How to Take Cornell Notes
Devote notepaper solely to your Cornell-style notes., Draw a horizontal line across the bottom portion of your paper., Draw a vertical line down the left section of your paper., Leave the largest section of the page as the area for taking notes from...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Devote notepaper solely to your Cornell-style notes.
Whether you use a notebook or loose sheets kept together in a binder, you will want to have pages set aside just for note-taking.
You will divide each sheet into several sections; each section has a specific purpose. -
Step 2: Draw a horizontal line across the bottom portion of your paper.
This line should be approximately one-fourth of the way up the page, about two inches from the bottom.
Later, you will use this section to summarize your notes., This line should be approximately two and a half inches from the left edge of the page.
This will be used as the section for reviewing your notes., This section on the right of the page should leave you plenty of space to record important points., If you will be taking a lot of notes and/or want to save time, you can find blank templates for making Cornell style notes.
Print blank sheets and follow the same steps for use. , Do this consistently, and it will help you keep your notes organized and make reviewing course material much easier., While listening to a lecture, or reading a text, take notes only in the right-hand section of the page.Include any information that the professor writes on a board or shows in a slideshow. , Whenever you come across an important point, make a note of it.Look for signals marking important information.
If an instructor says something like "the three most important implications of X are…" or "there are two basic reasons why X happened," then this is likely information that you will want to record in your notes.
If you are taking notes from a lecture, listen out for points that are emphasized or repeated, as these are likely important.
These tips hold true if you are reading a text and come across statements like these examples.
Textbooks will often put key terms in bold type, for example, or restate important information in graphs or charts. , Think of your notes as an outline of the lecture or reading.
Focus on getting just the key words and points down so that you can keep up with the lecture or reading—you will have time later to review and fill in the gaps.
Rather than writing out complete sentences, use bullet points, shortcuts (like “&” instead of “and”), abbreviations, and any personal note-taking symbols you have.For example, instead of writing out a full sentence, such as “In 1703, Peter the Great founded St.
Petersburg and ordered its first building, the Peter and Paul Fortress,” you could write simply “1703—Peter founds St.
Pete & builds Peter & Paul Fort.” The shorter version will make it easier to keep up while still recording the essential information. , Go for the big ideas in the lecture, rather than trying to record all the examples the instructor may give to illustrate these ideas.Paraphrasing not only saves time and space, it forces you to make connections between the ideas presented and your own expression of them, which will help you remember material later.For example, if your instructor says in lecture (or a book states) that: "In constructing St.
Petersburg, Peter hired engineers, architects, shipbuilders, and other workers from many European countries.
The immigration of these intellectuals and skilled workers gave St.
Petersburg a cosmopolitan atmosphere, accomplishing part of Peter's goal to make the Russian city a 'window on the West'
" don't try to copy that word-for-word! Paraphrase the information, for example: "Peter hired engineers, architects, shipbuilders, etc. from all over Europe
-- his plan:
St.
Pete = 'window on the West.'"
This will help you to mentally organize the material.
It will also help you to focus on studying different parts whenever you need to., If there is something you do not understand, or want to know more about, jot this down in your notes.
These questions help clarify what you are absorbing, and will be useful for studying later.For example, if you were taking notes on the history of St.
Petersburg, as in the examples above, you might make a note "Why couldn't Peter the Great hire Russian engineers?"
If there are any parts of your notes that are hard to read or don't seem to make sense, fix them while the material is still fresh in your mind., As soon as possible after the lecture or reading, pull out the main ideas or key facts from the right-hand section.
Write very condensed versions in the left hand column
-- go for key words or short phrases that communicate the most important information or concepts.
Reviewing course material within a day or so of the lecture or reading greatly improves retention.Underlining main ideas in the right-hand column may help you identify them.
You can also try highlighting or color-coding, if you're a very visual learner.Cross out unimportant information.
Part of the beauty of this system is that it will teach you how to identify the crucial information and discard what is unnecessary.
Practice identifying information that you are less likely to need. , Working from your notes on the right, think about questions that might appear on an exam, and write these on the left.
Later on, these can be used as a study tool.For example, if in the right hand section, you have written the note "1703--Peter founds St.
Pete & builds Peter & Paul Fort," then in the left hand section, you could write the question "Why was Peter & Paul fortress 1st building in St.
