What youve always wanted to know about

Cornell Notes

Oh, you know you do!...

First, lets do a Quick Write. Answer the

following questions.
How did you learn to take notes?
How skilled are you at note-taking?
How do you think taking good notes can
contribute to your success as a student in
middle school? in high school? in
college? in a job? in life?
Are there any other benefits to note-taking
skills?

There are many ways to take notes. You should

learn several strategies. Different learning
situations may call for different strategies.

Sometimes you take notes while listening

to your teacher in class.
Sometimes you take notes while you read
(a textbook, a novel, an article, a poem,
etc.)
Sometimes you take notes when watching
a film, TV, or a PowerPoint presentation.

You can write notes

randomly on lined paper
as a Dialectical Journal
in a Reading Response Log
in an outline form
on sticky-notes
in margins of the text (if allowed!)

There are even new electronic notepads

for taking notes without pen or paper!

however,
with Cornell Notes you can
take notes for almost all learning situations
be more organized
be more efficient and save time
use them to review and study for tests
and you will find them very easy to use!

and NO batteries needed!

If you are an AVID student, you are

required to use Cornell note-taking
strategies.

The reason is because Cornell note-taking is one of the

most effective methods that you can use!

Where did this technique

come from?

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.
Used by A.V.I.D. students world-wide!

To begin.

Start with a blank

sheet of lined paper.
Draw or fold to create
a left-hand column
about 2 inches
wide. Then draw or
fold about 2 inches up
from the bottom to
create a place for
summary writing.

Note: A modified version of Cornell Notes might not include the area for writing a summary.

Here is an example of
Cornell notes about
Literary Elements.

When YOU are using Cornell Notes strategies, you can use
your own preferred style of actual note-taking.
For example:
You start at the top of the page and
take notes, line by line. The biggest
drawback to linear notes is that they
show little to no structure or
organization. It is difficult to see how
concepts and terms relate to one
another. If your teacher tests on
straight factual questions, taken nearly
word for word from a lecture, linear
notes are almost as effective as other
styles. However, if you are required to
reflect and think about the information,
you might want to use another style
when possible.

Another example: Outlining

This style uses Roman Numerals, letters,
numbers and indenting to give order to the
concepts and subpoints in a lecture or text.
The main titles generally follow a Roman
Numeral and are written next to the left
margin. Main points are indented a little
traditionally after a capitalized letter.
Subpoints are further indented following a
number and so forth.
If you are not comfortable with the
traditional use of Roman Numerals and
letters to identify main ideas and subpoints,
create your own variation. Main points and
subpoints can indicated by all capital
letters, larger letter sizes, underlines,
colors, highlights, etc.
Students who use the Outlining style
usually scored higher on text exams.

This is called mapping.

This is a highly visual approach to note-taking and arguably the most difficult to do
during a lecture. This method takes practice. If the speaker is disorganized, this
style would likely be the most frustrating.
Mapping is generally most effective for taking notes from text books rather than
lectures. The exception to this would be if the teacher displays mapping to illustrate
the lecture concepts on the board, in which case we would highly recommend using
it for that part of the lecture.
To begin mapping, write down the main idea or concept of the lecture in large
letters anywhere on the page. If you start in the middle of the page, it will give you
more room to expand in all directions. If you want to get creative, frame the main
idea with a circle, square, star, cloud or any shape you desire. Branching from the
main idea are the topics enclosed in another shape of your choice. Branching from
each topic are the related subtopics enclosed in another shape. Use the shapes
consistently to visually depict how topics and subtopics are related.

And the Matrix format:

The Matrix format is another way to display

information visually. It is a very highly effective
method for displaying information for review.
Students using the matrix system performed
better on tests compared to students using
linear or outline styles. Matrix notes reduce
clutter - therefore locating notes becomes
easier and quicker.
Matrix notes can be used when there are
two or more topics for comparison. Therefore
this style cannot be used all of the time. It is
ideal for comparing and evaluating sets of
information.
The Matrix system lays out information in a
table-like format. First, identify the topics you
wish to compare and place them as headings
either in the top (horizontal) columns of the
table or the first (vertical) row of each table.
Next, determine the items for comparison. The
topics and items form the structure of the table.
The matrix format is recommended when
taking notes from texts.

Topic or Title
Why is the
strategy of
Cornell Notes
valuable to me
as a student?

Student Name
Todays Date
Period #

Cornell Notes = an effective way to study

helps me to understand the material
quiz myself later

Summary:
Cornell notes will help me for a variety of reasons. I will be able to quiz
myself every night so I will be better prepared for tests and quizzes. Also,
now I know I will be reading the entire section or article, rather than merely
skimming it to find the answers to certain questions (or just looking at the
bolded words).