its moisture and
becomes dry.
3. The water has evaporated quickly under hot desert sunshine.
4. Being a traditional Hanoian lady, she possesses distinct personality traits such as soft voice,
delicate communication and skillful cooking.
5. Plants which have succulent or thick fleshy leaves to store water are common in arid
environment.
Vocabulary Meanings
1. shadow a. particular characteristic(s), qualit-y/ies
2. moisture b. having thick fleshy leaves or stems adapted to storing water
3. evaporate c. the dark shape that somebody/something’s form makes on a

surface
4. trait d. liquid changing into gas or steam; disappear
5. succulent e. a small amount of water present in the air, in a substance or on

the surface.
43

Exercise 5: Complete the sentences with the given words in exercise 4.

1. His confidence _______________ when hearing about his friend’s failure.
2. Plants have their distinct ___________ to help themselves survive in particular
environment.
3. It was sunny and hot so they decided to sit in the _______________ of the highrise
building.
4. Trees use their root systems to absorb ____________ from the soil.
5. _______________ stems enable the cactus to retain water and thrive in the harshest
climate.
First listening – Listen and take notes. Then decide True (T)/ False (F) or NG (Not given)
and correct if necessary.
1. The talk centers on the formation of desert and adaptation of desert plants.
2. The talk suggests man-made activities to facilitate adaptation of plants on deserts.
3. There are three major types of adaptation among desert plans.
4. All types of adaptation amongst desert plans are involved in water.
5. Five types of plants are mentioned as illustrations for adaptions.
Second listening – Listen and complete the guided notes below.
Desert plants
44

I. Background
§ Deserts :
o area: (1)__________________________________________________
o location: (2) ________________________________________________
o formation:(3)______________________________________________
§ ‘Downwind location’ à(4) __________________________________________àquick
evaporation à(5) __________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
II. General adaptations of desert plants
§ Adaptation à help plts. to survive Ø diff. environ.
o (6) __________________________________________e.g.: root sys. + internal water-

storage sys.
o (7)________________________________________________________
ß(8)_____________________________________________
III. Examples of adaptations
+ (9)______________________
Saguaro +(10)_____________________
1
Cactus: + a large network of roots à far extension à collect H2O à green stem
à keep plts. alive
+ (11)______________________________________________
+(12)______________________________________________
Barrel
2 + its shape
Cactus
o expand in rain (13)____________________________
o à (14) _______________________________________
45

Old Man + (15)______________________________________________

3
Cactus + this adapt. = (16) __________________________________
Prickly + (17)______________________________________________
4 Pear + store H20 in spongy tissue which animals will eat

Cactus à(18)___________________________________________________
Desert + (19)______________________________________________
5
Spoon + tough leaves à(20) _________________________________
+ atractiveplts w. waxy leaves
6 Aloe Plant + (21)__________________________________à hold H20 inside
+ used as (22) ________________________________________
(The audio file taken from Complete IELTS Bands 5 – 6.5)
Exercise 7: Write some examples of plants that respond to each kind of tropism and
phyllotaxy in the table below (you can write them in Vietnamese if needed)
Tropism Phyllotaxy
Phototropism Geotropism Hydrotropism Opposite Alternate Whorled
46

UNIT 6 - INVENTIONS

• learn how to use telegraphic language to take notes.
• learn vocabulary about some inventions.
LEAD-IN
Exercise 1: In pairs, match the column A and B then tell your partner what you know
about the founders and their inventions.
Jeff Bezos
Bill Gates
Mark Zuckerberg
Jack Dorsey
Jimmy Wales
Larry Page and

Sergey Brin
47

NOTE-TAKING SKILLS
Telegraphic language consists mainly of words that convey information – nouns, verbs,
adjectives and adverbs. It usually does not include articles (a, an, the or the verb be).
Newspaper headlines are good examples of telegraphic language. Telegraphic language,
abbreviations and symbols should be utilized in taking notes to save time.
REMEMBER
To take notes during a lecture, you have to write a lot of information very quickly. One way
to save time is to use symbols and abbreviations instead of writing out each word. Symbols are
pictures or marks that represent words. Here are some common symbols:
+ or & And => Leads to, causes
% Percent “ Ditto (same as above)
# Not, not the same as >,< More than, less than
Abbreviations are short forms of a word. Ways to make abbreviations include:

