1. Cornell Notes
Note-taking strategy that will improve your study skills and your grades!!

2. Problems with taking notes
I can’t write everything down the teacher says because she talks TOO fast!
I can’t understand my notes.
The notes I take don’t help.
I don’t know which parts of my notes are most important.

3. Note Taking Facts If you don’t take notes…
                         you will forget 60% in 2 weeks
If you take some notes…
                          you will remember about 60%
If you take organized notes and do something with them…
           you will remember % indefinitely

4. Why Take Cornell Notes? It stimulates critical thinking skills
It helps you remember what is said in class
Good notes will help you on assignments and prepare for tests
Good notes will help you organize and process information
It helps you recall information by having you process your notes 3 times

5. How to Take Cornell Notes
Set up the paper
Add a heading
During class…take notes just like you normally would
After class…Add key terms & questions to the cue column
After class… Summarize the main ideas

6. Setting up the Paper

7. Add a Heading At the top of your paper add
a) Title of the lecture or powerpoint
b) Date

8. During Class
Focus only on the right column of your paper during the lecture
Take notes like you normally would
Focus on main ideas
Underline, star, highlight important information
Use bullets, arrows, and indenting to list key ideas
Abbreviate…don’t write EVERYTHING on the slide
Skip lines between ideas

9. Cue Column After the lecture, focus on the left column
Write down a minimum of 4 cues
key vocabulary
important ideas
any questions you think might be on the test
Match up your cue column to the notes on the right

10. Cue Column Tips
It is crucial that this column is completed AFTER the lecture
Don’t write a vocab word in the cue column if it is not in your notes on the right
if you do this it means you are completing both columns simultaneously and are not really taking Cornell Notes

11. Summary Summary is added at the very end of your notes
It should be added AFTER questions in the cue column are finished
Should be 3-5 quality sentences
Restate the key information in your own words

12. Summary Tips Don’t start your summary with any of the following
Today we talked about…
The notes today were about…
Today we learned about…
The topic today was…

13. Review, Review, Review
Spend about 10 minutes each week looking over your notes
Cover the right side of the notes and use the Cue Column to quiz yourself