Evaluate students' note-taking ability by assigning a passage from any classroom textbook for silent reading.

Distribute strips of paper about 4.5 centimeters (2") wide to the group.

Ask students to jot down brief notes on one side of the strip while they reread the selected passage.

With books set aside, have them use only their notes to rewrite the textbook material in their own words.

Invite volunteers to read their notes and reconstructions aloud to demonstrate variations in recall and style.

Then suggest that the group discuss each work with reference to accuracy and the retention of the main idea.