Cornell

How did you learn the skill of note-taking?

How did this skill contribute to your success?

Cornell Notes—sharing with faculty

• AVID uses the Cornell Notes system as the preferred method for note-taking in class lectures, during discussions, and from texts. As more and more students learn and implement the system, teachers see this system in use, and many non –AVID teachers adopt Cornell Notes as the preferred note-taking method in their classes.

• 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.

•Good notes allow students to help each other problem solve.

•Good notes help students organize and process data and information.

• Writing is a great tool for learning.

•Good notes help students recall by getting them to process their notes three times

Cornell Notes

• Strategies for Success—Lecture Notes– Be an active listener.

• Think about what is being said.• Think about how what is being said relates to

other points in the lecture and ideas from discussions, reading, or other subjects.

• Ask questions.

•Developed in 1949 at Cornell University by Walter Pauk

•Adopted by most major law schools as the preferred note-taking method

•Designed in response to frustration over student test scores and meant to be used successfully as a test study guide

Cornell Notes---helping students

• How do I take Cornell Notes in class?– Write class notes on the right side of the paper.– Start writing as soon as the teacher writes or talks.– Write specific information.– Use abbreviations to allow you to record as much

information as possible.– Paraphrase to capture content and simplify writing.– Use symbols to highlight important information.– Get the most important details and ideas.– Include graphics when relevant.– Skip lines between ideas.

In the large, right-hand column, take notes like you normally would. You may use any style of note-taking you wish: outline format, narrative format, symbols, shorthand, etc.

• Compare notes with a partner. • Talk about what you wrote and why. Look for gaps and missed information.

• Feel free to add to your notes after you have talked with your partner.

With your partner(s), create questions in the left-hand column. These questions should elicit critical thinking skills.

Costa: Level 2 Level 3

Your questions should reflect:

• Information you do not understand or want to discuss with your teacher or tutor.

• Information you think would go well on an essay test.

• Gaps in your notes.

Notes go here, in the large, right-hand column.

Questions, subtitles,etc. go here,in the left- hand column.Remember,we wanthigher-levelcritical thinkingquestions. A three- to four- sentence summary goes

down there on the bottom.

Do not forget the heading:Name, Class, Period, Date, Topic

Anthropods

Cornell Notes in Lecture Setting

• Strategies for Success (the hidden curriculum)

– Be aware of lecturer’s/speaker’s organization.• Listen for the speaker to forecast organization of the lecture.

(Today I want to…By the end of class, you should…)

• Look for lecture outlines on the board.

• Align your notes with any handouts or printed summaries.

• Use arrows/lines/circles/numbers to connect related ideas.

Cornell Notes in Lecture Setting

• Strategies for Success– Use the speaker’s style to identify important points when the speaker:

• pauses or slows down,

• repeats a point,

• modulates the volume of his/her voice,

• uses introductory phrases (The four main points…Note the relationship between…),

• writes on the board, or

• gestures or uses visual aids.

Cornell Notes

• Strategies for Success—Lecture Notes– Keep up with the speaker.

• Write only important ideas—names, places, dates, events, examples, terms, definitions, causes, effects, evaluations, cross references.

• Use abbreviations.

• Paraphrase.

Cornell Notes--Textbooks

• Strategies for Success– Be an active reader.

• Think about the reading.

• Relate smaller portions of the text to the whole text.

• Relate the ideas in the text to lectures and class discussions.

• Generate questions about the text.

• Examine and understand the significance of visuals.

Cornell Notes--Textbooks

• Strategies for Success– Be aware of the text organization.

• Look for patterns of textual elements: chapters, subsections, headings, summary points, graphics.

• Know where to find the index and glossary.

Cornell Notes--Textbooks

• Strategies for Success– Use the style of the text to identify important points.

• Become familiar with the typefaces, symbols, borders, graphics, and page layouts that highlight main ideas and key terms

Cornell Notes--Textbooks

• Strategies for Success– Be alert to the writer’s stance.

• Recognize persuasive as well as informative passages.

• When applicable, highlight ideas, references, and opinions that seem significant to the writer’s point of view.

Cornell Notes--Textbooks

• Strategies for Success– Take notes while reading.

• Incorporate chapter headings, key terms, meaningful examples, and important graphics into the notes.

• Write only important ideas: brief but clear.• Use symbols to highlight significant materials and areas for further study.• Use headings/subheadings and review questions within the text to generate

study questions and main ideas for the left-hand column of notes.• Incorporate into your notes original questions raised by the text.

Cornell Notes--Discussion• Strategies for Success

– Incorporate discussion topics/questions.• Use the topics and questions posed by discussion leaders to guide

the content of the notes.

• Use symbols to indicate questions/ideas that seem to carry weight or significance, and consider the discussion leader’s purpose in emphasizing them.

• Incorporate a variety of responses into notes.

• Generate questions to inject into the discussion or review.

• Incorporate references to lecture/textbook and other material as they come to mind/