1. Structured Note-Taking For All Students
The Cornell Way
Structured Note-Taking For All Students

2. Why Take Cornell Notes?
Cornell Notes are an excellent tool to take focused notes, use inquiry to highlight the main ideas, and to summarize knowledge learned.
The idea is to emphasize not just taking notes, but also the importance of refining and using the notes as a study aid.
They were developed at Cornell University in the 1950s by a frustrated professor who wanted to help his students learn to retain information better.
They have become a cornerstone of the AVID program because of their usefulness in all content areas and for all students.
Three advantages of CN:
It is a method for mastering information, not just recording facts.
It is efficient.
Each step prepares the way for the next part of the learning process.

3. Why Take Cornell Notes? Long story short:
When you write down even brief notes about what you are hearing/ experiencing, you keep 60% of what you hear/learn.
When you take thorough, organized notes and review them, you keep % of what you hear/learn.
Cornell Notes is a process to cover all of these steps.

4. How To Take Cornell Notes
There are four parts to the CORNELL WAY:
Note-taking: capturing complete notes in any situation
Note-making: creating meaning and revising the notes taken
Note-interacting: using the notes as a learning tool to increase achievement
Note-reflecting: reflecting on learning and utilizing feedback to improve future note-taking effort
Direct them now to their packet for more detail on each of these steps.

5. 1. Note-taking C – Create Format Complete heading
This includes the day’s objective or essential question
Encourage participants to take notes on the steps of the CORNELL WAY.

6. Any Paper can be Cornell Note Paper!
All you have to do is add lines!
Blank paper for Thinking Maps, drawings, etc.
Dot paper
Graph paper

7. 1. Note-taking O - Organize Notes Right side
See your packet for student tips on HOW to take notes.
This is also a skill they need to be taught.
Continue taking notes – looking for ways to abbreviate and shorten content while still maintaining meaning for the notetaker

8. 2. Note-making R – Review & Revise
Tip – ask students to use a different colored pen
Give them seconds to skim over their notes, underline, clarify parts, add symbols or visuals

9. 2. Note-making N – Note Key Ideas
Use key ideas to create questions (see your packet)
Encourage students to use higher-level questions
Consider, “How might this be asked on the test?” (think like the teacher)
As a group, generate 1-2 questions for the left-hand side that reinforce the main ideas in the notes. Use the Costa’s Levels of Questions page in the handout to generate higher-level questions.
Sample: Explain why using Cornell Notes helps students to retain information longer.
Ppts can be turned into CN!

10. 2. Note-making E – Exchange Ideas Collaborate with others
This can be done periodically throughout your delivery of material, at the end of class, or at the beginning if they took notes for HW.
Encourage use of a different colored pen
List key vocab from lesson
The idea is for them to begin taking ownership of the content in their notes, both what is there and what is not there (until a partner helps them).
Give participants 30 seconds to compare notes with a partner, filling in missing material, clarifying points or just discussing what they have written.

11. 3. Note-interacting L – Link Learning Create a summary
Goes at the END of the notes (not one for each page of notes)
See your packet for a summary-writing template to help teach this skill.
Review the steps of the summary template in their handout.
*Encourage them to go back and write the summary after leaving the Cornell Notes session!

12. 3. Note-interacting L – Learning Tool Study from notes
Fold the notes over and quiz over the questions on the left while hiding the material on the right
See your packet for more ways to help students study from their notes.
Model how to fold over the notes. Have one volunteer quiz another volunteer from one of the questions generated.

13. 4. Note-reflecting W – Written Feedback
Teacher provides written feedback
It takes time to assess notes, but the rubrics provided allow you to assess one step at a time. You can even provide students a simple checklist to assess themselves.
Otherwise, how will students know how to improve?
All rubrics are in the handout. They are also on your Focused-Notetaking CD.

14. 4. Note-reflecting
A – Address Feedback
Make goals for improvement

15. 4. Note-reflecting Y – Your Reflection
Reflect on the learning by looking at all notes taken over a topic.

16. “Before” & “After”
Notes on Fancy Paper Cornell Notes

17. Sample Cornell Notes English Math
Examples from different content areas.
English
Math

18. Sample Cornell Notes
Science
Social Studies

19. Sample Cornell Notes
Band/Choir

20. Yes, even PE! Coaches can even use CN to diagram plays.
Sample Cornell Notes
Yes, even PE! Coaches can even use CN to diagram plays.