1. Cornell
Notes

2. History of Cornell Notes
Developed in 1949 at Cornell University by Walter Pauk.
Designed in response to frustration over student test scores.
Meant to be easily used as a test study guide.
Adopted by most major law schools as the preferred note taking method.

3. The Cornell System 2. Before the Lecture 1. Purpose of Note Taking
Read or skim text
General overview
New items and concepts
Unclear material
Gaps in information
1. Purpose of Note Taking
Aids comprehension and retention
Outline of important points
Clarification of ideas
Source for review
Effective Note Taking
3. During the Lecture
Structure and organization
Content
4. After the Lecture
Record
Reduce
Recite
Review
Recapitulate

4. Why take notes?
Cornell note taking stimulates critical thinking skills.
Note taking helps students remember what is said in class.
A good set of notes can help students work on assignments and prepare for tests outside of the classroom.

5. Why take notes?
Good notes allow students to help each other problem solve.
Good Notes help students organize and process data and information.
Helps student recall by getting them to process their notes 3 times.
Writing is a great tool for learning!

6. Class Notes Topic -Write general ideas. -Use abbreviations.
First & Last Name
Date
Period
Topic
Essential Question:
2 1/2”
Questions,
Subtitles,
Headings,
Etc. go here.
Remember,
we want
higher level
critical
thinking
questions.
Class Notes
-Write general ideas.
-Use abbreviations.
-Skip lines between ideas
& topics.
3 to 4 sentence summary across
the bottom of the last page of the day’s notes

7. RECORD (During the lesson)
Record your notes on the right side column, in simple paragraph form.
Don’t bother to make elaborate outlines. Strive to capture general ideas.
Skip lines to show the end of thoughts and/or ideas. Use abbreviations or symbols to give yourself extra time. Write legibly.
Your objective should be to make your notes complete enough so they will have meaning for you weeks and months later.

8. REDUCE (after the lesson)
Read and consolidate your notes right after class or sometime that evening and make them more legible. Using the recall column on the left side of the page, jot down key words or phrases, or formulate questions based on the facts & ideas. Fill in any blanks or make incomplete sentences complete.

9. RECITE
Cover the notes on the right side of the paper, leaving the cue words & questions uncovered. Now read each key word or question and state out loud and in your own words the ideas & facts that you are trying to learn.
If your answer is correct, continue through the lecture.

10. Reflect
Here you want to think about the information you have learned. Ask yourself…
How do these facts & ideas fit into what I already know?
How can I apply them?
How is knowing this important?
What is the significance of these facts & ideas?

11. REVIEW
The only way to keep from forgetting information is by reviewing it often!
Review the notes nightly, or at least several times in a week by reciting, not rereading.
Many smaller review sessions helps comprehension much more than cramming the day of the test.
It cuts the stress too!

12. RECAPITULATE (summarize)
After having reduced, recited, & reflected on your notes, you will be able to summarize the facts & ideas.
The summary should be in your own words & reflect the main ideas/points you want to remember from the notes.
Use complete sentences!

13. Metacognition We need to think about how we think.
The Cornell Note Taking process is structured to allow us to use higher order thinking skills.
We want to try and stay on the top two floors of Costa’s Three-Story Intellect!

14. Costa’s Three-Story Intellect

15. Taking Notes from a Text

16. Tips on Taking Text Notes
Be an Active Reader
Think about the reading
Consider how the parts relate to the whole; how the text relates to previous ideas
Create questions about new words/ terms, why emphasized points are important
Examine what you have learned from visuals

17. Tips on Taking Text Notes
Be Aware of Textbook Organization
Look for the pattern in elements like chapter /subsection headings, summary points, graphics
Know where to find the index and glossary

18. Tips on Taking Text Notes
Use the text style to identify important points
Become familiar with the font, symbols, borders, graphics, colors, and layout that highlight main ideas or terms
Be alert to the writer's goal: highlight ideas/ references /opinions that seem significant to their point of view

19. Tips on Taking Text Notes
Take notes while reading
Include headings, key terms, & graphics
Take down only the important ideas: brief, but clear
Summarize in your own words
Use symbols to highlight for review
Use textbook review questions to develop study questions

20. Taking Notes from a Movie or Discussion

21. Tips on Taking Discussion Notes
Use discussion topics/questions organize your notes
Use symbols for important ideas
Include your own responses in notes
Develop questions to review later
Add references to other material as they come to mind

22. Reducing your Notes

23. Tips on Taking Text Notes
Review textbook notes
Identify & write main ideas/questions on left column
Fill in details for better understanding
Identify unclear information and/or questions - collaborate for answers
Delete unnecessary information
Review note organization; add symbols or rewrite

