Portuguese Year 5: Taking notes on what you hear: select and organise
Portuguese, Year 5 (Portugal): Decide what you are listening for, keep only the relevant information and record it in an organised way: key words, table, arrows.
Listen for something, then organise it
In an oral talk you hear far more than you need. So first set your listening goal: “What will I use this for?” Then select only the information that is relevant to it. Finally, record it with a technique: key words, abbreviations, symbols (→ for “leads to”), a list or a table. To organise is to group what belongs together and put it in order, so your notes still make sense a week from now.
Speech does not wait for you
A written text you can re-read; a talk goes by only once. If you write everything down you lose the thread; if you write nothing, a lot slips away quickly. Selecting means deciding what matters. Organising means linking ideas while you listen, and that helps you understand, not just store. And good notes become your study material: later you review in two minutes what took half an hour to hear.
The talk about recycling bins
A technician (example) tells the class: «Há três ecopontos: o azul é para papel e cartão, o amarelo para plástico e metal, o verde para vidro. Antes de deitares uma embalagem, esvazia-a.» (There are three recycling bins: blue for paper and cardboard, yellow for plastic and metal, green for glass. Before you put a package in, empty it.) Step 1: goal, to know where each thing goes. Step 2: you select colours and materials. Step 3: you organise a table: azul → papel, cartão · amarelo → plástico, metal · verde → vidro. Step 4: you add the advice: esvaziar.
Copying whole sentences
The commonest mistake is writing whole sentences, as if you were copying. You always end up one sentence behind, the notes fill with words that do not matter, and in the end you cannot see what was essential. Writing things down in the order you hear them, without grouping, does not help either. Fix it like this: key words instead of sentences, a structure (a table or a list with headings) and one minute at the end to review and complete.
Where else you do this
You already use this technique without noticing: when a coach explains a play and you keep only the essentials, when someone dictates a message over the phone (who, when, where), when you watch a tutorial and note the steps in order, or when the family agrees on a shopping list. Every time it is the same: a goal, what matters, and notes you will still be able to read later.
Test what you learned
You are going to hear a guest talk about internet safety. What is the best first step to note down well what he says?
- a) Write down everything he says, as fast as I can
- b) Decide what I will use the information for and listen with that goal
- c) Wait until the end and write down what I remember
Correct answer: b) Decide what I will use the information for and listen with that goal — Yes: the listening goal is the filter that tells you what is relevant to keep.
The coach says: «Treino quinta, 17h30. Levem toalha. Quem faltar avisa até quarta.» (Training Thursday, 5:30 pm. Bring a towel. If you miss it, tell me by Wednesday.) Goal: what to do and bring. Best note?
- a) Treino. Toalha.
- b) Copy the three sentences in full
- c) qui 17h30 · toalha · avisar até qua
Correct answer: c) qui 17h30 · toalha · avisar até qua — Yes: only what is relevant, in a compact form, grouped as when · what to bring · notice.
After a talk, your notes are full of whole sentences and you cannot find what was essential. What was the main mistake?
- a) Writing sentences instead of organised key words
- b) Listening with too much attention
- c) Not writing faster and more words
Correct answer: a) Writing sentences instead of organised key words — Right: sentences make you lag behind and hide the essentials. Key words in a table or list can be scanned at a glance.
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