Cornell Notes Rubric: Fill & Download for Free

I went to Cornell and never had to learn Cornell Notes, but as a 9th grade Global History Teacher I teach Cornell Notes. I learned about Cornell Notes from my co-teacher during my first year and we decided it would be best for our kids to learn the structure.I feel that the biggest benefit of Cornell Notes is that it helps you learn (and teach) a note-taking structure as well as a few other important skills. Oftentimes, we make assumptions about what or kids can or can’t do and that impacts our instruction. For instance, we might assume that all kids already know how to take notes. However, upon observing my students’ first at-bat with Cornell Notes, I realized that they were copying sentences verbatim from the textbook. And that kind of note-taking only helps students recall information.Through learning Cornell Notes students learn a number of importnant note-taking skills. Such as, how to extract key information from a document, lecture, video, etc. They also learn how to paraphrase and abbreviate information. Students learn how to synthesize information and forming questions (through developing cues). Students also learn how to summarize information.These skills aren’t gained automatically. We have students do Cornell notes from a section of the textbook every week and every once in a while during class. Every week we give them a rubric that provides them with feedback on their Cornell Notes. I couldn’t do that if every student took notes in any which way. It’s definitely been a struggle but our students are a lot better at note-taking now than they were in September. We have normed Cornell Notes as the Social Studies Note-taking method. Other classes have been using them as well. Our department has concluded that as students progress through high school and need more independence, the required structuring of the Cornell Notes won’t be necessary or enforced as long as students are demonstrating their note-taking skills.In conclusion the best thing about Cornell Notes is that it I implicitly teaches you important note-taking skills.

Cornell notes or even T-notes (which organize your notes into sections) work to formulate a brainstorm session. Use your annotations: any points of reflection, question, etymology, and/or elaboration that you can pinpoint in a novel or article. Afterward, dissect your sources. It’s not necessary to read an entire source, even though I’ve done that several times. Look at the title, the thesis, the introduction, the conclusion, and any differentiating sections.Make your paper intriguing, not superficial. Like any piece of classical music, have varied elements (e.g. many types of dynamics, crescendos and diminuendos, ornamentations, different note values, Dominant 7th and other types of chords, including diminished, augmented, normal triads, and so forth). Fill it with flair, not insipid commentary. Have a few people peer review it. Keep editing it throughout the time you’re allotted. Cite your sources parenthetically and at the end in a Works Cited. Follow the rubric in your course. Try to use any ideas talked about in the lectures and resources that your teacher provided you.

The best way to take notes is with the end in mind. Most tests focus on key words or facts. Objective questions are based on key words or facts: multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, etc. Even if test questions are short answer or short essay, the grading rubric used to correct the test is based on key words appearing in the answer.So write key words or facts in notes, and include a short phrase in your own word to define them. Write short phrases in your own words instead of repeating what the lecturer says or copying a definition from the textbook. First, you are more likely to remember your own words come test day. Secondly, the process helps you learn the material. When you paraphrase a definition, first you have to read or listen to the definition, mentally process the information, think of different words, and then make your fingers work.There are complex note taking systems, but often simple is best (and cheaper than buying special notebooks). Good Luck!