How to Take Cornell Notes

Doing it right this time around!

Cornell Notes

It’s not only about taking notes.

Want to understand notes, be able to create/synthesize drawings, maps, and make connections from them.

Writing strategy

First & Last Name

Class TitlePeriodDate

Topic

Questions

Class Notes

2 1/2”

3 to 4 sentence summary across the bottom of the last page of the day’s notes

Cornell Note Format

Doing Cornell Notes Correctly

1.Divide paper into three sections.

2.Document your info. (Write course name, date, period.)

3.Write notes. Right side is for writing down notes.

4.Skip spaces if they are different ideas.

5.Don’t skip spaces if they are the same ideas.

6.Abbreviate in your notes.

7.Review and Clarify with your classmates.

8.Review your notes as soon as possible after class.

9.Pull out main ideas and key points, dates and people and write them in the left column.

10.Summarize by writing the main ideas at the bottom.

11.Study your notes.

12.Reread the left column and summary since they should contain your main ideas.

Revisit Your Notes with a Partner

Compare your key words, abbreviations, and symbols; fill in anything you left out (as revealed by your partner’s notes)

Together, generate questions for the left side of the paper:

Questions should relate to the information on the right side.

Focus on variety of question levels (Costa’s levels).

(Diagram copied during lecture)

(Questions about it

)• How do the ticks find the cattle?

• Why don’t the ticks usually kill their host?

• How could tick infestations in cattle impact humans?