ShmoopTube

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[Coop and Dino singing]

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Have you ever been taking notes and found yourself thinking, [Students in class and boy collapses]

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“I wish this was a little more complicated?”

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Okay, maybe that's not super realistic. But what if we told you that with just a little

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bit more effort, your notes would be beautiful, organized, and way easier to study with?

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That's where the exciting world of Cornell notes comes in! [Cornell University and person holds up page of notes]

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…Okay, yeah, it still doesn't sound that exciting, but trust us, it's a handy trick

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to know.

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You can format your Cornell Notes in just a few simple steps.

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First things first, create a small section on the top right of your paper. [Box on the top right of a page]

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This is where you’ll write your name…

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… the class… Let’s see… “Shmoop 101”.

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… the period… is this fourth, or third…

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… and the date, uh, well, that’s “Today.”

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See, we’re already halfway done. Almost. [Completed section and thumbs up appears]

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Now, make two slightly larger boxes under the one you just made.

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The first of these boxes is where you write the topic or objective, which your teacher

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will provide for you!

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For now, let’s say the topic is going to be… Room Cleaning.

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We know. We're wild and crazy.

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The second large box at the top of the paper is where you’ll write your essential question.

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Sometimes this will be provided for you…

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… but sometimes you’ll have to make this up for yourself. If that’s the case, try [Teacher stood at front of class asking for essential question]

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to keep the question focused on the topic.

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So less “Why can't I go outside and play instead of doing this, ughhhh?” and more

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“What are good cleaning techniques?”

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Below your top boxes and about a third of the way in from the left margin, draw a vertical

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line. [Vertical line appears on page]

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This line is how you’ll separate the body of your notes from the questions that you’ll

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later write and use to create your summary.

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Okay, so let’s see… fold clothes… books on shelf… throw out old food…vacuum the [List of cleaning techniques]

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cat…great.

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That’s the body. As we go, we write down any questions we might have.

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Remember, stick to the topic.

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“Where can I find a broom if I’m not a witch?” isn’t the best question. “What’s

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the best way to organize books?” is a pretty good question.

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At the bottom of your page, leave about a two inch space. [Ruler appears at bottom of a page]

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Later on, this is where you’ll go back and summarize your notes into a paragraph.

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See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?

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It was almost fun…almost as fun as playing outside! [Students walking out of class]

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Why not stay in and clean that room instead?

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…Hello? ….Hellooooo?....

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