- Writing only the first syllables (sometimes with the first letter of the next syllable)
- Writing only the first one or two letters of each syllable (sometimes with a slash)
- Writing the word without vowels
Ex Example Ppl People

w/ With stms sometimes
w/o Without Usu Usually
48


Listen to six extracts and take notes. Try to use telegraphic language where possible.
1. Mark Zuckerberg & Facebook

- (1)_______________________________________________
- 2008, (2)__________________________________________
2. Jimmy Wales & (3)__________________________________
- (4) _______________________________________________
- 2 yrs +, (5) ________________________________________
- 7 yrs +, (6) ________________________________________
3. Jeff Bezos & (7) ___________________________________
- (8) ______________________________________________
- Started US 1995
- (9) ______________________________________________
- 1 of biggest onl. Shop wsite wrld.
4. Larry Page & Sergey Brin and (10) ____________________________
- Most pop. Wsite (11) _____________________________________
- 8 yrs +, (12) ____________________________________________
- 2007, (13) ____________________________________________
5. Bill Gates and Microsoft
- Born 1955
- (14) _________________, left college & (15) _________________________
- 1983, (16) ________________________________________________
- Win used in compt. all wrld. à (17) ______________________________
- (18) ______________________________
6. Jack Dorsey & Twitter
- 19. _____________________________________________
- 2012, 20. ________________________________________
- 6 yrs -, 21. _______________________________________
(The audio file was taken from Listening and note-taking skills 1.)
49

PRACTICE

Write the name of each component of a bicycle.
50


First listening: Listen to the first part of a talk about bicycles and answer the following
questions.
1. How could the earliest “bicycle” be moved?
______________________________________________________________________
2. In 1817, how was the bicycle turned right or left?
______________________________________________________________________
3. In 1839, what was the next development?
______________________________________________________________________

Second listening: Listen to the lecture again. This time as you listen, take note of what you
hear.
The history of a bicycle

• Earliest B. (1) __________________________________________
- Ltl wooden horse not turn R or L
- No pedals à (2) ________________________________________
• 1817, German baron Karl von Drais (3) _____________________________________

- Wden horse could turn
- Rider still (4) _______________________________________________
• (5) ___________, Kirkpatrick MacMilan design Blike machine w/ pedals

- (6) ___________________________________________________________________
• (7) __________, Pierre Lallement applied & received a US patent called “bisicle”
- Some ppl call it “boneshaker” bcoz (8) ______________________________
- 1869, (9) __________________________________________ à B more comf.
- ≈ time, front bigger, back smaller
- 1st “highwheeler” in 1872
51

- 1880s very pop., esp. (10) ______________________________________

- Fast but not safe bcoz (11) _____________________________________
• “safe B” in 1884
- (12) __________________________, (13) ______________________, gear-driven
rear wheel
- Rider sit further back à less danger
- (14)__________________________________________ 1888
- Last major innov. : derailleur gear 1899
• Begin 1970s, (15) __________________________________________ à faster
Exercise 6: In groups, discuss with your group members the disadvantages of the following
types of bicycles.
52

53

UNIT 7 – ANIMALS
• learn how to handle passages with comparison and contrast organisation.
• learn how to make a comparison chart.
LEAD-IN
Exercise 1: In pairs, jot down and discuss some similarities and differences of these two
camels.
Similarities:
Differences:
54

NOTE-TAKING SKILLS
Making a comparison chart

As soon as a lecturer indicates that he or she is going to compare or contrast two things, a
good note taker will make a chart with three columns and put the name of the two things that
are going to be compared at the top of the columns. The “main points” column is the main
ideas of comparison.
Main points A B
Listen for languages signaling similarities and differences such as:

