My fourth graders know how to use 2-column Cornell notes from learning the process in 3rd grade. However, the 3-column Cornell notes is a new tool for them which I was excited to teach them! I began by modeling how to fold their page into 3 columns in their notebooks. I told them to fold the paper over so that there is about as much white space on either side of the red margin line. I walked around to each table group so that they could observe where I was going to make my first fold. After we checked to make sure everyone had correctly made their first fold (I asked kids to check their partners' folds), then I showed how to simply fold over that folded rectangle to make one more. I reminded the students that it does not have to be perfect thirds, but should be close enough.
It took a few days of modeling how to fold the paper into thirds, but the students were soon pros at doing so on their own! I have demonstrated to the students the purpose of the three columns in being able to fold the page over to quiz one's self to study. I usually have the students write a question in the first column, the answer in the second column, and an example in the third column. For example, we are learning about each of the 8 main Hawaiian islands right now. In our first column we wrote, "What are some facts about Ni'ihau?" Then in our middle column we listed some of the facts that we had read in our textbooks. In the last column we drew pictures that matched up to our notes. Most of the students enjoyed the added drawing dimension of the lesson. It also helped that we were pretending to fly to each of the islands and were on a tour. The notebook was our scrapbook of our adventures. The kids had fun "taking pictures" to remember their major points of interest on each island.
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