Why Cornell Notes in science Cornell notes are

Why Cornell Notes in science? Cornell notes are only useful if students are engaged and ready to learn. The boy in the front right of this picture is in another world and will be lost when asked to recall what occurred in class. Change the culture of note taking, help our students learn how to be skilled note takers and learners!

Cornell Notes in Science 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.

Cornell Notes in Science • Good notes allow students to help each other problem solve. • Good Notes help students organize and process data and information. • Good Notes help students recall by getting them to process their notes 3 times.

Subject: Teacher can have students write their daily objective here Questions, Subtitles, Headings, Etc. 2 ½ inches First & Last Name Class Title Period Date Class Notes: Any note taking format can go here Students should abbreviate whenever possible Can be used to organize main ideas of lecture, text, presentation or provide the big picture of a unit • Summary is added at the end of subject or objective (not each page). • Summary added AFTER questions are written and finished • Summary should answer the problem stated in the subject.

WICR- Used correctly, Cornell Notes has it all! Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration and rigor! Why is page set up so important? • Name and information on the upper right ensures students have a daily class record and can retrieve notes if absent, lost or misplaced. • Objective and or lesson title in upper left ensures student knows what the teacher wants them to be responsible to know from this lesson. • Notes located in the main body on the right, provide record of class, list of important facts, define vocabulary and show sample problems recorded in the students own style and should be as abbreviated as possible.

WICR- Used correctly, Cornell Notes has it all! Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration and rigor! Why is page set up so important? § § § Questions/Main ideas on the left, should be completed as soon as possible after the lesson. Teacher can have students do by themselves, then pair share with another student and then share as a class. (This would be a good formative assessment tool. ) In this column you can answer: § What did I already know? What did I learn? What questions do I have for my teacher? What would be a good test question? Students might write one or more of the following: categorize, question, vocabulary. Words that give test alerts, connections and reminders.

WICR- Used correctly, Cornell Notes has it all! Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration and rigor! Why is page set up so important? § Summary column should summarize questions and notes from above, focusing on the most important points and key words. § § Summary comes at the bottom of the last page of notes on the topic being covered Students should use the SQ 3 R system. Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review. § § § Survey reading selection or lesson (on right - body of notes) Review questions about what you have read/heard Try to find 5 most important points - include in summary

Example of Cornell Biology Notes In this example the question section has not been used to it’s best potential. Higher level questions expand the students depth of understanding Questions should begin with: Ø Why or how Ø Compare and contrast Ø What is the function of… Ø What is the effect of. . . Ø What if…

Example of Cornell Chemistry Notes In this example the student has used the space wisely, used abbreviations and shown examples that will aid in problem solving. This format provides the perfect opportunity for following through with the 5 R’s of note-taking: Record Reduce Recite Reflect Review

5 R’s of note-taking Record – During the lecture, in the right body column, record as many meaningful facts and ideas as you can. Write legibly. Reduce – As soon after lecture as possible, summarize these facts and ideas concisely in the question column. This clarifies meanings and allows students to connect objective with contents of notes to develop higher level questions. Recite – cover notes, using only your questions, say over the facts and ideas of the lecture as fully as you can using your own words. Then write a summary to bring it all together. Reflect – Draw out opinions from your notes and use them as a starting point for your own reflections on the topic, try to apply information to your life and how it relates to prior topics. This aids in remembering information. Review – Spend 10 minutes every week in quick review of your notes and you will retain most of what you have learned.

Cornell Notes Rubric

How I grade CN in my classes In AVID, as well as biology, the notes are only as valuable as we make them. I arbitrarily choose the sections I grade. Early in the year I grade the whole paper to keep students responsible. I make CN worth 50 points. Heading - 5 Subject - 5 Notes (right body) - 10 Questions (left body) - 10 Summary (end of subject) - 20

Change the culture of note taking. Use Cornell Notes as the tool! Students view note taking as boring busy work. Use Cornell Notes to keep students engaged! This will promote the skill of organized note taking accompanied by an effective method of reviewing and utilizing the curriculum we are teaching. How to incorporate into your lessons Use CN daily to record information Design bell work and closer activities around CN Students can work as partners or individually Weekly grades can be given using CN rubric Test preparation and review can be designed around question and summary sections of CN

Sources The Write Path Science Teacher Guide Grades 6 -12, Avid Center, 2003 Tools For Thought, Jim Burke 2000, www. englishcompanion. com ALL-IN-LINE NOTES http: //www. dartmouth. edu/admin/acskills/no_frames/lsg/cornell. html Why Cornell Notes, power point by Paul Bullock, Senior Program Specialist, & Anne Maben, AP Science Coach, AVID LA County http: //www. avidonline. com