Similarities Differences
All; both But; however; while
Let’s start with some similarities. They are quite different.
There are several similarities in appearance Another difference is …
between …
55

First listening: Listen to a short talk about camels and jot down main ideas in the “main
points” column.
Main points A B
Second listening: Listen again to the talk and jot down the details in the remaining
columns.
Main points A B
56

PRACTICE
In pairs, fill in the blanks in the pictures below and discuss the similarities and differences
of these two elephants.
57

First listening: Listen to an introduction of a talk about elephants and take notes.
Introduction:
- __________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________
- __________________________________________________________

Second listening: Listen to the whole talk and take notes.
Similarities:
Intelligence -
Differences:
African Asian
Size and weight
58

Ears
Teeth
Colour
Temperament

A – Listen to the following questions and answer them orally. (You may take notes if you
wish.)
1. _____________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________
59

4. _____________________________________________________
B – Listen to the following statements and decide if you heard the information in the
lecture. Write Y or N in your books. (You may take notes if you wish.)
1. _____________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________
4. _____________________________________________________
5. _____________________________________________________
60

UNIT 8: HISTORICAL FIGURES
• learn how to handle passages with chronological order organisation.

• learn about some famous historical figures in the world.
LEAD-IN
Exercise 1:
a. Look at the photos of the famous historical figures in the world and complete the
following table with information that you know.
b. Share the information that you know in pairs/groups.
Name Country of Job/famous for…

origins
Charles Darwin
Beethoven
61

Neil Armstrong
Abraham
Lincoln
Nelson Mandela
NOTE-TAKING SKILLS
NOTING CHRONOLOGICAL TALKS

In a lecture with historical information, remember to listen for words and phrases that tell
you when things happened and the order they happened in. Such words or phrases are
particularly important when someone is telling a story.
• In [year] • today / one day • for [length of time]
• In the winter of [year] • a few years later • as/after/before
• [length of time] ago • after [number] years • then/next/later
62

Exercise 2: [Track 8.1] – Listen and take notes of the following extracts about six leaders.
1. Genghis Khan Central Asia

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
2. Alexander the Great Aristotle
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
3. Marco Polo Kublai Khan
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
4. Suleiman the Magnificent Ottoman empire
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
5. Cleopatra Mediterranean
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
6. Attila the Hun Gaul
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
63

Exercise 3: Write the six leaders’ names below each picture.
64

PRACTICE
Exercise 4: Vocabulary preview: Guess the meaning of the boldfaced words. Then find a
synonym or phrase that has the same meaning as the boldfaced words.
1. She excelled at landscape painting.

2. In 1644, the Royalist troops were defeated in the battle of Marston Moor.
3. Several military officers attentively listened to the orders of a general.
4. He is regarded as one of the greatest Roman emperors.
5. The fire was already burning fiercely.
6. After being narrowly beaten in the first race, the second day he was the first to congratulate
his conqueror in the moment of victory.
7. It was decided that portraits of historical figures who have made important contributions to
culture and art should be sculptured.
8. He deserted his family and went abroad.

First listening - Listen to a lecture about the life of Napoleon.
A. Choose the best answer.

1. When was Napoleon born?
a. in 1769.
b. in 1785.
c. in 1804.
d. in 1821.
2. What kind of student was Napoleon in most of his classes?

a. Outstanding.
b. Excellent.
c. Good.
d. Poor.
65

3. What did Napoleon experience during his lifetime?

a. Power.
b. Wealth.
c. Defeat.
d. All of the above.
4. When did Napoleon become emperor of France?

a. When he was 51 years old.
b. Just before he defeated England.
c. After his military campaign into Russia.
d. Several years after he became a general.
B. Decide if these statements are True (T) or False (F) and explain why if the statement
is False.

1. One reason that Napoleon won many military victories was that his soldiers were ready to
fight to the death for him.
2. Austria and Russia fought fiercely against Napoleon, but England did not.
3. Many of Napoleon’s family and friends were with him when he died.
4. Napoleon died before he reached the age of 52.

