This is the first part in a series of how I used interactive notebooks in my middle school Spanish class. This first part is setting up your interactive notebook. I had great success and was frequently asked to share how I used them.
How to get the notebooks?
We had a supply list for students and they were asked to purchase a spiral notebook for each class so that is what I worked with. These notebooks are the cheapest at the beginning of the year and I usually got them for 10/1$ on sale and would buy a ton for extras. We would use the basic 70 sheet - 1 subject notebooks and never worried about filling it.
What do with the cover?
I have done a few things over the year and they all worked, i'll end with my favorite!
Purchase a large sticker for each student to put on the cover (link here for 200)
This worked great for students who had black or really dark colored covers, they could easily write and draw on the sticker and it's easy to see.
You can also run these through the printer, so you could customize easily.
Decorate a piece of paper and then use contact paper or tape to secure it to the notebook.
A cheaper alternative to the sticker but way more time spent in class taping each cover.
Get out the sharpies and decorate straight onto the cover.
This is my personal favorite!
I got some metallic ones that showed up on dark covers, they are so far superior to plain sharpies, the kids would always fight over them.
Sharpies were technically not allowed at school, so I was super careful to pass out and collect them all.
What to put on the cover?
I always gave my students a few required items and then they could decorate how they liked after.
NAME - Big and bold
Period
Grade
Something fun - like their favorite sport or food or color..?
Another idea is to buy a megapack of stickers and let each student pick one when they have finished numbering pages or after you have checked their covers for completion.
Two example covers - both using the BEST METALLIC MARKERS
Numbering the pages
We always spend a good chunk of class time numbering every page in their notebook. I like to get it out of the way and it's also a fun team building, we put on music and just hang out for a good 10-15 minutes while we number. Early finishers help me number my pages.
Use Pencil!! - mistakes are made easily!
Honestly, if they even get the first 50 pages numbered, I am happy :)
SUPER IMPORTANT! - Notebooks have an awkward right side page when you first open, that should be page 0, this will allow the odds / evens to line up.
My favorite tip for Interactive Notebooks
Keep an teacher notebook for each period. I always taught a few periods of the same class and I would have a different notebook for each period, this allows me to setup notes, take notes, and show examples in front of them instead of just the finished product. My students also knew they could always grab their period's teacher notebook and copy notes if they missed class. One more bonus was it helped me to remember where each period was!
Coming next... how to easily make tabs, organize notes, grade, and how to motivate students to take ownership of their own notebook.
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