Interactive Notebooks

The session I was looking forward to the most at #TMC12 was Megan Hayes-Golding's talk on Interactive Notebooks (INB).  (Here's her information on it from her blog.)  I'm hoping to use them in my Algebra 1 classes (one honors, one general) as a way of keeping the kids organized and avoid the shove-the-papers-in-the-backpack-never-to-be-seen-again disease.

I've been sitting tonight (while the Olympic opening ceremonies are on... I have trouble focusing on one thing at a time. Thanks, Twitter!) trying to do some planning for my INBs.

First, I typed up the notes I'd taken at Megan's session (which was great, btw!).

• Store in Ziploc bag with colored pencils (4), mailing label on edge (w/name), tape/glue, highlighter
• Decorate the cover (bring in magazines) and cover w/clear packing tape
• Table of contents – 1^st 4 pages
• Inside cover: Class syllabus/rules?
• LHP = output (Left-hand-page)

·         Think/process/put in own words

·         Warm ups

·         ALWAYS USE COLOR (helps learn/remember)

·         Give copy of IN: Left Side WS

·         Re-solve problem(s) on whiteboard that was hard for them

·         “Get them handling their notes”

• Be on same page at all time (may need to have 2 page 17s) = don’t pre-number!
• Give stamp/star for complete HW & entry in TOC
• Attach HW in NB? (leave in spiral); attach reviews in INB after completion
• Closing activity: have students ask questions
• Create foldable with their questions
• Keep model copy for class
• Keep copies of handouts available (layered folders?)
• Collect/check on test day = record hw grades then

My  next task was to check out the formatting for any word doc that I'm going to give them for their INBs.  I've seen a lot of talk about printing two-to-a-page, but for my fill-in notes I want to give them as much room as possible.  Since I want to tape/glue an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper into a 9.75 x 7.5 inch composition notebook, I decided to set up margins of 0.75 inches on both top and bottom, 0.5 inches on the left, and 1.5 inches on the right. (I want to leave some extra space to tape the paper into the book.) I may need to play with these numbers a little more, but I'm hoping this will work out ok.

Then I started thinking about what to put where.  The plan is to give them a copy of my rules/syllabus to put on the inside front cover before the Table of Contents starts. This is one paper that the kids usually lose and I'd like them to have access to it for the whole year.

As for what's going in the actual notebook itself, I'm going to give my typical fill-in notes sheets (with adjusted margins, of course) but I rarely am able to fit it on just one side of a paper. Here are my two options:

        1.  Take up two pages in the INB for the notes. 

                 Pros: I could use the first LHP for the warm-up and the second to tape in the exit slip.

                 Cons: We'd go through the composition book that much quicker.               

       2. Layer the note pages one on top of another.

                 Pros: Uses less paper in the composition book. Notes stay together on one page.

                 Cons: It could get all flappy. Not as much room for warm up/exit slip, but those could be layered, too.  (bulky?)

So that's something I'll need to decide.

As for my exit slips (which will be new for me this year!), I think I have a nice little plan coming together. On the fill-in notes I've used in class already I always include an "On Your Own" section that I make the kids do before I give them their assignment. These would be perfect as exit slips! I already have an exit slip form made up (I posted about it here). I could pass it out after notes, have the kids put them in the red/yellow/green bins (thanks to @druinok for the yellow bin!!) and then return them the next day to be taped into their INB. That should work out perfectly.

I definitely want to get into foldables this year, too. But that's another post.