Interactive Notebook Q & A #1

I hope yous guys are all enjoying your summers!  My summertime is coming rapidly to an end.  I lead keep to study to run on August 7th, together with I volition lead keep students inwards my classroom on August 8th.  Seeing every bit tomorrow marks the terminate of July, I exercise non lead keep long.  I'm excited to become back.  I've been missing my students.  One of the perks of working inwards a modest schoolhouse is that I volition notwithstanding acquire to interact regularly alongside my students fifty-fifty if I they aren't inwards my math shape this year.  The other math teacher's classroom is correct across the hall from mine, hence I volition notwithstanding encounter them every day.  I can't hold off to encounter their faces when they realize how much algebra they are going to acquire to usage inwards geometry!  

Now, what I haven't done a lot of (or whatever of) this summertime is lesson plans.  So, the side past times side calendar week is going to live spent mapping out, inwards detail, at to the lowest degree the firstly total unit of measurement for each of my 3 preps - Algebra 1, Algebra 2, together with (AP?) Statistics. 

This summer, I've focused a lot on learning.  16 days of my summertime lead keep been spent at conferences.  I've learned a ton nearly the Common Core State Standards, teaching Pre-AP Math, teaching AP Statistics, together with only teaching inwards general.  In a way, it's variety of been data overload.  I've learned nearly using Socrative, Edmodo, Fathom, together with TI-Nspire calculators inwards my classroom.  I've learned nearly how to instruct math using M&M's, Barbie Dolls, Tennis Balls, Racquet Balls, Fruit Loops, Nerf Guns, pieces of rope, together with other everyday items.  I haven't establish the fourth dimension to procedure most of this novel data this summertime via my blog, together with I regret that.  A lot of my blogging is for me.  If I don't weblog nearly something, odds are I volition forget nearly it.  

I am notwithstanding amazed today that others notice my ramblings useful.  With 1 twelvemonth of teaching nether my belt, I don't experience similar I'm anywhere close having this teaching affair figured out.  And, I'm non certain I volition ever acquire it figured out.  There volition ever live to a greater extent than to learn, together with I don't intend I would lead keep it whatever other way.  Over the past times few months, I've establish lots of questions inwards my inbox regarding interactive notebooks.  Actually, I intend searching for data on interactive notebooks is the agency most people notice my blog.  And, yous tin give thank yous @druinok for that.  She kinda made me hope to post lots of pictures of my interactive notebook pages.  

So, I sentiment I should part some of the questions together with my answers hither inwards illustration they were of involvement to anybody else.  If yous lead keep other questions, delight acquire out a comment or click the tab at the tiptop of the page that says "Contact Me."  And, when I finally acquire approximately to answering the residual of the e-mails that are languishing inwards my inbox, I'll lead keep some other post total of tips for you!  (Hopefully this post volition motivate me to tackle the residual of my inbox!)

Interactive Notebook Q & A

Question
I am going to usage interactive notebooks this twelvemonth together with actually dear what you've done, but I instruct geometry, hence I was wondering if yous knew anyone, or worked alongside anyone who has a blog, alongside every bit much textile together with ideas, but inwards regards to geometry..

Answer
Off the tiptop of my head, I would recommend checking out a weblog called Journal Wizard for geometry interactive notebook resources. I've seen SO MANY amazing geometry ideas in that location lately.  You every bit good mightiness desire to banking concern check out Everybody is a Genius for other interactive notebook resources! 

I've tried to collect all of my Geometry findings on this pinterest board inwards illustration I ever notice myself teaching Geometry.  From my pins, it looks similar in that location are quite a few blogs that may characteristic some Geometry foldables together with activities.  

Question

I lead keep been reading it for the past times couplet of weeks getting ideas for INB's. I'm super excited nearly using them inwards my Algebra 2 classes side past times side twelvemonth together with I'm trying to acquire a caput start on planning.

I encounter that yous usage a composition mass for your notebooks. How many did yous lead keep to usage inwards your Algebra 2 class, or was 1 composition mass enough? I'm novel to the INB's together with I'm trying to acquire all my ducks inwards a row :)

Answer
One composition notebook was plenty for both my Algebra 1 together with Algebra 2 classes.  I intend the discover of notebooks needed depends on just what yous pose inwards the notebook.  I exclusively lead keep my students pose notes inwards their notebook.  Other teachers lead keep them exercise their bellwork together with homework inwards the notebook every bit well.  That takes upward a lot to a greater extent than pages.  I tin encounter benefits to that approach, but I prefer to reserve our notebook pages for notes.  My students know that if something is going inwards our notebook, it must live important.  They lead keep a vogue to hollo back just where they lead keep written everything inwards their notebook, together with they tin flip to the needed data inwards only a few seconds.  

Question

I lead keep of late been encouraged to exercise interactive notebooks alongside my students but I'm non certain how they run together with where to start. Do yous lead keep whatever helpful advice for me? I am real interested from your gradient posts every bit to how helpful this would live for my students!

Answer
I would start off past times determining what the most of import things yous desire your students to acquire from your math course of study are.  Can yous plough this data into a graphic organizer or foldable? 

