MEA CULPA
Yesterday I said something in class along the lines of "The Aeneid has 12 books just like The Iliad and The Odyssey." Remember? That was wrong. But now I'm glad it happened because it allows me to illustrate something to you all...
On my notes I had written "12 book structure - like Iliad and Odyssey." So you can see how I just glanced at that and said what I said. Well, here's what that note actually meant: The Aeneid has a 12 book structure. The first 6 books are similar to The Odyssey with its journeying narrative, and the second 6 books are similar to The Iliad with its fighting narrative.
Here's why I'm pointing that out now. Yesterday as I was going through your history notes, I wrote on some of them that your notes were too sparse, or that you need to be able to talk about the chapter from looking at your notes. What happened to me is exactly what I was talking about. My note was too brief, so when I looked at it, I didn't remember correctly. If you're reading a history chapter and writing down notes, you're just wasting your time if you're not writing down enough. The point of the notes is to be able to look at them and recall the information. The point is NOT so that you have something to turn in that proves you did the reading.
Please think about the things you are noting. Does it matter? Is it relevant to the big picture? Does it help you retell what you read? Can you explain what the note means and why you wrote it?
Makes sense? I hope so!