Second listening - Listen and take notes in the guided notes below.
N
A • Born in (1)______________ on (2)___________________.
P • When he was 10, his father sent him to (3)___________________
O • He was (4)__________________________________ in most classes.
L He excelled in (5)______________________________.
E • When he was 16, he joined (6)____________________________
O • In (7)____________________________, he began military career.
N à bring him (8)______________________________________.
66

B • When he was 24, he became (9)__________________________. He

O had many victories (10)_______________________________.
N • When he was 35, he became (11)__________________________
A • He was a brilliant (12)____________________________.
P • (13)_____________________________ were ready to die for him.
A • He controlled most of Europe, except (14)___________________.
R • His defeat came when (15)_______________________________
T • --> He lost (16)________________________________.
E • He died alone, (17)____________________________________
when he was (18)__________________.
(The audio file was taken from Listening and note-taking skills 1, 2014)
Exercise 7. Review your notes about the life of Napoleon. Then present the information to
the class or to your partner for 2-3 minutes.
Exercise 8. Work in a group. Discuss why you agree or disagree with the following
statements.
1. Napoleon was a great man.
2. Every young man and woman should be required to do at least two years of military service
for his/her own country.
67

UNIT 9: HOW IT WORKS
• learn how to handle passages with process organisation.

• learn about different processes.
LEAD-IN
Exercise 1:
a. Work with your partner to brainstorm different things that children do at different stages in their
development.
b. Discuss and debate where to place the following events on the timeline.
(1) Can ride a tricycle.

(2) Begin to run.
(3) Brings hand to mouth.
(4) Cry when parent leaves.
(5) Transfer object from hand to hand.
(6) Dress and undress without help.
(7) Say 2-4 word sentences.
(8) Walk up and down stairs without support.
(9) Crawl forward on belly.
(10) Use a fork, spoon to eat.
68

NOTE-TAKING SKILLS
NOTING PROCESSES
In lectures, it is common for the speaker to describe a process. A process is a series of steps
you take to reach a goal. It is used to give instructions or demonstrations (e.g. in chemistry
experiments) or explanations of procedures (e.g. how diamonds are mined). When listening
to an explanation of a process, you can increase your understanding by remembering two
points:
- All the steps in the process have a logical order.
- Each step has a boundary, and often there is a clear marker between steps.
Typical words and phrases used to signal the boundary:
First, second, third ……………………….. Afterward ……………………………………

The first step……………………………….. Once this is completed …………………….
To start with ………………………………. When …………………………………………
To begin with ……………………………… As soon as……………………………………
Next ………………………………………… The final step ……………………………….
Then ………………………………………… The last step ………………………………..
Finally ………………………………………
When taking notes on a lecture that includes a process, it can be helpful to list and number
each step in the process.
Let’s look at the following example:
MAKING A MOVIE
1. Write a screenplay
2. Get $
3. choose cast – i.e., actors, actresses
4. shoot – film
5. edit
69

Exercise 2: [Track 9.1 & 9.2] - Listen to two short lectures about two different processes and
take notes all the steps of two processes in a logical way.
HOW TO TAKE YOUR PULSE

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
HOW TO DO RESEARCH
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
70

PRACTICE
Exercise 3: Vocabulary preview
Match words with their meanings.
a. the act of producing sounds or words

indistinctly or without meaning
1. Telegraphic
2. Overgeneralize b. having a concise style
3. Cooing
c. gain something through experience or
4. Babbling efforts.
5. Acquire
d. draw on overly general conclusion
e. the act of making a gentle low noise
Exercise 4: [Track 9.3] First listening - You are going to listen to a lecture about how children
acquire their language. Take notes and answer the following questions.
1) At what age do babies begin to communicate? How do babies communicate before they
know how to speak any language?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2) When do they begin to make language – like sounds? Are these first language-like sounds
the same for all babies, or do babies from different language backgrounds make different
sounds?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
71