Pete?" You can write higher level questions that are not answered in the notes, like "Why did...?," or "Predict what would happen if...?," or "What were the implications of...?" (e.g., "What impact did the change in capital from Moscow to St.
Petersburg have on the Russian Empire?).
These can deepen your learning of the material. , 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 comprehension.
If you can summarize the page of notes, it means you are well on your way to understanding the material.
You might ask yourself, "How would I explain this information to someone else?" Often, an instructor will begin a class session by giving an overview of that day's material, e.g.: "Today, we will discuss A, B, and C" Similarly, textbook sections often include introductions that summarize the main points.
You can use such overviews as a guide for taking notes, and think of them as a version of the summary that you will write at the bottom of your page of notes.
Include any additional details that seem important to you or that you think you need to pay special attention to when studying.
Just a few sentences is usually fine for the summary of a page.
Include any important formulas, equations, diagrams, etc. in the summary section, if appropriate.If you have trouble summarizing any part of the material, use your notes to identify where you should take a further look or ask your instructor for more information. , Concentrate on the left-hand column and summary at the bottom.
These contain the most important points you will need for your assignment or exam.You can underline or highlight the most important parts as you review, if you prefer. , Cover the right side of the page (the note-taking column) with your hand or another sheet of paper.
Quiz yourself by giving answers to the potential questions that you included in the left column.
Then uncover the right side and check your comprehension.You can also ask a friend to quiz you on your notes using the left column, and you can do the same for them. , Reviewing frequently over a longer period of time, rather than cramming before a test, will greatly increase your retention and deepen your understanding of course material.With your effective notes made using the Cornell system, you will be able to study efficiently and with minimal stress. -
Step 3: Draw a vertical line down the left section of your paper.
-
Step 4: Leave the largest section of the page as the area for taking notes from the lecture or reading.
-
Step 5: Use the internet to search for templates for Cornell notes if you need a shortcut.
-
Step 6: Mark the course name
-
Step 7: the date
-
Step 8: and the lecture or reading topic at the top of your page.
-
Step 9: Take notes in the largest section of the page.
-
Step 10: Use notes to listen or read actively.
-
Step 11: Keep it simple.
-
Step 12: Record general ideas
-
Step 13: not illustrative examples.
-
Step 14: Leave a space
-
Step 15: draw a line
-
Step 16: or start a new page when you come to a new topic.
-
Step 17: Make a note of any questions that arise while you are listening or reading.
-
Step 18: Edit your notes as soon as possible.
-
Step 19: Summarize key points.
-
Step 20: Write potential questions in the left column.
-
Step 21: Summarize the main ideas in the bottom section of the page.
-
Step 22: Read your notes.
-
Step 23: Use your notes to test your knowledge.
-
Step 24: Review your notes as often as possible.
Detailed Guide
Whether you use a notebook or loose sheets kept together in a binder, you will want to have pages set aside just for note-taking.
You will divide each sheet into several sections; each section has a specific purpose.
This line should be approximately one-fourth of the way up the page, about two inches from the bottom.
Later, you will use this section to summarize your notes., This line should be approximately two and a half inches from the left edge of the page.
This will be used as the section for reviewing your notes., This section on the right of the page should leave you plenty of space to record important points., If you will be taking a lot of notes and/or want to save time, you can find blank templates for making Cornell style notes.
Print blank sheets and follow the same steps for use. , Do this consistently, and it will help you keep your notes organized and make reviewing course material much easier., While listening to a lecture, or reading a text, take notes only in the right-hand section of the page.Include any information that the professor writes on a board or shows in a slideshow. , Whenever you come across an important point, make a note of it.Look for signals marking important information.
If an instructor says something like "the three most important implications of X are…" or "there are two basic reasons why X happened," then this is likely information that you will want to record in your notes.
If you are taking notes from a lecture, listen out for points that are emphasized or repeated, as these are likely important.
These tips hold true if you are reading a text and come across statements like these examples.
Textbooks will often put key terms in bold type, for example, or restate important information in graphs or charts. , Think of your notes as an outline of the lecture or reading.
Focus on getting just the key words and points down so that you can keep up with the lecture or reading—you will have time later to review and fill in the gaps.
