MCC: Note Taking

We’re looking at note taking today. It’s necessary for chemistry, and every class you’ll ever take. Take a minute and think about how you take notes. Do you have a system? Do you have a method to keep your notes organized?

1. Cornell Notes (see template on the reverse of this page)
   1. Listen closely and engage in conversation with the teacher
   2. Include date and class at the top
   3. Start with section topics, written large and/or underlined
   4. Leave a space on the margin (left or right) to add your own questions or comments (ask the questions!)
   5. Do not use the whole page during class: leave space at the bottom to write a summary later (this gives you something to do with your notes as you use them to study: write summaries of each page)
2. Keller Notes (Mimic Mr. Keller’s notes off the projector)
1. Listen closely and engage in conversation with the teacher
2. Date and topic at top
3. Section, unit or related chapter as headings
4. Star sections that you didn’t understand
5. Number pages at the bottom
6. Leave space for notes you could not write down so you can fill it in later
3. Minimal Notes
   1. Listen closely and engage in conversation with the teacher
   2. Write down key words or equations
   3. Download online notes later to view onscreen or by printing out

Remember that the main thing is to write something down. The act of processing verbal information by encoding it in written text will help you to remember and to understand the material. Doodling is okay. Be sure to have the right materials, ask questions for clarification, and contribute your ideas. It’s okay to tell Mr. Keller to slow down. Mr. K posts all the notes.

Organize your notes as you make them. Date everything you write at the top—that way you can always go back and organize later. Use page numbers at the bottom. Keep all your notes in the same notebook or binder and simply keep them in the same order you took them in class. If you use loose-leaf paper, make sure it is hole-punched and put it in your binder!

Things you can do with your notes after class:

• Make an electronic copy. Take a picture and save it to a study file on Google drive. Then if you lose something or lend something, you’ll have a back up.
• Recopy them more neatly. Not only does this help you learn the material, it helps you notice if you missed something. You can do this by hand or type them up.
• Compare to Mr. K’s version that is posted on Google Classroom so that you can see if you missed something. Paying attention while in class is critical so you may miss writing some of the notes. And you know you can always go back and fix the notes using the online version.
• If you used the Cornell Notes method, write in your summaries and add your questions. Then schedule yourself to see Mr. K during AEAST to ask those questions.

Keep this as a model for chem and beyond. This skill is useful for any class or for any situation where you have complicated, intricate, interesting, and/or nuanced information to learn. Which, since you’re in school, is all the time!