3) At what age do they begin to say their first words?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4) What kinds of grammar mistakes do children make when learning their language (e.g.
English)?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Second listening - Listen to the lecture and take notes in the following guided notes.
Topic: (1) __________________________________________________
I. Babies:
- communicate as soon as (2) ___________________________________
- communicate by (3) __________________________ à let parents know when they are (4)
________________________.
II. Process of acquiring language:

- 1st stage:
+ begins (5) ________________________
+ babies make cooing noises when (6) ___________________
- at 4 months:
+ begin to babble
+ babies all over the world begin to babble (7) _____________
_________________ and make (8) ___________________ of babbling noises.
- at 10 months:
+ babbling of babies from (9) ________________ sounds different.
+ e.g. Chinese and English speaking home
72

- babies start to speak (10) ____________________

+ At first, they (11) ____________________ their own words.
+ Next few months, they acquire (12) ___________________ (e.g. for food or
toys)
- at 18 months:
+ they begin to say (13) ______________________________.
+ use (14) __________________ to put words together.
+ Produce “telegraphic” speech: i.e. leave out (15) __________
_________________________
- at 2-3 years old:
+ learn more grammar (e.g. begin to use (16) _______________
_________________)
+ overgeneralize (17) _____________________ and make a lot of mistakes.
(e.g. (18) ____________________________)
+ soon learn to use the past tense for (19) ________________
____________ correctly.
+ continue to learn other (20) _______________________ in same way.
Exercise 6: Review your notes about the child language development. Then present the
information to the class or to your partner for 2-3 minutes.
Exercise 7: Work in a group. Share your opinions with other students on your experiences
of learning a language. Ask your friends about the best way to learn different languages skills
in a foreign language including listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and
cultural understanding. Report your findings to the class.
73

UNIT 10: NATURAL DISASTERS
• learn how to handle passages with classification organization.

• learn about natural disasters.
LEAD-IN
Exercise 1: Disaster Dictation
a. Listen to your teacher’s dictation, and draw what he/she describes here.
74

• Describe your picture to your partner.
• What has happened?
b. Match each word with a definition.
____ 1. drought a. the act of making people leave a place

because of danger
____ 2. mudslide b. a place where people can sleep in an
emergency
____ 3. emergency shelter
c. a big wave that can destroy towns near the
____ 4. flood sea
d. a disaster when there is no rain for a long
____ 5. famine time
e. a very bad snowstorm
____ 6. evacuation
f. a disaster when there is no food
____ 7. blizzard g. a disaster in which snow and ice move

quickly down a mountain
____ 8. tsunami h. a lot of water
i. a disaster in which hills become too wet
____ 9. aftershock
and the soil moves
____ 10. avalanche j. a small earthquake after a larger one
75

NOTE-TAKING SKILLS
LISTEN FOR DEFINITIONS

When giving lectures, speakers may use key words that have special or limited meanings.
They sometimes give brief definitions of these key words to help you better understand the
lecture
Sometimes key words are followed by their definitions. The phrases below are used to
introduce definitions.
- X is/are ______________________________.
- X focuses on __________________________.
- X means _____________________________.
- _____________X, which is______________.
- _____________________________ called X.
- _______________________. We call this X.
- _____________________ referred to as X.
- ___________________. This is known as X.
Usually the speaker will give a positive definition, that is, the speaker will tell you what
something is or what it means. Sometimes, however, he/she may give a negative definition
and tell you what something is not or what it does not mean.
When taking notes, the following symbols are useful abbreviations for showing positive and
negative definitions:
Positive def. =
Negative def. ≠
NOTING CLASSIFICATIONS
During a lecture, a speaker may define a concept by dividing it into various classes or
categories. Listen for language that signals that the speaker is using categories, such as
the following:
- There are several categories/ types/ kinds/ sorts/ classes of …….
- ….. consists of several main categories.
- …… comprises two main types.
- ……. is made up of three classes.
76

Exercise 2: [Track 10.1] Listen and take notes of types of natural disasters.
Geological disasters:
NATURAL DISASTERS
Meteorological disasters:
Hydrological disasters:
Space disasters:
77

