Taking Cornell Notes
Remember – These notes are for you to help you organize new information. If you already remember
something well from biology – you don’t need to write it down! Especially with the Ecology unit, you
may remember a lot of the information. The sample notes below represent thorough note-taking and
may be more than you need to do. In this class, you are expected to do as much as you need to do to
learn the material! Use your Review Manual to be sure you know the essentials well!
When note-taking, there are three things to focus on:
1) Key Concepts (also Key Ideas from Review Manual):
First read through the Key Concepts at the beginning of the chapter, then begin reading the
chapter and focus on the information that they have identified as a key concept. Ask a meaningful
question whose answer will help you organize/summarize the information in the reading. At the end of
the chapter, check the Key Concept summaries to see if your notes are similar.
2) Vocabulary:
Any time there is a word in bold, it is an important vocabulary term. Often it will be part of a
Key Concept.
3) Diagrams/Pictures that are especially useful:
You may either choose to draw these, or make a note of the page # in the book for later
reference.
Here is a sample of the beginning of Chapter 50
Title - Chapter 50 – An Introduction To Ecology And the Biosphere
Part I – The Scope of Ecology
What is ecology?
(Note- this is the first bolded word in the
chapter, a vocabulary word)
What determines the distribution and
abundance of organisms?
(Note- this is the first key concept and it is the
heading of a section that is 3 paragraphs long – I
read the whole section, then summarized it with
bullet points. You can check the Key Concept
summaries in the back to be sure you are on track.
You may want to add something from there that
clarified the reading.)
What is an abiotic component?
What is a biotic component?
Ecology is the scientific study of interactions between
organisms and their environment. An ecologist is a scientist
that studies ecology.
This is determined by the interactions between organisms
and their environment.
 Ecologists are often asking questions/forming
hypotheses about what factors limit the geographic
range (distribution) of a species or what factors
determine its abundance? In other words - Who
lives where? How many are there? They may
conduct field research or use models in the
laboratory to test their hypotheses.
 Abiotic and biotic factors may affect distribution
and abundance.
 Questions about the relative importance of various
environmental components are frequently at the
heart of ecological studies and controversies.
This is a non-living chemical or physical factor such as
temperature, light, water, and nutrients.
This is a living factor such as other organisms – plants,
animals, parasites, bacteria, etc – in the environment.
Examples of biotic factors that would affect an organism
might be competition with other organisms, predation by
other organisms, infection with parasites or bacterial
illnesses, presence of food to eat, etc.