BRANDON, MS (WLBT) - This year at Northwest Rankin Middle
School, 7th grade science teacher Coleen Knight is helping
students take more efficient notes. "Remember, when we're taking
notes, it does not have to be grammatically correct," she tells
the class. The students write a title at the top of the page,
then make two columns: one for notes, the other for essential
questions that will appear on the test. "It's just an organized
way to take notes," says Austin Scott. After reading the
chapter, the students come up with the questions themselves.
After that, Knight makes sure they're hitting the right points.
It's called the Cornell Note Taking Method. "I can use it in
social studies too. It helps me a lot," says student Jacob
Bennett. The heart of the technique is not what we're used to.
Essentially, the teachers are giving the students the answers
that will be on the test. "I want everyone in here to make an
A," Knight says. "The only way they can do that is to know what
I'm going to have on that test." The