PRACTICE
Exercise 3: Vocabulary review: Complete the crossword below.
I;
78

Exercise 4: [Track 10.2] First listening: You are going to listen to a lecture about tidal
waves. Listen to the lecture and answer the following questions.
1. What is a tidal wave?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. What does the Japanese word “tsunami” mean?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the name for an area of the ocean just before the land, where boats are kept?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. What do we call the regular rise and fall of ocean waters at definite times each day?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. What is caused by an underwater earthquake?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
6. During an underwater earthquake, what shakes, trembles, and sometimes shifts?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
7. When two very large waves combine, what do they form?

___________________________________________________________________________
79

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
8. What instrument records the strength, the direction, and the length of time of earthquake?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 5: [Track 10.2] Second listening – Listen and take notes in the guided notes below.
Topic: (1) ___________________________________________________________
Subtopics: (2) ________________________________________________________
I. Definitions:
- a tidal wave: (3)_________________________________________________.
- Tsunami: (4)____________________________________________________.
- True tide: (5) __________________________________________________. A tidal
wave comes in (6) __________________________________________.
- A tidal wave is caused by (7) _______________________________________.
- To “quake”: (8) __________________________________________________. When
an earthquake takes place under ocean, (9) _________________________
________________________________. à produce tidal wave.
- A double-wave tsunami: (10) ________________________________________.
When a merging occurs, (11) ________________________________________. à
increase the destruction.
80

II. Facts:
- Tsunamis have (12)_______________________________________________.
E.g.: the tsunami caused by (13)______________________________________ in
Japan on (14)________________________________________ took lives of
(15)__________________. It destroyed (16) __________________________ and
caused (17) ___________________________________.
- Scientists today can predict a tidal wave by (18)_________________________. It tells
the scientists if (19) _______________________________________. à not possible
to stop a tidal wave but (20) ____________________________.
Exercise 6: Review your notes about the tidal wave. Then present the information to the class
or to your partner for 2-3 minutes.
Exercise 7: Work in a group. Discuss the following questions.

3. What kinds of disasters are common in your country?
4. Have you ever been in a disaster?
5. Are there ways we can prepare ourselves in advance to cope with disasters?
81

UNIT 11: CONSOLIDATION
In this unit, you will

• review what you have learnt during the course.
• do a pilot test.
Exercise 1: Write down the things that we should do and should not do when taking notes
and then share with partners.
DOs DON’Ts
____________________________ ____________________________
____________________________ ____________________________
____________________________ ____________________________
____________________________ ____________________________
____________________________ ____________________________
_____________________________ ____________________________
82

Exercise 2: Read the quiz below and circle the best choice.
1. If a point is very confusing and needs to be clarified, you will use the symbol
……..
a. ?
b. ??
c. *
d. @
2. “Positive/negative/degree/at and each” is symbolized as

a. + / - / ‫ס‬/ @
b. + / < / ~ / &
c. + / - / × / @
d. > / < / ‫ס‬/ et
3. In order to show that one idea results from or causes another, we will use the
symbol …….
a. colons :
b. arrows →
c. colons or arrows (: or →)
d. change ∆
4. If you hear something that sounds like the main idea for the lecture, you have to
a. draw an arrow from one to the other.
b. draw a big question mark in the column.
c. put a big exclamation point.
d. draw a box around it with a big star at the left.
5. In note-taking system we draw an arrow →from one to the other ……

a. to show a connection between two points
b. to show the main ideas of the lecture
c. to replace words
d. a and c
6. Which symbol is applied for “namely”?

a. viz.
b. c.
c. i.e.
d. cf.
7. The symbol “ ” is used for “……………..”

a. is related to
b. will be
c. as a result of
83

d. increased
8. The symbol ……….. is used for “compare”.

a. ∆
b. Cf
c. ↓
d. ↑
9. …………….. is a symbol which comes for “changed”.

