Interactive notebooks

IÑAKI FERNÁNDEZ

INTERACTIVENOTEBOOKS

Why should we use them?

Reasons / Cons

Yay!

What goes where

Be active!

Good idea!

Resources

Organization

Video

Tips

Let's get started

Routines

What do I need?

Materials

Uff, thanks!

Time savers

What is it?

Concept

What are we going to learn about?

Contents

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What do you think? Tap on your guess...

What are the Interactive Notebooks?

CONCEPT

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WRONG!Try again...

What are the Interactive Notebooks?

CONCEPT

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They are a powerful tool to help students compartmentalize important science content through the use of guided notes with pre-made templates.Interactive notebooks become an easy way for students to find the information they need to learn.

Use the standards and your scope and sequence outlines to planning out the pages of your interactive notebooks for each unit BEFORE you teach that unit. Each page within your interactive notebooks should aim to cover your standards and evaluate your students understanding of those standards.

They are spiral or composition notebooks where students can organize their notes.

InteractiveNotebooks

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• What are they?

They are notebooks that “students use to store, record and organize important information throughout the unit of study”. “They are compilations of learning that teach students how to organize their notes, questions, thoughts, in-class activities, etc.” They help students to review and study for tests. Interactive Lapbooks are a shorter version of an Interactive Notebook. They come from a tradition of notebooking, scrapbooking and promotion of creativity and interaction in student learning.

• Why are they called “interactive”?

Because students work with information in several ways as they fill in the notebook. They become engaged and get hands on experience in order to personalise their study guide.

DEFINITION

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Here you have five reasons to use Interactive notebooks...

Reasons to use them

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They can be used in all grade levels!! They can be used to improve the basic competences, especially learning to learn!

Reasons to use them

Now that I know that "Winter is coming", I can get ready to fight it...

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• Lack of organization of some students.
• Time consuming (gluing and cutting for some students) = Help them / start with easy and simple activities.
• Requires preparation ahead of time (before teaching that unit).
• If they take it home, it might not be in the classroom for the following session!!
• If students have pieces that have yet to be cut out and glued into the interactive notebooks, they can be stored in a pouch and will not end up on the floor or in the bin. Students can complete that portion of the interactive notebooks during another time.
• Foldables with many pieces or directions can be difficult for low level students.

CONS

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Time savingStrategies

Use as an exit ticket for formative assessment. Simply walk around the class and observe your students as they filled out their notebook page. Specifically look for students that seem lost or have a hard time getting started. Make a quick note to yourselves so that the next day you can revisit the concept at the beginning of class.

Formative assessment

Place the notebook templates that will be used for the day on several tables around the room for students to pick up as they enter the classroom or you can hand it to each student as they enter the classroom. Set a time limit on how long they have to get it cut and ready for the day. Once the bell rang, set a timer for 3 minutes and your students will learn that they need to get cutting. If you are consistent, your students will catch on to the process pretty quickly. It really works!

Time-trial cutting

Have students make a pocket folder at the front or back of the notebook. Cut out all necessary templates that will be used during a certain week or unit. Place all of the templates into a bag and secure them in the pocket. This takes a little time up front, but saves so much time in the end. PLUS, it allows students a “sneak peek” at some of the things they will be learning about which is great for sparking their curiosity and creating meaningful discussions.

Pocket Folders

Have your high achievers or teacher helpers cut a few extra notebook templates for absent students. A great idea is to create an “I’m Finished, Now What?” area in your room. We would place extra notebook templates in a basket for students to cut out. Of course not all students want to cut extra templates, but there are always a few in each class that are more than willing to help out. Those students can cut more than enough templates for us which is a great time saver the next day.

Free workforce

Keep your students on task by having them prepare for a future lesson. No matter what you do, there’s always that one lesson that runs short. We would fill that extra time at the end of class by having our students cut out any upcoming notebook templates. It helped keep our students productive and also acted as a great link to the next day’s lesson.

Use extra times

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What goes where?

Information from:

• Your teacher
• Reference sources
• Textbooks

Write the title Write the date GUIDELINES Record notes and information during class from: • Lectures • Discussions • Books • Videos • Lab instructions • Handouts • Any other type of INPUT you get in class

INPUT (odd numbered pages) - Teacher Directed

Show what you know from information you recorded on the right side. It should be: Unique, creative and individual. Use colour (it helps the brain to remember information better) and graphics as much as possible. Organize information. SOME POSSIBILITIES • Brainstorming • Sketches or clip art • Diagrams or flow charts • Thinking maps of all kinds • Graphic organizers • Illustrations • Drawings and observations • Reflections • Foldables • Poems, songs, photos • Graphs, charts • Inquiry questions • Lab data, observations, results, and conclusions • Summary

OUTPUT (even numbered pages)- Student Directed

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Materials

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More...

Example

Model how to clean up after working in the interactive notebooks. Give clear instructions

Clean up!

Order

Designate an area in your room where the interactive notebooks and needed materials (printables, glue, scissors, crayons...etc) will be kept in your classroom.

Organization

Be clear on how students should be arranging elements on each page to make the most of the space. Repeat continuously!

Be sure your students are aware of what you consider to be quality work when it comes to their interactive notebooks. Go over and over your grading procedures. Since students will be drawing and coloring often in their notebook, you will need to model for students your expectations for how much time and effort they need to be putting into their interactive notebooks.

Expectations

Complete a rubric at the end of each unit in the interactive notebooks to give students a grade for that portion. Go over it with them so they know what they are expected to do!

Grading

Spend ample time at the start of the year (or whenever you begin using interactive notebooks with your students) setting up routines and procedures for using their interactive notebooks.

Routines

From teacherspayteachers

• Implement notebook checks and a rubric for grading. This will motivate students to work hard every day.

EVALUATION

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Have students glue tabs into their interactive notebooks to divide out each unit. This will help you and your students easily refer back to previous units/topics/concepts taught earlier in the year.

Have students glue several days/a week's worth of pages/pieces at a time while all materials are out. This can be done as part of morning work at the beginning of the week. Have your example pages out so that students can see exactly how to glue everything in. Students will not need to fill out any of the writing or drawing portions of each piece yet, but having them glue all pieces in at once saves time when you're ready to dive right in to the content later on in the week.

Prepare model notebook pages for your students so that you can have an example to show them.

Tape a short ribbon in the back of the interactive notebooks that can be used to mark where they left off, like a bookmark.

Glue a large envelope on the back of the notebook for pieces that students still need to glue into their notebook.

Label the sides of the interactive notebooks. Have students (or you!) write their name on all edges of their interactive notebooks with a Sharpie so that they are easily identified when stacked.

Have students glue in a table of contents. You can do a table of contents at the beginning of the entire interactive notebooks outlining the pages where each unit starts, or a table of contents at the beginning of each unit within the interactive notebooks outlining the pages inside that unit.

Number the pages: Have your students go through and number EVERY PAGE of their notebook. They will use these numbers in their table of contents, and when you want students to quickly reference a page in their notebook.

When you're ready to get started, there are a few things you can do right away with your students to set them up for success all year.

Tips to set up the Interactive Notebooks

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Use doodle notes . “Doodle notes" are a unique visual note-taking method with built-in features that increase focus and memory by taking advantage of a collection of brain research, including Dual Coding Theory.

You should teach note-taking skills first: Teachers have to show students how to take effective notes while reading and how to get the most out of in-class activities. This can be done using “Cornell Notes”.

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Spiral notebooks are better for low levels (than composition notebooks).

When you're ready to get started, there are a few things you can do right away with your students to set them up for success all year.

Tips to set up the Interactive Notebooks

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Resources

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Interactive Notebooks

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