Cornell Notes

History of Cornell Notes Developed in 1949 at Cornell University by Walter Pauk. Designed in response to frustration over student test scores. Meant to be easily used as a test study guide. Adopted by most major law schools as the preferred note taking method.

Why take notes? Cornell note taking stimulates critical thinking skills. Note taking helps you remember what is said in class. A good set of notes can help you work on assignments and prepare for tests outside of the classroom.

Why take notes? Good notes allow you and your classmates to problem solve. Good notes help you organize and process data and information. Help you recall by getting you to process your notes 3 times. Writing is a great tool for learning!

Why use Cornell Notes? To help take organized notes To help identify keywords and concepts from a lecture To help scan notes to locate important information

1) Divide the paper into three sections. Draw a vertical line from top to bottom that is two inches from the left margin and stops three inches from the bottom of the page. Underneath this, draw a horizontal line the width of the paper. Write on one side of the paper only. How do I set up a Cornell Note?

2) Document Student name, course, and date should be at the top of each page. Write a general title for the lecture or page/section title from the text.

3) Write Notes Write all notes on the right side of the page. Be sure to skip one line between ideas and several lines between topics. Mark ideas that go together with an asterisk.

Notetaking Tips! Use indentations to distinguish between major and minor points. Put most notes in your own words, except formulas , definitions, and specific facts Use abbreviations and symbols wherever possible. If you completely don’t understand an idea, leave a blank space and ask your teacher for help.

Notetaking Tips! Develop a code system of note-marking to indicate questions, comments, important points …for example, Mark unfamiliar vocabulary & unclear ideas in unique ways Highlight vocabulary in pink. Circle ideas that are still unclear Make sure you can understand what you have written and if needed, make corrections. Use drawings, arrows or other organizers to help you see concepts and relationships between them

Symbols & Abbreviations Examples p. or pp. page or pages e.g. for example & and w/ With w/o without Vs Against = Equal b/c Because → Led to ← Came from ≠ Not equal ≈ Approximately + In addition to ♂ male ♀ female

A few more note-taking tips for you: If you are in a hurry, leave out a, an, or the, and dot your i and cross your t later. Always use 1, 2, 3,...instead of one, two three. Abbreviate any word by leaving out the vowels.

Abbreviation Exercise Abbreviate the following lines so they still make sense… Hippocrates, a Greek who is considered to be the Father of Medicine, was born on the island of Cos in 460 B.C. George Washington was not, in a sense, America’s first president. Mark Twain fell in love with Olivia Langdon. They married in 1870 and moved to Hartford, Connecticut.

Abbreviation Exercise Answers Name Date Class Period Abbreviation Exercise Answers Hippocrates (Gr.) Father of Med b.Cos 460B.C G. Wash. Not Am’s 1st Pres.? Twain - Olivia Langdon m. 1870 to Hart Conn

4) Review & Clarify Review the notes you took ASAP! Make sure notes are clear and that the information makes sense.

Pull out main ideas, topics, terms, places, dates, etc. Use the topics and information from the right column of notes to identify the main ideas of the lecture/reading. Write the main ideas in the left column, matching it with the details. Pull Out Main Ideas

Questions?? After you have finished your notes, go back and see if you can ask a QUESTION that is answered by your notes. This is written to the left. (**Most of the time you will be using a vocabulary term in your question.)

Why write questions? Writing questions helps to: Clarify meanings Reveal relationships Establish continuity Strengthen memory Sets up the perfect stage for exam studying later

What else can I put in the LEFT column? Page reference numbers Diagrams or figures Key terms, vocabulary words Steps in a solution process Notes to self about actions I need to take

5) Recite & Summarize Covering the NOTES section , attempt to recite an explanation of the words in the KEY POINTS section. Refer to the NOTES section when you have difficulty. Reciting the entries helps in the learning and synthesis of the material. Write a summary at the bottom of the page. Mention all the key points in the summary.

Reflection

                                                                                                                                          EXAMPLE

6) Study Review the notes on a regular basis. Use all sections of Cornell notes to study for assessments. Spend most of your time studying the ideas in the LEFT column and the summary at the bottom. These are the most important ideas.

Physics Notes in College Example #2 Physics Notes in College

Summary w/ diagrams

5 R’s of Note Taking 2) Reduce 3) Recite 4) Reflect 5) Review 1) Record 2) Reduce 3) Recite 4) Reflect 5) Review

Happy Note Taking!