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 students remember what is said in class. A good set of notes can help students work on assignments and prepare for tests outside of the classroom.

Why take notes? Good notes allow students to help each other problem solve. Good Notes help students organize and process data and information. Helps student recall by getting them to process their notes 3 times. Writing is a great tool for learning!

Cornell Notetaking To minimize your “rate of forgetting” Dr. Walter Pauk, Cornell University Reading Center Don’t take notes = Forget 60 % in 14 days Take some notes = Remember 60 % Take organized notes and do something with them= Remember 90-100% indefinitely! Why should you take notes?

Cornell Notetaking Labeling Dr. Pauk created the Cornell Notetaking System, which is used at Stanford, UCLA’s School of Engineering, most Law Schools, and of course, at Cornell University The Cornell System requires the student to review notes and think critically after learning has taken place Questions Notes Reflection

Cornell Notetaking What do you notice that is different about Cornell Notes? They are divided into two parts: questions and notes There is a reflection/summary at the end There is room for a topic They are labeled with name, date, class, period or other information

How to take notes In the large, right hand column, take notes like you normally would. After class, review your notes and write in questions, key ideas, new vocabulary, etc. in the left hand column. *

Summary is added at the end of ALL note pages on the subject (not at the end of each page) The summary is added AFTER the questions are done.

Cornell Notetaking What are some good tips for taking the notes on the right? Write in your own words (paraphrase) Write using abbreviations when possible. Draw a figure or diagram Leave space where you think you might need to “fill in” info later Use bullets, arrows, and indenting to list key ideas Write legibly

Cornell Notetaking What types of questions should I place on the left side? Questions which are answered in the notes on the right Questions you still need the answer to--ask a friend or the teacher after class Questions the teacher might ask on a test Higher level thinking questions

Cornell Notetaking What else could I place on the left side? Key terms, vocabulary words, or dates Diagrams or figures Reference pages in a text Steps in a solution process Notes to myself about actions I need to take

Let’s look at some examples of Cornell Notes.

08/22/12 Objective: Real Numbers Notes Questions/Main Ideas #’s can be organized into sets: Whole #’s Includes 0,1,2,3,4 . . . . Always positive Includes any # that can be written as a whole # ex. 8/1 = 8 ex. 2/2 = 1 ex. 100/50 = 2

08/22/12 Objective: (Learn how to take note in Cornell Form) Real Numbers Notes Questions/Main Ideas #’s can be organized into sets: Whole #’s Includes 0,1,2,3,4 Always positive Includes any # that can be written as a whole # ex. 8/1 = 8 ex. 2/2 = 1 ex. 100/50 = 2 How can #’s be organized? What is the definition of a whole #? Examples of fractions that can be simpified into whole #’s

Summary: Today we learned that #’s can be organized into sets Summary: Today we learned that #’s can be organized into sets. One of these sets numbers can be organized into are “whole #’s”, like 0,1,2,3,4 . . . . Whole #’s are always positive and can be simplified from fractions.

Grading Rubric

Paul Bullock Anne Maben Designed by Paul Bullock Senior Program Specialist & Anne Maben AP Science Coach Edited and combined in 2012 with powerpoint from San Diego County Office of Education