The Cornell Notes system is a powerful tool for organizing information, but to truly maximize its potential, you need to turn those notes into an effective study guide.
If you’re familiar with Suburban Science resources at all, you’ve probably seen some of my guided Cornell Notes. In a previous post, I already explained why I think the Cornell method is the most effective way to take notes and how you can modify the system for your classroom. In this post, I’d like to focus on how your students can use their completed Cornell notes to create study guides at the end of a unit or for a midterm exam.
Although it may be tempting for teachers to write study guides for the students, it’s important to remember that transforming their Cornell Notes into a study guide helps reinforce what your students have learned and boosts retention. In this blog post, I’ll share some practical tips for turning these Cornell Notes into a study guide that will set your students up for success.
What Are Cornell Notes?
Before diving into the tips, let’s briefly review what Cornell Notes are. This system divides your page into three sections:
- Cue Column (Left): This narrow column is for keywords, questions, or prompts that identify main concepts and ideas.
- Note-Taking Column (Right): The larger section where students record detailed notes during class or from your reading. This section contains the bulk of the information.
- Summary Section (Bottom): A brief summary of the material on that page. This helps to consolidate and understand the material.
Now, let’s explore how to transform your Cornell Notes into an organized and effective study tool! Here are some tips you can give your students to help them take ownership by making their own study guides!
Tip 1: Use the Cue Column for Key Concepts and Questions
Start by focusing on the Cue Column. This part of the notes is designed to be the “quick reference” section for studying. It typically includes key terms, concepts, important questions, and main ideas.
- Create a list of key questions: Look through the questions you wrote in the Cue Column and turn them into a list. For example, if your cue column said, “How are photosynthesis and cellular respiration related?” this could become a question in your study guide.
- Highlight major concepts: Identify important vocabulary words or concepts that you might be quizzed on. For instance, “the nitrogen cycle” could be a key concept to list in your study guide.
- Turn cues into flashcards: Write the questions or key terms on one side of the flashcard, and a brief answer or definition on the other.
Tip 2: Use the Note-Taking Column for Detailed Explanations
The Note-Taking Column is where you’ve written the detailed explanations, definitions, and examples. Now, you can use this section to provide more context for the keywords and questions in your Cue Column
- Rewrite the main ideas in simpler terms: Take the detailed notes you wrote and condense them into more manageable, easier-to-understand sentences or phrases. For example, if you’ve written about the stages of mitosis, simplify the explanation for your study guide and focus on the key steps.
- Highlight vocabulary terms: Use a highlighter or underline any major vocabulary terms, then go back and make sure you can define and explain each one.
- Use bullet points: Answer the cue questions in a few bullet points. Use the detailed notes section to help you come up with the main ideas.
- Create and redo diagrams: Look at all the diagrams and visuals included in the note-taking column. Make sure you can explain what each visual means. You may want to make new organizational charts and visuals to help bring concepts together or you may want to redraw diagrams, charts, and graphs from the notes column to help you remember it.
Tip 3: Use the Key Points from the Summary
At the end of each Cornell Notes page, you’ve created a Summary that briefly explains the main concepts in your own words. This section is crucial for reinforcing your understanding of the material.
- Reread the key points: Since the summary provides an overview of each page, rereading each summary helps to your memory and identify areas you need to focus on.
- Hide and condense: By hiding the summary with your hand, you can attempt a concise explanation of the crucial pieces of information on the page.
Final Thoughts
Turning your Cornell Notes into a study guide is a game-changer for your students’ study routine. By reviewing and organizing your notes, creating flashcards, practicing with quizzes, and using visuals, they’ll have a comprehensive and effective tool to ace your tests. And by providing students with ownership over this process, they’ll have study techniques they can take with them in the future.
If you don’t use Cornell Notes in class yet, here are some bundles that are just waiting for you try!
