How To Take and Study Cornell Notes – modified from wikiHow

The Cornell method is a widely used note taking style for lectures or reading and for reviewing and retaining that material. Using the Cornell system can help organize your notes, actively involve you in the creation of knowledge, improve your study skills, and lead to academic success.

You will need loose leaf paper in a binder or a 4 subject notebook.

Chapter readings are to be completed before you come to class. Use this method for your reading notes and class lecture notes. These notes will become your study guide. Putting effort into your notes from the start will save you time and frustration later on.

1. Prepare your notepaper by section

Each section has a specific purpose. The Largest section is for your notes.

Draw a horizontal line about 2” from the bottom. (Questions for the teacher / Summary)

Draw a vertical line about 2.5” from the left side of your paper. (Review Questions)

2. Taking Notes

Top of the page: mark the course name, date, lecture or reading topic

Take notes in the largest section.

Textbook: Each Section’s Big Ideas, Graphs, Figures, Charts, Processes, Important Vocabulary, Learning Objectives.

Lecture: Include any information covered / emphasized by the teacher.

Tips Use notes to actively listen or read!

Listen for signals - If an instructor says something like "the three

most important implications of X are…" or points are emphasized /

repeated, these statements are likely important.

Reading a text – Look for key terms in bold type, for example, or

sketch out and restate important information in graphs or charts.

Keep it Simple! Your notes are an outline of the lecture or reading.

Focus on big ideas, key points, and key words. Don’t write in complete

sentences, use bullet points and shortcuts like (& for and or # for

number). Paraphrase the information don’t write it down word for

word. This takes too much time!

3. Review and Expand your notes

Tips Chapter notes will take multiple pages so I write down questions for the teacher at the bottom of the page if it is not being used for a summary.

(Continued instructions on next page)

Review and Expand your notes…

Make note of any questions that arise while you are listening or reading. These questions help clarify what you are absorbing and will be useful for studying later.

Edit your notes as soon as possible. If there are parts of your notes that you can’t read or are hard to understand fix them while the information is still fresh in your mind!

Summarize Key Points As soon as possible after the lecture or highlight the main ideas, learning objectives, or key facts from the right-hand notes section.

Go for key words, short phrases, diagrams that communicate the most important information or concepts.

Tips Cross out unimportant information. The beauty of this system is that it will teach you how to identify crucial information and discard what is unnecessary.

Write Potential questions in the left column – working from your notes on the right, think about questions that might appear on an exam and write these on the left. These questions will become your study guide for each chapter.

Tips Use textbook resources, learning objectives, or end of chapter questions to help you come up with potential test questions.

Summarize the main ideas in the bottom section of the page – This helps to clarify all of the information you have recorded. Putting the gist of the material in your own words is a good way to check your own comprehension. Ask yourself, “How would I explain this information to someone else?”

Use the learning objectives as a guide. Include any additional information that seem important.

Just a few sentences for each section is usually fine for the summary page. Add formulas equations, diagrams, etc. to the questions column if appropriate.

Tips If you don’t understand the material arrange to meet with your teacher or study group to go over the material before or after school. You should put together an AP study group from the very beginning of the school year. Use each other’s knowledge and strengths to get through the material!

4. Using your notes to Study

Read your notes – concentrate on the left-hand column and summary at the bottom. These contain the most important point you will need for you assignment or exam.Use your notes to test your knowledge – Cover the right side of the page and quiz yourself using the questions that you included in the left column. Uncover the right side to check your comprehension. Tips In your study group, take turns using each other’s notes to quiz one

another.

Review your notes as often as possible. Reviewing frequently over a long period of time, rather than cramming before a test, will greatly increase your retention and deepen your understanding of the material. Effective notes will allow you to study efficiently and with minimal stress! Work hard & Study Often – Good Luck!!