24. Reciting & Reflecting

25. Tips for Studying with Notes
Make use of the format
Cover the right side of your notes; review and answer study questions from the left using the right side as an answer key
Quiz yourself out loud
Cover the right side with blank paper; write out answers to the left column study questions

26. Review & Recapitulate

27. Tips for Studying with Notes
Review
Look over notes frequently to keep information and questions still unanswered fresh in mind
Recite information from notes

28. Tips for Studying with Notes
Write!
Write summaries of the most important material in the summary/reflection section
Write a quiz for others using notes; exchange and correct
Write anticipated test questions beyond those already in the left-hand column and write answers

29. Tips for Studying with Notes
Study in a Group
Exchange notes with others to flesh out information and understanding
Use notes in study groups to provide a common ground of material for reference and review
Rewrite notes if necessary

30. Let’s See an Example!

32. Example (Diagram copied (Questions about it ) during lecture)
How do the ticks find the cattle?
Why don’t the ticks usually kill their host?
How could tick infestations in cattle impact humans?

33. Students’ Note Taking Questions

34. Students’ Frequently Asked Question 1
I often get sleepy in class; do you have any advice on how I can stay awake?

35. Answer
When you become sleepy in class it may be due to lack of oxygen. There is a four step, 30 second exercise you can do if this occurs.
Step 1. Straighten your spine. Put both feel on the floor, uncross your arms and legs, sit up straight and hold your head up straight.
Step 2. Take a deep breath and hold it. While you hold it, tense the muscles in your body. Begin with the muscles in your feet, then legs, thighs, and so forth, steadily moving up your body, ending with the arms and hands. Hold these muscles tense for the count of five and then relax and exhale.
Step 3. Breathe deeply three times. Inhale slowly and deeply, breathing into your belly as well as your chest. Pause momentarily at the top of the breath and then exhale completely. When you have exhaled as much as you can, force out more air by contracting your muscles. Do this breathing exercise three times.
Step 4. Repeat the steps mentioned in Step 2. You have now successfully activated all of your muscles and filled your body with oxygen. With practice you can do this exercise in class without your classmates or professor noticing

36. Students’Frequently Asked Question 2
I take notes in class, but cannot read my own writing. What can I do?

37. Answer
Set goals for improvement. Setting short term goals to improve your handwriting is a good step. Make sure you are specific about the results you intend on achieving.
Use creative visualizations. Find a quiet spot during a time of the day when you are typically relaxed. Close your eyes and relax your entire body. Visualize yourself taking notes in class and writing legibly. Practice this daily and the results will come soon enough.
Cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s. The time you spend dotting and crossing will eliminate the time spent scratching your head trying to figure out what you have written!
Change your pen to change your handwriting. Perhaps use two or three different types of pens and/or pencils to write your notes. Pens come with different ball points. Some are fine, others are medium. See which one is the better fit for you. If neither works, there is also a pen.
When all else fails, PRINT! Printing is one way students can write lecture notes and limit the amount of misunderstanding that comes with illegible handwriting. Printed notes can also be read faster when it comes time to review for midterms and final exams.
Photocopy notes. Ask one of your classmates or your teacher if you can photocopy their notes.

38. Students’ Frequently Asked Question 3
My teacher talks too fast. What can I do?

39. Answer
Take more time to prepare for class. If you are familiar with the subject, you are more likely to pick out key points during the lecture. A thorough preview of the class reading should be conducted before you attend class. This will set the stage for your understanding of the material and the lecture.
Exchange copies of notes with your fellow classmates. There may be people in your class who are good at taking notes and following the lecture, though the teacher talks fast. Ask one or two people in the class if you can copy their notes to ensure you have not missed any of the main points from the lecture. This exchange could prove very valuable to all parties involved, because you are helping one another.
Be willing to make choices. You can be consumed with the fact that the teacher talks too fast or you can focus you attention on the key points of the actual lecture. Choose what you think is important, and revise your notes immediately after the class is over.
Leave large empty spaces in your notes. You want plenty of room to fill in any information you may have missed during the lecture. Use abbreviations and symbols, and when you are rewriting your notes after class, write the full meanings of these items.
See the teacher after class. Some teachers are willing to help you with your note taking. Share your notes with the professor and ask if you have written the correct information. This is also an opportunity to ask questions that you were unable to during the class lecture.

40. Thanks to… www.uc.edu/learningassistance The Learning Toolbox
Paul Bullock & Anne Maben of The AVID Program