Cornell Notes
The note-taking system we use
Cornell Notes is a structured way to take and review notes. Developed at Cornell University in the 1950s. All Acceleration Academics students use this method.
The 5 Rs
- Record — Take notes in the right column during class
- Question — Add cues/questions in left column after
- Recite — Cover notes, quiz yourself from cues
- Reflect — How does this connect to what you know?
- Review — 10 min weekly review using summaries
Example: Turing's WWII Contributions
The Passage
Alan Turing was a British mathematician who played a crucial role in breaking German codes during World War II. He worked at Bletchley Park, Britain's codebreaking center, where he led the team that cracked the Enigma machine. The Enigma was a device used by the German military to encrypt communications, and it was considered unbreakable because it had over 158 quintillion possible settings that changed daily.
Turing designed an electromechanical machine called the Bombe, which could test thousands of Enigma settings per hour. By 1943, Bletchley Park was decoding 84,000 messages per month. Historians estimate that Turing's work shortened the war by two to four years and saved millions of lives. After the war, his contributions remained classified for decades.
What was Enigma?
Why "unbreakable"?
What did Bombe do?
Impact on war?
— Led team that cracked Enigma
— German encryption device
— Used by military for secret messages
— 158 quintillion possible settings
— Settings changed daily
— Electromechanical machine Turing built
— Tested thousands of settings/hour
— 84,000 messages decoded/month by 1943
— Shortened war 2-4 years
— Saved millions of lives
— Stayed classified for decades
Practice
Try Cornell Notes with these passages. Click to open, take notes, then compare with sample notes.