1. Cornell Notes

2. Problems with taking notes
I can’t write everything down the teacher says because she talks TOO fast!
I can’t read my notes.
The notes I take when I read don’t help.
I don’t know which parts of my notes are most important.
I don’t see how the notes from lecture match the readings from the book.

3. Cornell Notetaking Why should you take notes?
To minimize your “rate of forgetting”
Don’t take notes = Forget 60 % in 14 days
Take some notes = Remember 60 %
Take organized notes and do something with them=
Remember % indefinitely!
Why should you
take notes?

5. Cornell Notetaking When should you take notes?
Notes are a record of your learning, so take them when:
You listen to a lecture
You read a text
You watch a film
You work in a group on an activity
You need to recall information about what happened to you in a class, meeting, or activity--which means always!
When should you
take notes?

6. 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 at the end
There is room for a topic
They are labeled with name, date, class, period or other information

7. 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

8. 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

9. Cornell Notetaking What are some good tips for taking the notes on the
right?
Write only what is most important:
listen for repetition, change in pace or volume, numbering, explicit clues (“this is important,” or “on the test”);
watch for gestures, or clues to organization;
look for material being written down by instructor or shared in a visual manner

10. Cornell Notetaking What are some good tips for taking the notes on the
right?
Write in your own words (paraphrase)
Write using abbreviations (check a dictionary for these and create your own)
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

11. Cornell Notetaking What are some good tips for taking the notes on the
right?
Actively listen
Maintain eye contact with the speaker, group, or presentation source
Nod your head at appropriate times
Frown when you do not understand
Ask relevant questions
Answer questions posed by the instructor
Make a written record

12. Cornell Notes Key words & ideas Main Idea
Name
Date
Class
Period
Cornell Notes
Key words & ideas
Important dates/people/places
Repeated/Stressed Info
Ideas/brainstorming written on board / overhead projector
Info from textbook/stories
Diagrams & Pictures
Formulas
Main Idea
Key Question (after notes are completed)

13. Cornell Notetaking Set up your page What are the steps to taking
Draw your margins
Label clearly
Take notes
Use your best strategies
Actively listen, analyze, ask questions
Review, revise, reflect
Look over notes and highlight, edit, or add info
Write your questions and reflection
What are the
steps to taking
Cornell Notes?

14. SAMPLE Noun - person, place, thing, idea Nouns
Name
Date
Class
Period
SAMPLE
Noun - person, place, thing, idea
Types - concrete & abstract
concrete - taste, touch, smell, see
abstract - ideas (emotions)
compound - two or more words combined to create one thing; ex: fireman, bedroom
Nouns
2 types of nouns
What is a compound noun?

15. Cornell Notes Helpful Hints for Straight A Notes Abbrev. , Paraphrase.
Name
Date
Class
Period
Cornell Notes
Abbrev. , Paraphrase.
Use symbols, arrows, circles, underlining) or highlighting to emphasize important ideas and relationships.
Skip lines between ideas
Within 24 hours, review notes and develop study questions on the left side.
Be aware of teacher clues.*
Helpful Hints for Straight A Notes

16. 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.

17. 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 to Hart Conn

18. Summary What, So What, Now What?
The first question is “What have I learned?” Students are asked to list key ideas that they learned from the lesson or unit.
The second question is, “So what difference does it make?” Students reflect on why they have learned the info.
The third question is, “Now what can I do with the learning?” Students reflect on what the new info has to do with their world. The technique could also be used as a way to begin dialogue about the real-world application.
PMI (Plus, Minus, and Interesting Observations)
This technique allows students to evaluate a lesson by listing the positive things they have learned in the PLUS section, negative feelings in the Minus section, and interesting thoughts or ideas in the interesting section.

19. Once your teacher answers your questions, jot the answers here!
This is how your
Cornell reading
notes might look!
Ima Student US History 10/12/08
FOLD
Assignment: Read Ch. 2 Section 1
Par 1: Women did not have the right to vote.
Par 2: Many women led a movement.
Par 3: The Constitution was amended.
Summary: Many women felt that they needed the right to vote. Some felt so strongly that they fought for years to win that right. In 1920, the U.S. Constitution was finally changed with the 19th Amendment.
p. 104 suffrage Def: the right to vote
p.105 amended Def: to change formally
My question: Why didn’t women have the right to vote from the beginning?
Once your teacher answers your questions, jot the answers here!