TipsforTaking CornellNotes
•Listenforimportantpoints.
•Writeonlyimportantideassuchasnames,dates,terms,places,andevents.
•Useabbreviationsforfamiliarwords and look up definitions
•Developstudyquestionsandidentifymainideas.
•Addsymbolsorhighlightimportantwordsandconcepts.
•Review overall information and Summarizesignificantideasinacompleteparagraph.
•Writehigh-levelquestionsontheleftside.
TakingNotesfromaTextbook
•Considerhowthepartsmakeupthewhole—howideasrelatetoeachother.
•Notewhatyoucanlearnfrompicturesandgraphsinagivensection.
•Beawareoftextbookorganization-chapters,headings,boldwords,andgraphics.
•Knowwheretofindtheindexandglossary.
•Usechapterguidingquestionstoguideyouthroughthetextbookifpossible.
TakingNotesfromaDiscussion
•Usetopicsandquestionsintroducedbylecturertoguidenote-taking.
•Usesymbolstoidentifysignificantideas.
•Includeyourownresponsesinyournotes.
•Developquestions.
•Refertotextbookwhenconnectionsarise.
TakingNotesinMathematics
•Takenotesjustasinanyotherclass,withalloftheinformationontherighthandsideofthepage.Writetheproblemontheleftsideandsolveitontheright.Thengobackandfillinwithkeytermsorexampleequations.
•Asyoulistentoalecture,writeoutanykeytermsorquestionsontheleft(example: WhatistheDistance
Formula?).Thenontheright,givetheformula.
TipsforSummarizingCornellNotes
•Tellwhatisbeingsummarized(chapter,discussion,lecture, video, etc.).
•Createonesentencethatgivesthemainidea.
•Includenewinformationlearned.
•Giveseveralimportantdetailsthatexplainthemainidea.
•Checkthesummarytomakesurethesupportingideasrelatetothemainidea.
•Thesummaryshouldbeseveralsentencesthatdemonstrateunderstandingofthelearningexperience.
•Anypointsthatstillneedclarificationmightalsobementionedinthesummary.
CornellNotes
Topic:Questions/MainIdeas / Name: Class: Period: Date:
Notes:
Summary:
Name: BeginDate: Period:
CornellNotesRubric
Pageset-up / 5• Allparts(name,date, class,andtopic)are clearlylabeledinink andinthecorrectplace. / 4
• Allpartsbutone(name, date,class,andtopic)are clearlylabeledinthe correctplace. / 3
• Someparts(name,date, class,andtopic)are labeledinthecorrect place. / 2
• Missing2parts(name, date,class,andtopic)
butarecorrectlylabeled. / 1
• Missing3ormoreparts (name,date,class,and topic)andmaynotbein theproperlocation.
Legibility / • Neatandcompletely legible / • Completelylegible / • Mostlylegible / • Mostlyillegible / • Illegible
Notes / • Notesareselectivelyand accuratelyparaphrased.
• Useoflogical abbreviations.
• Noteshavebeenedited.
• Keywordhavebeen highlightedand/or underlined.
• Revisions/additionsare madeinadifferentcolor. / • Notesareselectivelyand accuratelyparaphrased.
• Useoflogical abbreviations.
• Somekeywordshave beenhighlightedor underlined.
• Partialrevisions/additionsare madeinadifferentcolor. / • Notesmay/maynotbe accurate,information notalwaysparaphrased.
• Someuseof abbreviations.
• Nohighlightingor underliningevident.
• Norevisionsmade. / • Notesareincomplete.
• Nouseofabbreviations. / • Notesdonotreflect
Cornellnoteformat
Questions / • Questionscheckfor understanding,and directlyreflectnotes(see Bloom’slevel12or Costa’slevel1).
• Questionsalsoinclude Bloom’slevel3–6or Costa’slevel23as appropriate. / • Questionscheckfor understanding,and directlyreflectnotes(see Bloom’slevel12or Costa’slevel1).
• Mostquestionsare lowerlevelinBloom’s orCosta’s. / • Questionsarebasicand mayreflectnotes(see Bloom’slevel12or Costa’slevel1).
• Mostquestionsare lowerlevelinBloom’s orCosta’s. / • Questionsarelimited anddonotaccurately reflectnotes. / • Questionsaremissing.
Summary / • Showslearningby effectivelyidentifying allmainideas. / • Showslearningby effectivelyidentifying somemainideas. / • Summaryisrestatingof notesbutisconnectedto somelearning. / • Summaryisarestating ofthenotesandisnot connectedtolearning. / • Nosummary
ReflectiveWriting—TheMath Journal
ogetthemostoutofyourclasses,youshouldwriteaboutwhatyoudid,whatyoulearned,andwhatquestionsyouwantmoreinformationabout.Thistypeofwritingisanexcellentwaytoprepareforexamsandpapersbecauseithelpsyouusewritingtodiscoverandclarifyideas.Thesewritingswillalsohelpyou
planfortutorialtimeandthereforebenefitthemostfromit.
Forclasseswhereyoucan’ttakenoteseasily,writingreflectionsassoonaspossibleafterclasswillhelpyougetmuchmoreoutofclass.
Herearesomequestionstogiveyouideasforyourreflection:
•WhatdidIlearninclasstoday?HowdidIlearnit?
•Whatwasespeciallyinterestingaboutclasstoday?
•WhatdoIwanttolearnmoreabout?
•WhatquestionsdoIhavenowaboutthistopic?
•WhatquestionsthatIhadwereansweredtoday?
•Whatsurprisedmeaboutthismaterial?
•HowdoesthismaterialconnecttoideasorinformationIalreadyknow?
•WhyisitimportantthatIknowthisinformation?HowcanIuseit?
•HowwouldIexplaintosomeoneelsehowtodowhatIlearnedtodotoday?(Thisoneisespeciallygoodformath.)
Youcanalsouseopen-endedstatementstogetyourthinking(andwriting)started.Herearesomesuggestions:
•AnimportantactivityIwasinvolvedintodaywas...anditaffectedmylearningby...
•SomethingI’mstillconfusedaboutis...because...
•OnethinkI’dliketoknow(orthink)moreaboutis...because...
•Ithinkmyteacherhadusdo...because...
•IcanrelatewhatIlearnedtodayandwhatIlearnedinanotherclassby...because...
•WhatIlearnedtodaywillhelpmebecause...
•Iwassurprisedtolearnthat...because...
•ThevideoIwatchedrelatedtothecourseinthefollowingway...because...
•Bytakingtoday’stest,Ilearned...because...
•ThemostimportantideaIgotfromthediscussionwas...because...andIcanuseitto...
MiddleLevelCornellNotes Sample—Mathematics