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Interactive notebooks are the LATEST trend\u00a0in the classroom. \u00a0If you\u2019ve never tried interactive notebooks in your classroom, then you will definitely want to read this article. \u00a0I will cover what an interactive notebook is, the pros and cons of using one,\u00a0and how I use interactive notebooks in my classroom.<\/p>\n

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(1) What is an interactive notebook (INB)?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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An interactive notebook is an organized notebook filled with lecture\u00a0notes, interactive activities, and\/or reflection activities. \u00a0The extent to how many interactive and reflection activities varies depending on each teachers\u2019 preferences. \u00a0Most of the\u00a0interactive activities range from foldables to cut-out activities. \u00a0The reflection activities can be as simple as a quick write up, self reflection, brainstorming, or a\u00a0drawing.\u00a0 Some teachers might not even ask students to complete reflection activities, or if they do, they might not do it to the extent of what other teachers feel is necessary to actually benefit from an interactive notebook. \u00a0That is why if you scavenge the internet looking for ideas on how to do a interactive notebook you will find so many different templates out there. \u00a0You might read that some teachers require students put information that they are given (for example, lecture notes or lab worksheets) \u00a0on the left side (called \u201cteacher input\u201d side) and on the right side what they create (called \u201cstudent response\u201d or \u201coutput\u201d and an example would be like a quick write up or some kind of reflection). \u00a0Some teachers might even reverse the order.<\/p>\n

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(2) What do I need if I want my students to start an interactive notebook?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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In order to start an interactive notebook, you will need students to buy a notebook (or binder) and glue.\u00a0 I always provide scissors and crayons (or colored pencils) for my students.\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard some teachers say that they buy a big pack of glue sticks and sell them to students for the same price that they bought them for at the store.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t had much issues with this because students are also doing interactive notebooks for other subjects so they always have their glue with them that they purchased in the beginning of the year.<\/p>\n

You will also need to start the notebook in an organized way.\u00a0 There are certain pages that students need in the beginning of their notebook.\u00a0 These include:<\/p>\n

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• Classroom Rules (Expectations)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 It is important that students have your classroom expectations in their interactive notebooks so that they can always look back at them.\u00a0 We have students sign our classroom expectations page so that they know that they will be held accountable if they disobey our expectations.<\/li>\n
• Lab Safety Rules (Expectations)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Students need to know how to be safe when performing labs.\u00a0 It is very important that they know the necessary precautions and what to do when a situation arises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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  Classroom Rules & Safety Rules<\/em><\/p>\n

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  • Notebook Expectations<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 I want my students to know my expectations on how they will construct their interactive notebooks.\u00a0 This is important for students\u2019 to know that their notebooks will be used in my classroom daily and that it is their responsibility to take care of their notebook.<\/li>\n
  • Grading Rubric<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 It is important that students are informed on how their interactive notebooks will be graded.\u00a0 A grading rubric will break down categories and let students know how many points each category is worth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    Notebook Expectations & Grading Rubric<\/em><\/p>\n

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    • Setting Goals<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 You can have students set goals many times throughout the year.\u00a0 I normally have students set goals every quarter.<\/li>\n
    • Looking Back at Goals<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Students need a way to look back at goals that they set and determine if they achieved those goals.\u00a0 If not, they need to question how they could have achieved those goals, and what they need to do differently next time to make sure they can obtain their goals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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      Setting Goals & Looking Back at Goals<\/em><\/p>\n

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      • Reflections Page<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Students should be making reflections every lesson.\u00a0 Students need to be able to reflect by written response, drawing a visual picture, or giving an example.<\/li>\n
      • Table of Contents<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 This allows students to easily locate information in their notebook.\u00a0 The interactive notebooks can get very big with lots of important information.\u00a0 The table of contents will help the students access information that they need by looking up the concept and page number.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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        Reflection and Tables of Contents<\/em><\/p>\n

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        You can purchase this interactive notebook starter by going to my sister and I’s TPT store — click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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        (3) What are the pros of using an interactive notebook?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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        • Students take ownership when they have put time and effort into their interactive notebooks.<\/li>\n
        • Interactive notebooks are a great way to have students establish goals and monitor students\u2019 progress in achieving those goals.<\/li>\n
        • The interactive notebooks are organized by a table of contents that allows students to easily find a concept by looking for the page number.<\/li>\n
        • Students can write reflections about what they learned or took away from the lesson.<\/li>\n
        • The interactive notebooks are a great study tool to have before a test.<\/li>\n
        • Students can always reference back to their interactive notebooks to help them when they have a question on homework, classwork, or etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          (4) What are the cons of using an interactive notebook?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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          • Cuts into class time (takes time to cut-out and glue worksheets into notebook).<\/li>\n
          • Can be costly (requires a lot of glue and many teachers might end up spending their own money buying glue throughout the year).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Some teachers look at these cons and decide that they don\u2019t want to use interactive notebooks in their classroom.\u00a0 Yet, there are ways around these cons.\u00a0 Some teachers give one of the main reasons behind not using notebooks because of the glue situation.\u00a0 Some think that it is too much to have students cutting and gluing every page into their interactive notebooks.\u00a0\u00a0Here\u2019s my solution<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 In the past, I decided to have my students use a binder instead of an actual notebook.\u00a0 It still has the exact same information but was WAY less cutting and pasting.\u00a0 I would print the interactive notebook pages with three hole punches.\u00a0 Students would take their binders and place the page into their binder.\u00a0 Now, they still would have to cut out any foldables and glue them onto the page but it wasn\u2019t that much cutting and saved a lot of class time.<\/p>\n

