1. Note Taking
Lecture 3
“The Cornell System of Note Taking”

2. Basic Format for Cornell Note Taking
QUESTIONS BASED ON NOTES:
(Step #1)
NOTE TAKING AREA:
(Step #2)
*After you’ve finished all your
note taking, then you create
questions that your notes
answer.
*Take notes here first, just like
you would normally do…with
abbreviations, short phrases,
etc.
*Each pg. of notes should
have at least 3-4 questions
in this column.
SUMMARY:
(Step #3)
*Lastly, you write a summary of the main
ideas in your notes for each page, using 1-2 COMPLETE
sentences.

3. Cornell Format for Lecture 3 Notes
QUESTIONS BASED ON NOTES:
NOTE TAKING AREA:
What does good note taking
require?
Good note taking = good listening
Very impt. to capture lecture info:
1. understand course content better
2. clarify or expand text info.
How diff. is taking lect. notes from taking
textbook notes?
1. can’t control pace of lect.
2. don’t know overall organization of
lect.—some profs. give lecture
outline, others don’t!
Thus, you’ll need techniques for taking &
organizing notes during lect.
Why is it important to capture
lecture information?
What are the differences between
taking notes from a lecture
compared to taking notes from a
textbook?
SUMMARY:
A note taker must listen carefully to capture important ideas
from a lecture. Note taking from a lecture is different from note taking
from a textbook, so students need special techniques.

4. Cornell Format for Lecture 3 Notes
QUESTIONS BASED ON NOTES:
NOTE TAKING AREA:
How to do the Cornell Note Taking Sys.—
Prepare before class…8 ½ x 11” paper
in Cornell Format
The 5 R’s of Cornell Sys.
1. Record—notes on rt. side in own words
2. Reduce—notes into quest. on left side
3. Recite—answers to quest. out loud w/o
looking at your notes
4. Reflect—on info. you are studying by
checking or highlighting impt. info.
5. Review—notes immediately after/before
class & regularly
What should I do BEFORE class
to be ready to take Cornell Notes?
What are the 5 R’s of the Cornell
System, and what does each R
mean?
SUMMARY:
Set up sheets of notebook paper in Cornell Format before each
lecture. The 5 R’s of the Cornell System include recording, reducing, reciting,
reflecting, and reviewing.

5. Cornell Format for Lecture 3 Notes
QUESTIONS BASED ON NOTES:
NOTE TAKING AREA:
Tech. for writing notes quickly:
1. paraphrase by shortening &
rewording
2. use abbrev.
3. create set of common symbols
4. use modified form of writing, like
shorthand
5. keep writing when info. is difficult
or confusing
Selecting impt. info. & right amount of
info. can be challenging. If your notes
are too short w/out significant info., then
they won’t be helpful.
What are 5 techniques for writing
notes quickly?
Why would my notes not be helpful if
they are too short?
There are a number of techniques for writing notes efficiently,
SUMMARY:
such as using abbreviations. A note taker must be careful not to write too much
or too little information in notes; otherwise, they won’t be useful.

6. Cornell Format for Lecture 3 Notes
QUESTIONS BASED ON NOTES:
NOTE TAKING AREA:
When taking notes, listen for: key
words, terminology, details, exs., &
verbal/nonverbal cues
Key words—signal new heading or
supporting detail
Exs.: advantages, causes, methods,
principles, stages, types of,
rules, reasons, etc.
Terminology—impt. to write along with
def., lays strong foundation for
learning course content
What 5 elements should I be
listening for when I’m taking notes?
What are some examples of key words
that I might hear in a lecture?
Why is it so important to write down
terminology and definitions given
in a lecture?
SUMMARY:
When I take notes, I should listen for key words, terms, details,
examples, and verbal vs. nonverbal hints. Key words tell me that a new point
is coming. I must also write down any terms and definitions given.

7. Cornell Format for Lecture 3 Notes
QUESTIONS BASED ON NOTES:
NOTE TAKING AREA:
Listen for details
such as…times, dates, names, facts,
statistics, definitions, & exs. that
develop or prove main idea
pay attention to words that indicate
list of items: first, in addition to,
finally, etc.
Listen for exs.—why impt.?
exs. help you grasp concept and its
application
notes only need to show basic gist of
ex. & where it occurred in lecture, not
whole situation
What are some examples of details
that I should listen for?
What are some words that let me
know a list of items is coming?
Why are examples so important to
include in my notes?
SUMMARY:
As I take notes, I should also be listening for details because they
develop the main ideas. Listening for examples is important, too, because they
will help me better understand a concept and how it can be applied.

8. Cornell Format for Lecture 3 Notes
QUESTIONS BASED ON NOTES:
NOTE TAKING AREA:
Look & listen for verbal/nonverbal cues:
Exs. of verbal cues…
This is impt.
This will be on the test.
As I have said before…
Be sure you copy this.
Be sure you read pages…
Exs. of nonverbal cues…
intonation or pitch of instructor’s voice
visual hints on overheads, board, &
PowerPoint slides
What are some statements that
are important verbal cues in a
lecture?
What are several examples of non-
verbal cues during a lecture?
SUMMARY:
It is necessary to pay attention to verbal as well as nonverbal
cues to important information given in a lecture. An example of a verbal cue is,
“This will be on the test.” An example of a nonverbal cue is the tone of voice.