INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS

What is an interactive notebook?

The purpose of the interactive notebook is to enable students to be creative, independent
thinkers and writers. Interactive notebooks are used for class notes as well as for other
activities where the student will be asked to express his/her own ideas and process the
information presented in class.

Why should we use an interactive notebook?

1. Interactive notebooks teach students to organize and synthesize
their thoughts.
By working with students to create a process for them to organize their
thinking, you will be able to teach study skills without teaching them.
Processes build structure, and with use of left - and right-side pages,
students will naturally organize their thoughts.

2. Interactive notebooks accommodate multiple learning styles at

one time in (and out of) the classroom.
Whether you do teacher input activities as a whole group or as a small
group, student output activities give students the ability to show e xactly
where they are in their understanding of the subject.

3. Student-teacher-parent interaction is built and strengthened with

the use of interactive notebooks.
When students are working on homework at home with their interactive
notebooks, not only will students be able to use them, but parents will also
be able to have a resource into the learning that is taking place in the
classroom.

4. Students are building a portfolio that allows for teachers to track

growth over time.
Reflections of what students are learning in their output pages (as well as
the work shown) will show how they are synthesizing the information learned
in class, and as students develop further skills, this will be reflected in their
output. These reflections are great to show during parent-teacher
conferences and even discuss during student -teacher conferences.

5. Interactive notebooks have students create a resource to use as

they continue to extend their learning.
An interactive notebook works as a textbook for students that is the irs. Not
only are they taking beneficial notes, practicing, and reflecting on material,
but they are also using that information as they work on future activities.
Students are going back and reviewing the prior pages repeatedly and
therefore building exposure to the material each time.
6. Students take ownership of their learning through color and
creativity.
One of the main things that helps students to buy in to the use of interactive
notebooks is not the benefits they can see from it but the ability f or it to be
their own. W hen students know, and are allowed, to use color in their
notebooks, it makes their notes come alive. Using colored paper, markers,
colored pencils, etc. makes it easier to sort information and group things
together. This creativity also sparks the visual learning when they are
expected to remember and apply the information at a later date.

7. Interactive notebooks reduce clutter in the classroom, as well as

in students lives.
By having students take all of their notes and then al so practice and reflect
in one location, it allows for them to be organized. Therefore, it eliminates
excess papers being lost and misplaced when students would benefit from
using them as they learn.
Are you looking into starting interactive notebooks in y our classroom? Ive
compiled several of my resources into an Interactive Notebooks Starter Pack
to help you get started or even to enhance what you are already doing in
your classroom. Just click on the image below to grab your copy for free.
 INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS MEETING NOTES

LEFT SIDE (Output Student Side): List hurdles you have faced while using interactive
notebooks?
Be Specific on what you want
o Can bring in a bunch of different types of notebooks
What happens when they are absent?
Start fresh if they lose the notebook
Running out of pages
o People have stapled added pages to save space
Acrostic Poem/One Pager
RIGHT SIDE (Input Teacher Side): Why should I use an interactive notebook?
Organization
Responsibility
Accountability
Different Learning Styles
o Foldables
o Pictures
Portfolio
Use the right side for a reflective assignment

HOW CAN WE USE THIS FOR COACHING?

LEFT SIDE (Output Student Athlete Side) *Could be digitized into files via G-Drive*
Playbook
Statistics
Film Review
Class grades
Skill evaluation

RIGHT SIDE (Input Coach Side)

Ask key questions for upcoming games/goals
Provide feedback
Provide reflective materials
Provide encouragement through evaluated improvements

For an example of how you can use interactive notebooks for your student
athletes AND your coaching staff, please Click Here

You will see the assignment given and what the final product looks like after the
lead coach, evaluated coach/student athlete have responded.
 Credit to Joseph Rodems for the next three pages

Name____________________ Quarter _________

Interactive Notebook Rubric
Your notebook will be graded at the end of each quarter. Each quarter youll receive a new grade sheet and you
will tape it on top of the previous. Each notebook check will be worth a maximum of 50 points. The rubric
below will be used to grade your notebook. Check your notebook before each notebook check to be sure you
can receive the maximum number of points.

