Description and Example of modified Cornell Method of Note Taking
Set-up
 Date and number each page.
 Draw a vertical line down the left side of the page, 2 ½
inches from the margin. To the left of this line will be your
Questions Column, to the right of this line will be your
Notes Column.
 Draw a horizontal line across the page, 2 inches from the
bottom. This will be your Summary Section.
Record
 Record your notes during a lecture or while reading in the
Notes Column.
 Organize your notes with headings/titles, underlining,
indentation, and or numbers or letters.
Review
(ASAP no
later than 24
hours)
 Review, reorganize, and clean-up your Notes Column.
 In the Questions Column, write down questions that
correspond to and physically line up with key ideas within
the Notes Column.
 The more questions the better. You will need a minimum of
five questions per page of notes. See the next page for the
type of questions you should be asking.
 Use the Summary Section to briefly describe the
information contained on that page of notes. This is also a
good place to list the page number(s) of corresponding
information from the textbook.
Study
 Briefly review your notes (10 minutes) several times a week
to retain what you have learned.
 Cover up the Notes Column and use the questions in the
Questions Column to quiz yourself, jog your memory, and
develop further learning.
 Use this process to discover cause and effect of issues,
identify and define related terms, and connect related
concepts.
 Add to your notes each time you review.
You will be creating Analysis questions for your Cornell Notes. Analysis questions
examine and break information into parts by identifying motives or causes. Make
inferences and find evidence to support generalizations. See the key words below
and sample questions to help you with this process.
Key Words
analyze
categorize
classify
compare contrast
divide
examine
inspect
simplify
distinguish
theme
relationships
function
motive
inference
assumption
Sample Questions
Why do you think…?
What are the parts or features of…?
How is _____ related to…?
What motive is there…?
Can you list the parts…?
What inference can you make…?
What conclusions can you draw…?
How would you classify…?
How would you categorize…?
What evidence can you find…?
What is the relationship between…?
Can you make a distinction
between…?
What is the function of…?
What ideas justify…?