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Take Notes and Categorize is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on sorting gathered information under headings, aligned to Common Core standard W.4.8. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions, 15 of them with different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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15 of these 25 sets ask different questions — this skill does not have 25 questions to give. The rest reorder them, so no two students have the same paper in front of them.

Take Notes and Categorize

W.4.8

NameDate

Write on the lines. Use the checklist.

1.Rewrite a piece of your writing so it is a third shorter without losing anything important.
  • I cut it down
  • I kept the meaning
  • I named what I cut
  • I checked the punctuation
2.Write for fifteen minutes without stopping on a topic you have researched.
  • I wrote for the whole time
  • I stayed on topic
  • I used facts
  • I wrote a conclusion

LessonPrint · W.4.8 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Take Notes and Categorize

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.A visibly shorter piece that keeps the substance, with the cuts named.
  2. 2.Fifteen minutes of sustained writing on a researched topic, without stopping.

Questions about Take Notes and Categorize

What does the Take Notes and Categorize worksheet cover?

It practices sorting gathered information under headings — 2 questions for Grade 4, all on Common Core W.4.8: Take and sort notes from sources, and list where they came from. The instruction to students is “Write on the lines. Use the checklist”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Take Notes and Categorize practice?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.8 — W.4.8, under Writing for Grade 4. The published standard reads: “Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Take Notes and Categorize is written for Grade 4, typically ages 9-10. It is one of the sheets on W.4.8, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Take Notes and Categorize come with an answer key?

Yes. All 2 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.

How many different versions of Take Notes and Categorize can I print?

25 versions, of which 15 ask genuinely different questions — this skill does not have 25 distinct questions to give, so the rest reorder them and no two students still share a paper. Set 1 downloads all 25 as one PDF.

Is Take Notes and Categorize free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Take Notes and Categorize, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.

Is there a lesson plan to teach W.4.8?

Yes — “Notes, Sources and Paraphrasing” is a 40-minute Grade 4 plan for W.4.8, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Take Notes and Categorize is the practice that follows it.

More practice for W.4.8

Take and sort notes from sources, and list where they came from.

Teaching this next? Notes, Sources and Paraphrasing is the 40-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 4 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to W.4.8 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.