Category 10 7.5 5 2.5 0

NOTEBOOK Papers Neat Most Papers neat many Papers not most papers not No notebook
ORGANIZATION All papers taped Most papers taped neat neat notebook is not in
-Neatness in in more than a few many papers are a spiral notebook
-Papers taped in No most papers are are not taped in not taped in Notebook is
-papers not wrinkled/ripped not wrinkled/ripped some papers many papers disaster
wrinkled/ripped papers wrinkled/ripped wrinkled/ripped
-Using Spiral Notebook
INB Set up Notebook is set most pages set up many not pages most not pages set No notebook
-Teachers ODD up with correct odd/even. set up odd/even. up odd/even. no odd/even
-Student EVEN odd/even. most pages are many pages are most pages are not no numbering
-Pages Numbered All pages are numbered not numbered numbered no table of
-Table of contents up to numbered most of table of a lot of table of most of table of contents
date Table of contents contents complete contents contents
complete incomplete incomplete
ODD side of notebook All notes present missing 1 or 2 missing 3 or 4 missing 5 or more No notebook
(notes) All notes full and notes notes notes
-All notes present detailed 1 or 2 notes not 3 or 4 notes not 5 or more not full
-Notes are full and full and detailed full and detailed and detailed
detailed
Cornell Questions and All have title 1 or 2 missing 3 or 4 missing 4 or more missing No notebook
Summaries All have titles titles titles No Cornell notes
-Title Essential 1 or 2 missing 3 or 4 missing 4 or more missing No
-Essential Question Question Essential Question Essential Question Essential Question Questions and
-3 Level questions all have 3 Level 1 or 2 missing 3 3 or 4 missing 3 4 or more missing Summaries
-4 sentence summary questions Level questions Level questions 3 Level questions
all have 4 1 or 2 missing 4 3 or 4 missing 4 4 or more missing
sentence summary sentence summary sentence summary 4 sentence
summary
EVEN side all work present 1 or 2 pages 3 or 4 pages 4 or more pages No notebook
(Homework, labs, absent work missing missing missing No assignments
practice, & activities) made up most absent work some absent work most absent work present
-all work present homework made up made up not made up
-absent work made up questions present most homework some homework most homework
-homework questions questions present questions present questions not
present present

Total Score _______/ 50

Grade _______

Teacher comments:
Interactive Notebooks: Left Sides
The left spiral page (even number) demonstrates your understanding of the information from the right-side page (odd
number). You work with the input, and INTERACT with the information in creative, unique, and individual ways. The left
side incorporates and reflects how you learn science as well as what you learn in science.

What goes on the left side? (Even Pages)

OUTPUT GOES ON THE LEFT SIDE! EVERY LEFT SIDE PAGE GETS USED!

ALWAYS USE COLOR it helps the brain learn and remember.

Tests, Quizzes, and other assessments are left side items.

What else goes on the LEFT side?

Brainstorming Writing prompts Quick Writes

Pictures Discovery Headlines Graphic organizers
Venn Diagrams Riddles Foursquare analogies
Other diagrams Cartoons Biography posters
Reflections Metaphors and Drawings
Flow charts analogies Other creative
Drawings Data and graphs you avenues
Concept maps generate

BLOCK 1 BLOCK 2

Venn Diagram Concept Map

Bulls Eye Diagram Graphic Organizer to Clarify
Analogy Flow Chart
Vocabulary Pneumonic

BLOCK 3 BLOCK 4

Quick Write Cartoon

Write a letter to_____ Graphic Illustration
Explain information in a real life Riddles
situation Poem
Lyrics/song
Interactive Notebooks: Right Side
Interactive notebooks will be used in this class daily to help you learn and remember important scientific concepts. Why
do they work? This notebook style uses both the right and left brain hemispheres to help you sort, categorize and
remember, and creatively interact with the new knowledge youre gaining. The more you process information, the
more you begin to understand it. This leads to longer retention.

What goes on the right side page? (Odd Pages)

INPUT GOES ON THE RIGHT SIDE!
Input is all the information that you are supposed to learn. Some examples of input are notes on: lectures, text or other
sources, vocabulary words, video and film notes, teacher questions, readings, questions and answers, or sample
problems.

Title for Notes

Essential Question:
Cornell Questions: For Notes
each page of notes, create
3-5 questions using 3 level The right spiral page is for writing down information you are given in class.
questions. You must have at
least 1 from each level. When the teacher lectures, you take notes on the right side.

Gathering Foldables go on right side.

Level 1: Complete, Identify,
Recite, Define, List, Select,
Describe, Observe, recite,
select
Processing
Level 2: Compare, sort,
infer, contrast, distinguish,
analyze, classify, explain
why
Use Cornell-style notes on the right pages. Write your study questions as soon
as possible.
Write legibly. Use highlighting color to make important information stand out.
Write summaries at the bottom of each page of notes to reduce the amount
you have to study. (4 sentence minimum)
Notes for labs and lab instructions, procedures, and materials.

Applying Teacher questions and sample problems.

Level 3: Evaluate,
generalize, imagine, judge, Any other type of INPUT you get in class.
predict, speculate, if/then,
hypothesize, forecast,
apply, pretend you are, how
do you feel about

Summary: The first sentence (or two) in your summary should answer the essential question. The
remainder of your summary should answer the questions you wrote in the question section of your Cornell
Notes. The summary should be a minimum of 4 sentences