Cornell Note-Taking
Cornell Note-Taking is a literacy strategy resource from the National FFA Organization that teaches a systematic process for taking notes during reading or viewing, forming questions the notes would answer, and summarizing the important ideas. It includes a reusable worksheet with columns for notes, questions, and a summary, and can be applied to any reading, video, website, or class lecture.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
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- Identify common themes and patterns in text, video or lecture information.
- Articulate the importance of finding commonalities in information.
- Description
- Cornell Note-Taking is a systematic process for taking notes during reading or viewing, analyzing the notes to form questions the notes would answer, and using the notes and questions to summarize the important ideas presented.
- Example Activities
- This strategy can be used with any reading students are assigned. In addition, it can also be modified to help students summarize words or main ideas from a video, website or class lecture. This worksheet can also be done in pairs to promote educational dialogue.
Downloads & Links
Aligned Standards
Common Core – Language
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.6Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Common Core – Reading: Informational Text
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.2Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.3Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
Common Core – Science & Technical Subjects
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.2Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text's explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.5Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).
Common Core – Writing
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4Produce clear and coherent writing the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.