Interactive Notebooks: How I Use Them in My Classes Part 1

I LOVE interactive student notebooks.  I mean serious love.  I wish this had been a thing when I was a kid in middle school.  I am positive that I would have been more involved in my course work.  This is my fourth year using them in regularly in class, but I dabbled with them for a few years before I took the big plunge.  I have learned some things along the way that I thought I would pass along.  Undertaking ISNBs is a challenge, and I am still changing things.  I do not think it is possible to implement everything the first year you use them!  But with that said, everyday I learn a bit more, and I think my students really appreciate the process.  I have had older students come back and tell me how much they learned from the process.  Good stuff.

Before I get started, I just want to say that there are so many incredible teachers out there using interactive notebooks.  They share their successes and failures online, which has been so helpful for me.  I use little bits from so many different people.  I have also purchased several products on TPT that include foldables and notes.  There are so many resources out there!  If I remember where I purchased things I will share - if I do not know where I got something, I apologize in advance.

When I started using these in class years ago, I had my students use regular, spiral notebooks.  The school had a standard supply list that I had to stick to, so spiral it was.  Anyway, I learned that I despised using these notebooks.  Pages fell out all the time.  Covers - both front and back - tore off so easily.  The spirals in a stack of notebooks would get tangled and then rip the notebooks.  Yuck.  Two years ago when I switched schools, I was able to switch to composition books, and it has made such a difference.  They are the best.

Something else that I have discovered through the years?  Glue matters.  Glue sticks are worthless when it comes to these notebooks.  Anything you stick in or on the notebooks eventually falls out.  Regular Elmer's glue works the best.  Everything stays put and you only need a few drops.  So much less hassle than with glue sticks.

I usually use one whole class period for the kids to set them up, but even that isn't enough time for some kids.  I realize that this takes up precious time in the beginning of the year, but it is so worth it when class time isn't available in the future.  Here is the list:

1.  I have the kids label all three sides of their notebook.  This is one of the best ideas ever, and I have no idea who I learned this from.  When you have a stack on your desk, you can see the names without digging through them.  When they are in a storage bin, you can see the names even if they are put in all different directions.

My notebooks.  I make one for each class I teach.

If a student is absent, they use my book to get

the correct notes.

2.  I color code each class and have and have them put a cover on the front.  Since we get a pile of random colored notebooks for our students, this is just another quick way to identify notebooks.

If you use glue sticks, these will not stay on.  Elmer's glue.  The best.

3.  I go over how to cut and glue everything into the notebooks.  I even have the kids glue a set of directions into the front of the notebooks.

One rule that I did not put on my directions, but

is an understanding in my room: everyone stands when they cut.

No exceptions.  They all seem to cut faster and 

chit chat less when they stand.

4.  On the first page, we attach a grading rubric.  Makes grading so quick.  I wish I knew where I got this.  I think it can be recreated fairly easily to meet different needs.  I grade notebooks about every 10 lessons or so.

Sometimes I have the kids do a quick "peer check."

It saves time if I am grading a few assignments on completion.

5.  We leave 3 full pages for the Table of Contents.  Then I have the students number every single page in the notebook - fronts and backs.  When we start novels, I have the students add a post-it flag around page 70.  that section becomes our novel study section, and the first half of the book is simply skill/element introduction and practice.

Excellent photography skills here.  

6.  Next I have the kids add a bookmark.  I precut ribbon and duct tape.  We tape the ribbon to the top in the back and then flip it forward.  I make sure to cut the ribbon long enough in case they fray a bit, but that could be solved by putting tape on the end.  Too much work if you ask me.  Easier to cut them longer.  Just my two cents..

This is a simple story map I made for ISNB work.

If anyone is interested, I can post it as a freebie on TPT.

7.  Finally, I have the kids glue an envelope in the back.  The envelope should be fairly close the outside edge (so that the envelope can hold items that are bigger than the envelop), and the opening should be facing in so that when the notebook is closed, pieces won't randomly fall out.  The envelop works great when an activity takes more than one class period, or if you run out of time due to an unexpected interruption (last week we had a fire drill with only 10 minutes left in class).

One more thing that I do has to do with how I organize the notebooks.  Students are not allowed to take the books out of the classroom.  That way I can grade them anytime I want.  And they don't get destroyed.  I do not have the notebooks separated by class.  After years of struggle, last year I finally started separating them alphabetically.  I did this because:

1.  When I had a crate for each class, I would have 25 kids trying to get their notebooks from the same crate at the same time.

2.  Now 25 kids in a class are retrieving their crates from 4 different crates.  The process goes much faster and their are fewer arguments.

Initially, I thought that this would make it more difficult to grade, but that hasn't been the case.  Because they are color coded, I can quickly pull a certain class period.  This change has saved my sanity.

Lots of steps, but it only takes a class period to do it, and makes such a difference throughout the year.  I have seen such an improvement in skill level and work engagement since starting to use these notebooks.  And even though we do not always have the time (or take the time), older kids still like to color, cut, and glue!  I will do another post on lessons I use in the future~

~L