As a student, educator, or professional that has been looking for an easy and efficient way to take notes, you must have come across the Cornell Note-taking guide. Cornell Notes is an organized way of taking efficient notes during a class or lecture. You can use Google Docs to take your Cornell notes since it comes with many convenient features.
This article will provide you with a step-by-step guide for how to make Cornell Notes on Google Docs. You can also choose a ready-made, customizable Cornell notes template for Google Docs to optimize your note-taking experience and a few helpful tips.
Table of Contents
What are Cornell Notes?
If you’re wondering if Cornell notes have anything to do with Cornell University you’d be right because the notes were named by Walter Pauk, an education professor at Cornell University.
Cornell Notes is a note-taking system developed as a structured method for taking organized and efficient notes during lectures or while reading texts.
They are characterized by a specific format that involves dividing the note-taking page into three sections: a main note-taking area, a left-hand column for the keywords, and a summary area.
It is a widely used method for taking organized and effective notes during lectures, presentations, or while reading textbooks or articles.
Cornell Notes Format
Cornell Notes-taking is very systematic and has its own specific format. Here’s how the Cornell Notes format typically looks:
- Heading: At the top of the note-taking page, you write the heading, which typically includes the topic or title of the lecture or reading, the date, and any other relevant information.
- Main Notes Area:Â The main section of the page is used to take notes during the lecture or reading. This area is usually the largest section of the page and is used to record the main ideas, key points, supporting details, and examples. In this section, you should try to summarize the notes into points with bullet points.
- Key points column:Â The left-hand column is a narrower column on the left side of the page. This column is used for writing keywords or questions related to the main notes. These keywords or questions act as prompts that help you recall the main points later when you review your notes.
They are drawn from the main notes and are made as short as possible with short words and abbreviations.
- Summary Area: At the bottom of the page, there is a summary area. This is where you write a brief summary of the main ideas or key points covered in the lecture or reading. This helps you consolidate your understanding and provides a quick reference for reviewing your notes later.
You can also include your reflection in this section.
How to Do Cornell Notes on Google Docs
Making your own Cornell note template on Google Docs is pretty simple. Here’s how:
Step 1:Â Open a blank document
Go to File > New and choose Document to start off with a blank document.
If you’re starting from the Google Docs home page, then just click on the Blank document.
Step 2: Create the sections.
- Write your Title and add space for the topic and date.
- Add a table with 2 columns.
- Go to Insert > Table and choose two rows and 2 columns and 2 rows.
- Select the second row, right-click on it, and choose Merge cells.
- Resize the table.
- Label each cell in the table. The first cell on the right should be for the notes, the one on the left for the cues, and the bottom cell for the summary.
Step 3:Â Format the Cornell Note Template
You can play around with the font, font color, page color, images, and drawings. You can also edit the tables with color and border formats.
Your Cornell note template will be automatically saved to your drive.
With those few steps, you’ve made your Cornel notes template and can get down to taking notes and learning. However, if you feel it’s too much effort, then you can use one of our Cornell note templates for Google Docs below.
Cornell Notes Google Docs Template
Google Docs Cornell Notes Template
The Google Docs Cornell Notes Template is simple. It contains the topic and date section and a table for the notes, cues, and summary.
The table headings have a pink background to help the template look a little less monotonous.
Avid Cornell Notes Template Doc
The avid Cornell Notes template is a grid template that has a minimal blue color scheme. It has the topic and date section and a table divided into lines to keep your notes more organized. The table is divided into Notes, Cues, and Summary.
Math Cornell Notes Template for Google Docs
The math Cornell Notes Template is the perfect template for your Math class. It has a soft blue background and a table. It comes with the Topic and Date section, a section for the Equation, and a table for the notes.
The table is divided into notes, key points, and a summary.
Why Use Our Templates?
As much as we’ve shown you how to set up Cornell notes on Google Docs, you may still want to get one that has already been designed for you. Here’s why you should use our Cornell templates for Google Docs:
- To save time and effort of creating one from scratch. With our Cornell templates, you can start using them immediately, even when the class has already begun, rather than trying to make one at the last minute.
- Our Cornell notes templates will help you keep your notes, thoughts, and ideas organized so that you can review them easily.
- Our Cornell templates are designed to help you focus on the most essential information. The template encourages you to summarize and synthesize key points, which can help you better understand and retain the information you are capturing.
- It’s effortless to share your notes with your classmates or team if you’re using our templates for Google Docs.
Tips on How to Take Cornell Notes on Google Docs
Cornell notes are accompanied by the Cornell note-taking guide that uses the following steps:
- Record: For this step, you should record as many points as possible from the class or session. Use bullet points and abbreviations instead of full sentences.
- Reduce: In this step, you should reduce the notes you took into keywords and short points. You should do this immediately after the class or as soon as you can.
- Recall: Use the key points to help you recall the lesson. Then try to recall the main points of the lesson without looking at the notes.
- Reflect: Reflect on the summary and the main points and use them to draw up what you learned.
- Review: Go through the notes often for a few minutes to retain the information you gained.
You can also print your Cornell Notes in Google Docs and make multiple copies so that you can use them to take handwritten notes. This is especially useful for the Math Cornell notes template.
Final Thoughts
Cornell notes are a great way to keep you focused and on top of all your classes. In this article, we’ve shown you how to create a Cornell notes template for Google Docs. We’ve also given you some Cornell notes templates – Google Docs and tips on how to use them.
If you found this article and templates useful, check out our premium templates too.
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