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            An Example of a Binder Interactive Notebook<\/em><\/p>\n

            (5) Where do students store their interactive notebooks?<\/strong><\/p>\n

            It depends on the teacher. I have used interactive notebooks for many years and each year I like to try something new to see which way works best.\u00a0 This year, I have students be responsible for their notebooks and they have to bring them to class everyday.\u00a0 I have not had any issues with students bringing notebooks because they know that we are working in them daily.\u00a0 I firmly believe that if you are consistent in using interactive notebooks then students will see how much they are used in the classroom and will bring them to class.\u00a0 They will not forget them at home.\u00a0 Yet, if you do have 1 or 2 students that forget them at home, then you can tell them that they will need to make sure to pay close attention to where the page goes and complete it at home.<\/p>\n

            Now, the binders were very easy to store in our classrooms in an organized way.\u00a0 I have bookcases in the back of our classroom and I placed labels for each period.\u00a0 Students knew exactly where to place them according to their period.\u00a0 In the beginning of the school year, I had students create a side label with their name on it.\u00a0 We placed their label with their name on it, on the side of their binder.\u00a0 Hence, it was extremely easy for students to see their name and grab their interactive notebooks when they were placed in the bookcase.<\/p>\n

            You can see an example of a math interactive notebook as a binder below:<\/p>\n

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            Binder<\/em><\/p>\n

            (6) What is your routine for using interactive notebooks?\u00a0 How do you use them? Where do pages go?<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Every teacher has a specific way that they use interactive notebooks to fit their classroom needs.\u00a0 We have learned that what works well in one class, might not work well in another.\u00a0 Below are some ways that I have learned how an interactive notebook works well in my classroom:<\/p>\n

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            • Anytime I pass out a new page that goes into the interactive notebook, I have students write down the page number on the bottom of the corner (either right or left) and have students fill in the table of contents.<\/li>\n
            • Students place their activities, foldables, puzzles, and etc (all student work) on the left page.\u00a0 Their reflections are placed on the right page.\u00a0 If an activity takes up 2 pages, then we will add in Cornell notes or another graphic organizer so that the reflection can still be placed on the right side.\u00a0 I have found that this placement works well for our classes, but you can always change the placement of pages.<\/li>\n
            • Students will be placed in pairs or groups determining the activity (we call this \u201cteam talk\u201d).\u00a0 Students know that they need to work with one another to complete the assignment.<\/li>\n
            • After students complete the assignment, students will complete a reflection page independently.\u00a0 This allows me to learn what each student has learned from the activity and what they still have questions about.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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              Reflection Page<\/em><\/p>\n

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              If I want instant feedback, I will walk around the classroom and read my students\u2019 reflections.\u00a0 Students cannot put their notebooks away until they receive a stamp for completing the reflection.<\/p>\n

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              Reflection Page<\/em><\/p>\n

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              Stamping Reflection Page<\/em><\/p>\n

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              Reflection Page is Stamped<\/em><\/p>\n

              (7) How do you grade your interactive notebooks?<\/strong><\/p>\n

              My notebooks are normally weighted around 15%-25%.\u00a0 I grade our interactive notebooks by using our grading rubric.\u00a0 I grade by organization and completeness.\u00a0 I assign a certain amount of points to each category below:<\/p>\n

              \n
              • Students work is neat and organized<\/li>\n
              • Vocabulary words or important facts are highlighted<\/li>\n
              • Effective use of colors<\/li>\n
              • Pages are where they need to be<\/li>\n
              • Work is completed<\/li>\n
              • Reflections are completed<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                I collect our students notebook each quarter (one week before the quarter ends).\u00a0 This allows me to have enough time to grade notebooks because quarter grades are due.<\/p>\n

                (8) How are my interactive notebooks any different than others?<\/strong><\/p>\n

                My interactive notebooks are not the same as the traditional interactive notebooks.\u00a0 My interactive notebooks are more student centered and include foldables, puzzles, and activities.\u00a0 It is not aimed towards a direct instruction, but more hands on by students.\u00a0 Students will be engaging and learning far more using my interactive notebook than others. \u00a0Also, many of the diagrams you see are created by me so\u00a0I can change or manipulate as needed.<\/p>\n

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