a. ∆
b. Ff
c. →
d.
10. We use the symbol ……………. for “definition” and the symbol …………… for
the function.
a. def / fun
b. def / fxn
c. defn / fan
d. dfn / fnc
11. C/B is a symbol which stands for ………….

a. At
b. could be
c. should be
d. before
12. Which of the following symbols corresponds to equivalence?

a. input = inp.
b. reaction = rxn
c. function = fxn
d. a, b and c
13. In short abbreviations, we utilize …………… of a word.

a. a, b and c
b. the first three letters
c. the first syllable
d. the first syllable as well as the second letter
14. The words “different, government and necessary” can be shortened to

a. dif – gov – nec
b. diff – govn – nec
c. diff – gov – nec
d. dif – govn – nec
84

15. The symbol w/i stands for ……………….

a. will be
b. within
c. without
d. wish
16. To highlight important points you should use ……………….

a. Asterisk
b. Underlining
c. exclamation points
d. a, b and c
17. Mathematical symbols can be used to show comparison between two things, so
…..… is used to indicate ….….
a. = / equivalence
b. > / less than or fewer than
c. ↓/ increase
d. … / etc
18. The symbol ………….. does not match its equivalence.

a. viz = namely
b. NB = note
c. c = compare
d. re = with reference to
19. The items such as “decrease, will be on exam and following” can be abbreviated
to:
a. De - * - Fol
b. ↓- ** - ff
c. ↑- ! - →
d. – - !! - :
20. We use colons

a. to show that one idea results from or causes another
b. to replace words such as “leads to” “becomes” or “follows”
c. to group information that belongs together
d. a and b
85

Exercise 3: [Track 11.1] Listen and take notes in the following table.
Famous Volcanoes of the World
Name Location Date of erupt. No of ppl died
Vesuvius 1.___________ 2.______________ 3._____________
Cotopaxi 4.____________ 5._____________ 6._____________
Krakatoa 7.____________ 8._____________ 9._____________
Mont Pelée 10.___________ 11._____________ 12._____________
Mount St. Helens 13.___________ 14. ____________ 15._____________
Mount Tambora 16.____________ 17._____________ 18.____________
Exercise 4: [Track 11.2] Do a pilot test.
Topic: (1) ___________________________________________
1. Definition
- Eco. / increased global trade
- ALSO (2) _______________________________________________
Ex: McDonald’s in Calcutta/ Japanese motor tech in Brit
2. (3) ________________________________________________________
- 100 yrs ago: (4) __________________________________________
- In 1930: Capitalist W. >< 1st W. War & Great Dep.
86

- (5) _________: end of 2nd W. War => expansion of capitalism = (6)

____________________
Comps. – (7) _________________________ in markets all around the W.
- Soviet Union collapsed =>Glo. took off

- (8) _____________________________________________________
Ex: (9) ___________________________________________________
3. Main players in Glo. - anti

A. (10) __________________________________________________
- Ex: Friends of the Earth & Greenpeace – Glo. harms environment
- Blame = (11) ___________________________________________
Ex: oil, gas, (12) ________________________________________
B. Inter. aid agencies

- Ex: Oxfam
- Glo. org. ( (13) _________________________________ ): not help the poor, but
add probs.
- (14) ____________: poor countries diff to protect & build industries
C. (15) __________________________________________
- Reason: (16) _________________________________________________
- Ex: (17) _____________________________________________________
Poor countries provide eff. Competition – cheap goods
Reason: (18) ________________________________________________
D. (19) ________________________________________________________
Reason: (20) ___________________________________________________
87

