Sketchnoting In The Classroom

Are you interested in bringing visual note-taking into your classroom, both as an instructional tool as well as a skill that you pass on to your students?

If so, this resource kit is for you. Let me tell you about it.

A Resource Kit For Educators

Sketchnoting In The Classroom - Resource Kit - Verbal To Visual - Doug Neill - visual note-taking, doodling, education

The Purpose

  • Add sketchnoting to your toolkit as an instructor to better develop and deliver curriculum.
  • Introduce sketchnoting to your students and help them develop and apply their skills in a subject-specific way.

The Resources

  • Short videos with printable follow-up activities to weave sketchnoting seamlessly into your lessons.
  • A printable card deck with quick prompts that encourage students to engage with information on a deep (but still playful) level.

Part 1: Sketchnoting Skills

In this first section, you and your students will develop the individual sketchnoting skills that are the building blocks for any style of visual note-taking.

Part 1 Video Lessons:

  • 1. Handwritten Fonts (6:03)
  • 2. Icons (3:39)
  • 3. Faces (4:07)
  • 4. Arrows (3:08)
  • 5. Stick Figures (4:53)
  • 6. Color (4:21)
  • 7. Scenes (3:18)
  • 8. Containers (4:41)
  • 9. Lists (3:54)
  • 10. Dividers (3:26)
  • 11. Empathy Maps (3:22)
  • 12. Filtering (2:58)
  • 13. Synthesizing (4:51)

Part 2: Sketchnoting Processes

In the second section of video lessons, you and your students will learn how to combine the skills from Part 1 into specific note-taking processes.

Part 2 Video Lessons:

  • 1. Cornell + Sketchnoting (4:36)
  • 2. Mind Mapping (6:08)
  • 3. Flowcharts (3:52)
  • 4. Timelines (5:00)
  • 5. Card By Card (4:13)
  • 6. Brick Road Approach (4:35)

Part 3: Subject-Specific Sketchnoting

In the third section we explore the best ways to apply your sketchnoting skills to specific subject areas.

Part 3 Video Lessons:

  • 1. Social Studies (5:47)
  • 2. Science (6:38)
  • 3. Math (5:54)
  • Language Arts (4:37)
  • Physical Education (5:25)
  • Art (6:38)
  • Foreign Language (8:44)
  • Journalism (7:06)
  • Cross-Discipline (4:29)

What Teachers Are Saying

Tammy M.
I signed up for Sketchnoting in the Classroom a few years ago. Each year, I teach the different strategies to my students. It really helps them with jotting down notes in their own 'words.' Many of my students will use pictures in their notes. It is extremely effective. I also use it with my notes when taking PD or notes during meetings.

Melaine D’Cruze
This is the go-to resource for teachers or parents who want their students or kids to get into visual learning. I have used this resource to help my kids with their school work and it works! My sons have learned to apply visual thinking skills for organizing their thoughts, visualizing concepts and solving problems.

Jan Lenon
As an AVID Performance school we use AVID strategies, and using sketchnoting as a way of taking notes has really increased student participation, recall, and enjoyment. I made a booklet out of the handouts from this resource kit and spent the first few weeks of school using that booklet to teach how I wanted them to take notes. All year, students used it as a reference.

Who Made This?

My name is Doug Neill, and here’s a bit of my background:

  • In 2011 I received a Master of Arts in Teaching from Pacific University, with secondary certifications in Math, Science, and English Language Development.
  • That same year I got pulled into the world of visual thinking and documented my skill development over at The Graphic Recorder. That work led to freelance sketchnoting gigs with Nike, Concordia University, the radio program On Being, and author Chris Guillebeau, among others.
  • I launched Verbal To Visual in 2013 to help others develop their sketchnoting skills, and have built six courses to date, each of which focuses on a different application of this skill.

Join Us This Summer!

Want to join in on a series of webinars to help you plan for next school year?

On July 10th (for elementary school teachers), July 17th (middle school), and July 24th (high school) I’ll be hosting webinars for teachers to share their experiences with this resource kit, ask questions of me and each other, and do some planning for the upcoming school year.

The Making Of

February 15th, 2017: Announcing the project!

April 1st, 2017: The first update.

June 22nd, 2017: The first sample lesson.

August 1st, 2017: Practice activities for each lesson.

February 23rd, 2018: The subject-specific lessons.

July 6th, 2018: Sketchnoting card deck.

Additional Resources

This resource kit also includes these two downloads:

TheVTVNotebook

A 100%-sketched set of 128 skill-building activities, all of which are designed to help you develop the skills you need to become a proficient visual note-taker.

VisualVocabularyPackTransparent

A set of ready-to-use hand-sketched icons (in PNG and SVG format) plus an actionable guide that will walk you through the steps of building you own personalized visual vocabulary.

The Benefits

The primary benefits of this resource kit:

  • Teach Your Students A Lifelong Skill

    Too many students think that 1) they can’t draw and/or 2) drawing doesn’t belong in the classroom. By showing them otherwise you’ll be opening the door to a more creative and fulfilled future.

  • Improve Your Skills As An Instructor

    By developing your own sketchnoting skills you’ll be better prepared to reach the visual learners in your classroom, making this addition to your instructional toolkit invaluable.

  • Seamless Integration with Core Content

    Let me carry the weight of sketchnoting instruction so that you can focus on applying those skills to your content area.

Any questions or concerns? Send an email my way: doug@verbaltovisual.com.

One-Time Fee For Lifetime Access

Think you might want to use these resources in future school years? No need to buy them again – you’ll have full and lifetime access to all past (and future) Sketchnoting In The Classroom resources.

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

I want you to be able to dig into this resource kit to see whether or not it’s a good fit for you and your classroom. With that in mind, if you’re not satisfied with what you see after your first 30 days, I’d be happy to return your money.

Course Bundles

Want to save money by picking up a few courses at once? Sketchnoting In The Classroom is included in the following course bundles: