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CORNELL

NOTES
Cornell Notes is a note-taking system created by former Cornell Professor Walter Pauk. It can be a great DURING READING STRATEGY for students. It is also a very attractive method of taking notes for a couple of different reasons: 1) It is a great way to set students up for being organized, and 2) it makes studying easier (especially if you have to teach them how to do it). Normally, there are two columns: 1. The Cue-Column (Main Idea), and; 2. The Note-taking Area (Supporting Details). Main Idea Supporting Details The overarching theme of People, places, facts, events, opinions, and dates are all examples of supporting a paragraph, or section of details writing Normally, you would have students jot down the supporting details first, and then analyze what they have jotted down in order to identify the main ideas of Can be written as a a lesson. question Differentiate: Give struggling readings the Main Idea in order to guide their thinking. Despite the benefits of Cornell Notes, its still taking notes. In order to create a more personal connection to the reading, Anne Goudvis and Stephanie Harvey suggest that you add a third column for Personal Responses and Reflection. Main Idea Supporting Details Responses Thoughts, feelings, or questions. Why? By providing students with an opportunity to reflect and question the content they just covered, you are more likely to trigger more critical thinking and greater comprehension.
EXTENSION: Ask students to leave two to three inches at the bottom of each page blank. This space can b e reserved for a summary. Adding a summary to the notes will force students to think critically about how everything on that particular page fits together. Below you will find an example summary from the text that we selected for our presentation.

Summary The United States government has three different branches. Each branch has unique responsibilities that were given to it by the U.S. Constitution. For example, the Legislative Branch makes laws, the Executive Branch enforces laws, and the Judicial Branch interprets them. Each branch is responsible for checking the power of the others in order to ensure a balance of power at the federal level of government.

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