Notetaking Outline for History Smashers: The Mayflower

Guided notes for the book History Smashers: The Mayflower by Kate Messner. This outline will help students develop notetaking strategies such as summarizing and synthesizing information, while also providing a way to keep track of the dozens of historical events mentioned in the text.

For each chapter, students will record information on 3 historic events from the text in their own words, and then identify the main idea that these details support.

This resource will prompt students to engage with the text, read and re-read for specific details, and consider the author's message. The outline also provides a helpful reference for students who have trouble keeping all of the dates, names, and events straight when reading about a historical period.

I assigned a chapter a week to my students, and held weekly discussions where we reviewed the key events and ideas of the chapter and reacted to the text. Having students take their own detailed notes promotes accountability, and the outline structure aids with organization and builds habits for effective note-taking.