Rather than writing out complete sentences, use bullet points, shortcuts (like “&” instead of “and”), abbreviations, and any personal note-taking symbols you have.For example, instead of writing out a full sentence, such as “In 1703, Peter the Great founded St.
Petersburg and ordered its first building, the Peter and Paul Fortress,” you could write simply “1703—Peter founds St.
Pete & builds Peter & Paul Fort.” The shorter version will make it easier to keep up while still recording the essential information. , Go for the big ideas in the lecture, rather than trying to record all the examples the instructor may give to illustrate these ideas.Paraphrasing not only saves time and space, it forces you to make connections between the ideas presented and your own expression of them, which will help you remember material later.For example, if your instructor says in lecture (or a book states) that: "In constructing St.
Petersburg, Peter hired engineers, architects, shipbuilders, and other workers from many European countries.
The immigration of these intellectuals and skilled workers gave St.
Petersburg a cosmopolitan atmosphere, accomplishing part of Peter's goal to make the Russian city a 'window on the West'
" don't try to copy that word-for-word! Paraphrase the information, for example: "Peter hired engineers, architects, shipbuilders, etc. from all over Europe
-- his plan:
St.
Pete = 'window on the West.'"
This will help you to mentally organize the material.
It will also help you to focus on studying different parts whenever you need to., If there is something you do not understand, or want to know more about, jot this down in your notes.
These questions help clarify what you are absorbing, and will be useful for studying later.For example, if you were taking notes on the history of St.
Petersburg, as in the examples above, you might make a note "Why couldn't Peter the Great hire Russian engineers?"
If there are any parts of your notes that are hard to read or don't seem to make sense, fix them while the material is still fresh in your mind., As soon as possible after the lecture or reading, pull out the main ideas or key facts from the right-hand section.
Write very condensed versions in the left hand column
-- go for key words or short phrases that communicate the most important information or concepts.
Reviewing course material within a day or so of the lecture or reading greatly improves retention.Underlining main ideas in the right-hand column may help you identify them.
You can also try highlighting or color-coding, if you're a very visual learner.Cross out unimportant information.
Part of the beauty of this system is that it will teach you how to identify the crucial information and discard what is unnecessary.
Practice identifying information that you are less likely to need. , Working from your notes on the right, think about questions that might appear on an exam, and write these on the left.
Later on, these can be used as a study tool.For example, if in the right hand section, you have written the note "1703--Peter founds St.
Pete & builds Peter & Paul Fort," then in the left hand section, you could write the question "Why was Peter & Paul fortress 1st building in St.
Pete?" You can write higher level questions that are not answered in the notes, like "Why did...?," or "Predict what would happen if...?," or "What were the implications of...?" (e.g., "What impact did the change in capital from Moscow to St.
Petersburg have on the Russian Empire?).
These can deepen your learning of the material. , 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 comprehension.
If you can summarize the page of notes, it means you are well on your way to understanding the material.
You might ask yourself, "How would I explain this information to someone else?" Often, an instructor will begin a class session by giving an overview of that day's material, e.g.: "Today, we will discuss A, B, and C" Similarly, textbook sections often include introductions that summarize the main points.
You can use such overviews as a guide for taking notes, and think of them as a version of the summary that you will write at the bottom of your page of notes.
Include any additional details that seem important to you or that you think you need to pay special attention to when studying.
Just a few sentences is usually fine for the summary of a page.
Include any important formulas, equations, diagrams, etc. in the summary section, if appropriate.If you have trouble summarizing any part of the material, use your notes to identify where you should take a further look or ask your instructor for more information. , Concentrate on the left-hand column and summary at the bottom.
These contain the most important points you will need for your assignment or exam.You can underline or highlight the most important parts as you review, if you prefer. , Cover the right side of the page (the note-taking column) with your hand or another sheet of paper.
Quiz yourself by giving answers to the potential questions that you included in the left column.
Then uncover the right side and check your comprehension.You can also ask a friend to quiz you on your notes using the left column, and you can do the same for them. , Reviewing frequently over a longer period of time, rather than cramming before a test, will greatly increase your retention and deepen your understanding of course material.With your effective notes made using the Cornell system, you will be able to study efficiently and with minimal stress.
About the Author
Charlotte Lee
Creates helpful guides on home improvement to inspire and educate readers.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: