Cornell Note Taking and Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Cornell Notes:  You can use a pre-made form or a piece of regular ruled binder paper to create a Cornell Note form.

• Begin with a heading (Name, date, class, etc.)
• Add a title:
• If it's a lecture, something like "The Pullman Strike" or "The Water Cycle". 
• If it's a chapter [or section of a chapter] use the title of that section.
• If it's a movie, use the title of the movie.
• In the "Notes" section, you will take shortened, essential notes.
• Don't write down EVERYTHING -- keep it simple and cover main points.
• When the lecture/film/section is over, summarize the page in the bottom section.  
• Just quickly tell what the page is about as if you had to explain it to someone in a sentence or two.
• Finally, add some study questions in the left column to help you remember the material.
• See examples below:

A bit more about note taking:

There are some good tips in this one -- and some things NOT to do.  :)

Taking Cornell Notes (For Nursing School):

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• Take some notes about what primary and secondary sources are.  List some examples.

Another good discussion on this issue is a teacher who was looking to teach The Gettysburgh Address. As a history teacher, he knew the importance of going to a primary source -- but what he discovered was that sometimes, that is not always easy.

Discuss:  What are some other potential problems with primary sources?

• Perspective / Point of View
• Misunderstandings
• Misquotes
• Dishonesty