REFERENCES:
Ahour, T. & Bargool, S. (2015) A comparative study on the effects of while listening note taking
and post listening summary writing on Iranian EFL learners’ listening comprehension.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 5, No. 11, pp. 2327-2332, November 2015
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0511.17
Arslan, M. (2006) The influence of teaching note-taking and information mapping on learning and
recalling in science. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – TOJET
April 2006 ISSN: 1303-6521 volume 5 Issue 2 Article 8
Brook-Hart, G. & Jakeman, V. (2012). Complete IELTS Bands 5 – 6.5. Cambridge University
Press.
Dunkel, P.A. & Lim, P. L. (2014) Listening and note-taking skills 1. Cengage learning.
Hashemi, L. & Thomas, B. (2010). Objective Pet. Cambridge University press.
Kriston, A. (2012) The importance of memory training in interpretation. Professional
communication and translation studies, 5 (1-2) / 2012.
Luque- Mastin, L. (2010) Short-term memory. The human memory. Retrieved from
http://www.human-memory.net/types_short.html
Mortimer, L. (2005). PET Test builder. Macmillan
Phillips, D. (2008). Longman: Introductory Course for the TOEFL Test iBT. Pearson Education
ESL.
Roberts, R., Preshous, A. & Gakonga, J. (2004). IELTS Foundation. Macmillan.
University of Cambridge. (2012). Cambridge Preliminary English Test. Cambridge University
press
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening-skills-practice
88

89

2021 TERM2 Note-Taking Final SB

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

2021 TERM2 Note-Taking Final SB

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Listening and note-taking skills - Term II (Student’s book)

BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC HÀ NỘI

NGHIÊN CỨU, BIÊN SOẠN

(Giáo trình dành cho sinh viên)

ThS Nguyễn Quỳnh Hoa

ThS Nguyễn Thị Thư

LISTENING AND NOTE-TAKING SKILLS _ TERM 2

Nguyen Thi Phuong Mai M.A.

Nguyen Quynh Hoa M.A.

Nguyen Thi Thu M.A.

Unit Topic Skills

1 Orientation Getting to know about note-taking skills

2 Tourism Increasing short-term memory skills

3 Education Increasing short-term memory skills (cont.)

4 Geology Extracting main ideas from the introduction

5 Botany Dealing with unknown vocabulary

6 Inventions Using telegraphic language

7 Animals Handling passages with comparison and contrast organisation

8 Historical figures Handling passages with chronological order organisation

9 How it works Handling passages with process organisation

10 Natural disasters Handling passages with classification organisation

In this unit, you will:

• get to know about note-taking skills.

Exercise 1: In groups, discuss the following questions.

Exercise 2: Match the questions with suitable answers:

Furthermore, the lecture may contain

5) What is a good note? e) Notes help students to maintain a

a. What is Clare worried about?

b. What’s wrong with Clare’s notes?

c. What are “Notes”?

(The audio file was taken from http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening-

Two main methods for organizing notes appropriately

B. use 1. given to e.g. sick children etc. who need

Example 1: This tree diagram is suitable for classification

Example 3: This flow chart is suitable for process

drunk in China since C10th BC, C28 BC ?,

brought to Europe by Dutch C17

intro to USA - Boston Tea party 1773

main producers China, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan

Exercise 4: [Track 1.2]

2. Who is listening to the orientation talk?

Exercise 5: [Track 1.2]

Communication: - (1) _______________________________

I. Def of b/lang: - (3) ______________________________________________

- do w/out thinking, w/out taught what gestures mean.

II. Problem of b/lang: - different in each culture

III. Differences of b/lang btw Ame culture and other cultures:

American culture Other cultures

Making eye contact (7) ____________________ (6) ___________________

(8) ____________ a) firm: (9) _____________ - Less common

_______________ ______________________ - (11) _________________

b) soft/ limp: (10) ________ ____________ : acceptable

A “thumbs up” “OK” In (12) ________________

__________ not mean “OK”

Others - (13) _________________ for ppl

(18) ___________ • (19) _______________________________

_______________ • (20) _______________________________

Exercise 6: In groups of four, compare the differences of body language between

In this unit, you will:

Canada Sri Lanka China Portugal Argentina Italy Switzerland

Vatican City Venezuela Germany Greece Indonesia

Making eye contact (7) __ (6) _

(8) a) firm: (9) _ - Less common

_ - (11) _____

b) soft/ limp: (10) ____ : acceptable

(18) _ • (19) _____________________

_ • (20) _________________

1__ 2_ 3_ 4 5_