Building Skills for High School & College Success Cornell Notes Building Skills for High School & College Success

What do you do to make sure you remember what you were taught in class What do you do to make sure you remember what you were taught in class? How do you study and prepare for tests?

Today you will… Learn a way to remember what is taught, clear up what you don’t understand and study for tests.

Objective I will organize what is taught by taking notes and writing summaries.

Why Cornell Notes? The process improves your ability to learn and understand what was taught. It gives you a way to study for tests. Note taking is an important skill in high school and college.

Top of the page Your name The class The Date The Topic The Teacher’s Objective for the day.

Set Up Your Page Divide the page into three sections One section across the bottom, two inches from the bottom of the page. Two sections in the middle, the left column is 2.5 inches from the edge, the main column is 6 inches from the right edge.

Looks like this

Set up your paper with these sections.

We are now going to take notes Write in your words the important information I share with you in the, “Note Taking Area.” Abbreviate whenever possible. Don’t write word for word unless I say you need to.

Label the following At the top of the 6 inch section write the words, “Note Taking Area.” At the top of the 2.5 inch left column write the words, “Cue & Questions.” At the top of the bottom, 2 inch area write summary.

In the “Note Taking Area,” write down information from the next two slides and from what I say.

What goes in each area? Note taking area: The information from the class that is important. Key vocabulary, steps to a process, how to do something, concepts, diagrams, drawings and explanations. Cues & Questions: Key words, guiding questions. Summary: Your words describing the learning.

Why three sections? Note taking area is where you gather the information that is important to learn for the given lesson. The Cue & Questions area helps you think about the learning. The summary section helps you process the learning and makes connections that last in your brain.

Look over what you have written In the left column you write things that help you think about the notes. It might be key words when it is vocabulary, it might be questions like what the teacher may ask on a quiz, it could be numbers to steps in a process.

What would you put in the cues and questions section for the first slide? Share with your neighbor. Explain what you would write and why.

Examples for the Cues & Questions Area What goes in each area? Note Taking Area Cues & Questions Summary area

What goes in the Cues & Question area for the second slide? Share with your partner Explain what you would write and why

Did you write something like Why three areas? Why note taking? Why cues and questions? Why summary?

Summary In the summary you need to think about what you have learned so far and write it in a brief couple of sentences. In your summary you should make connections to previous learning when you can. It is very strong to write how this learning is similar or different from something studied before.

Write your summary for this page. Share with your neighbor what you wrote and why? Revise your summary if you got good ideas from your neighbor.

Keep taking notes Second Section

Tips for note taking Listen carefully Write what is important not everything Abbreviate when possible Always write down new vocabulary and definitions. Highlight important ideas and concepts. Consider color coding, such a vocabulary in yellow and concepts in pink.

Process your notes and retention goes to over 90% Return to your notes after class to review, revise, write cues and questions, and summarize. Review you notes of the previous date before class. Review notes again a week later.

Take Notes All lectures Assigned readings If you completed a worksheet in class, go to your notes and describe the important information/skills/learning in the worksheet. Even class discussion Every class every day has some knowledge gained, and/or skill developed that you can write about in your notes.

Write Cues and Questions for the previous three slides. Share what you wrote and why with a partner.

Write Your summary for the these slides. Share with your partner what you wrote in your summary and explain why. Revise your summary if you got new ideas from your partner.

Next Steps Before class set up your paper for Cornell Notes. Take notes in all of your academic classes. Keep your notes organized in your binder. Help each other organize and revise your notes to get the information right. Ask your teachers questions when you are not clear of what notes to take.