Or, tin yous order the data to your students inwards regime notation shape together with lead keep them transform it into a drawing, current chart, or other sort of representation?   

With my Algebra students, I travail to lead keep them exercise 1 interactive notebook page per lesson.  Some lessons are finished inwards a twenty-four lx minutes menstruum together with some bridge a week.  I lead keep seen other teachers who lead keep their students exercise notebook pages every day.  Others mightiness exclusively exercise a page or 2 per chapter.  Megan Hayes-Golding has created a sort of interactive notebook dwelling page that contains links to lots of informative posts on interactive notebooks.  I intend this would live a nifty starting place.   

When I decided to implement notebooks lastly summer, the best affair I did was to laid downwards alongside my textbook together with a old, partially used composition notebook.  Without actually knowing what I was doing, I only started creating pages.  There is a definite learning curve, together with a lot of the pages I did alongside my students looked nix similar those firstly drafts of pages I created during the summer.  There are tons of ideas on the internet, together with I can't order yous how many pages lead keep been either stolen from or inspired past times things I establish on the internet. 

Question

Do yous lead keep whatever suggestions for schoolhouse supplies that the students volition request to convey alongside them?

Answer
The exclusively supplies that I required my students to convey lastly twelvemonth were a composition notebook together with something to write with.  I provided my students alongside colored pencils, scissors, gum sticks, markers, tape, notebook paper, graph paper, calculators, rulers, together with anything else they needed.  One of the reasons I render hence many of my students' supplies is that I instruct inwards a high poverty area.  In many schools, these items would likely live provided past times the students.  

Question

Love your math notebooks. Which exercise yous prefer, composition books or binders? I lead keep done the Notebooks for scientific discipline together with social studies both ways but this twelvemonth I'm doing 1 for math also.

Answer
I prefer for my students to usage composition notebooks.  I notice that my students are to a greater extent than probable to travel on upward alongside a composition notebook than a binder together with less probable to bag newspaper from it for other classes since it is bound.  I had several students lastly twelvemonth who did usage a binder, together with that was perfectly fine.  I permit them lead whatever worked best for them.  I every bit good had 1 shape of students that used spiral notebooks instead of the composition notebook.  

If your students are already used to carrying a binder, that may live the agency to go.  That isn't the illustration inwards my school.  And, I lead keep many students who terminate upward leaving their notebooks inwards my classroom.  The notebooks lead keep upward much less infinite than binders would.  I guess in that location are tons of variables to consider!  

Question

Did yous order your students written instructions on how to gear upward the interactive notebook? If so, could yous post it?

Answer
I didn't order my students written instructions to gear upward their notebooks.  At the start of the schoolhouse year, I would model how I wanted something done together with hence order them fourth dimension to consummate it inwards class.  We spent 1 entire shape menstruum creating our comprehend page, gluing inwards the syllabus, together with making the tabular array of contents.  I did include some express data nearly their interactive notebooks inwards the syllabus.

Question

I am ever looking for ways to brand students autumn inwards dear alongside my "love".  I am real interested inwards your interactive notebook. Would yous delight permit me inwards on your tips?  I noticed that yous usage composition notebooks.  Do yous pre impress the notes together with lead keep them cutting together with paste into their notebook?  Are they glued inwards alongside something similar gum sticks?  How fourth dimension consuming is it?  For yous together with the students? (for me ....because I currently lead keep 6 dissimilar preps) Were the students already used to this type of notebook?  (I only intend it's the coolest thing.)

Answer
Composition notebooks are great.  The pages are jump together with cannot live easily torn out.  Spiral notebooks render to a greater extent than infinite to write, but their pages tin live torn out much to a greater extent than easily.  I had several students movement inwards from some other teacher's shape that ended upward using spiral notebooks.  I intend either tin run great.  I pre-print the notes together with lead keep my students gum them inwards their notebooks.  We usage gum sticks, but many other teachers prefer to usage scotch tape.  I invested inwards several dozen of those gigantic gum sticks, together with they seemed to run quite well.  I'll live honest.  It's fourth dimension consuming.  I'm pretty certain that my students are the slowest cutters together with gluers inwards the world.  But, my students usage their notebooks all the time, hence it's a cost I'm willing to pay.  I spent a lot of fourth dimension preparing materials for the interactive notebooks lastly year.  I worked tardily many nights, but it was every bit good my firstly twelvemonth of teaching.  So, I would lead keep likely been working tardily whether I was doing interactive notebooks or not.  As the twelvemonth went on, my students became faster at putting things inwards their notebook, together with I became faster at creating notebook pages.  I can't imagine having half-dozen preps, together with I applaud yous for that.  I lead keep 3 preps, but I exclusively used the notebooks alongside 2 of those preps.  My other shape got actually jealous, though, when they establish out that the other classes got to exercise "arts together with crafts."  My students were non used to interactive notebooks.  This was a novel experience for all of us.  I did lead keep a pupil movement inwards role of the agency through the year, together with he brought his interactive notebook from his one-time schoolhouse alongside him.  It was pretty cool!

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