Getting Started with Interactive Notebooks in Your Science Classroom

I like organization. A well-organized file cabinet or cupboard and cubbies for pens, pencils, post-its and more- these are the things that make my heart sing, so it follows suit that all the way back to my first year of teaching middle school science, I would have been searching for a way to have my students organize their science work. My student classwork organization system has evolved greatly over the years, in part because I’ve learned new things and in part because technology has taken on a larger and larger role in the classroom since I began teaching (I recently found some old overhead projector films I once used during those first years… talk about old tech alert!).

In my first years as a science educator, I used pocket folders with brackets and I tried to emulate the lab work and note-taking style of my days in the science field. Sometime within those first few years, I learned about the idea of an interactive notebook using a spiral bound notebook and transitioned to that instead. But, admittedly, the first iterations of my interactive notebooks looked less interactive and more workbook. Over the years, my style of interactive notebook has changed and changed again. And though I’m sure it will continue to evolve; I’ve now landed on something I feel meets my objectives for using an interactive notebook in the science classroom. Read on to find out more about interactive notebooks and how you might be able to incorporate them into your classroom.

I think it’s difficult for both teacher and middle school student to develop a notebook that meets this objective, in large part because it’s fairly subjective and involves a lot of unstructured structure. For that reason, I’m okay with the fact that my early “interactive notebooks” were probably better thought of as enriched workbooks and I’ll be okay if my notebooks this year or next still hold onto elements of that structure. Its an evolving process. But, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way and some ideas about how I will utilize the interactive notebooks in my classroom moving forward.

How do I start an interactive notebook?

Start by making it personal. Each student should feel a sense of ownership with their notebook. The best way to do this is by allowing students to design their own cover… and don’t forget to make one for yourself as well!

In the past I placed requirements on the cover and even made it the first graded assignment. Some of the requirements included allowing hand-drawing versus computer-generated graphics, name and class period, science graphics versus graphics that a student chooses, color versus non-color. The requirements changed over the years. For example, I started allowing computer-generated graphics when the option became more viable and accessible to everyone. But, no matter how my requirements changed, I started to see that the simple act of placing requirements on the cover, the most personal aspect of the notebook, eroded away at its ownership. It stopped belonging to the student.

What I did differently this year… This year I decided to have only two requirements for the cover, it must include their name legibly and it must be school appropriate. I also didn’t grade it, or anything else in the notebook for that matter (more on that later). Honestly, the name is the only true “must-have” for the cover. In all other ways, I want my students to make the cover as personal to them as possible (even if that means the only thing on it is their name… and, yes, there were a few) so that they start the year personally invested in their notebook.

What I discovered… Overall, I’m happy with the practice of not grading the notebooks and going with minimal requirements on the cover. However, I definitely need to give better examples of what constitutes “legible” as we did have some problems throughout the year (particularly when other students were passing out notebooks). The biggest issue was when students wrote their name in pencil, directly on the cover. No matter how large or how neat, it did fade over time. Lesson learned. Perhaps one more requirement of using pen or marker to write the name.

Decorative, colorful duct-tape. Again, this is absolutely optional, but worth the money! I use the duct-tape to bind the spiral spine. This has a number of benefits. The notebooks hold up better, last longer, and are less likely to tear, rip, or fall apart throughout the year. Additionally, it’s another little way to allow students to personalize their notebooks and make it their own, especially if you have several decorative options for them to choose from (you can even let them bring in their own duct tape).

*Note- I sometimes find it helpful to use 2 strips of tape, overlapping them at the spine. This ensures full coverage. Also, I like to cut the tape slightly shorter than the length of notebook, so the tape doesn’t hang over the end. It tends to snag in this case and rip off.

What I did differently this year… Depending on my resources and ability to get (or not get) labels for the notebooks, I’ve sometimes offered them as an option and sometimes had them already stuck on the front of every notebook, ready to go. (Admittedly, these were the years when my son was dragged reluctantly into my classroom and needed a task to do for a meager wage.) This year I went with making it an option (my son was preparing for his senior year of high school and could no longer be bribed with lunch and a few bucks) plus, I allowed students the option of creating their cover on a Google Doc, then sharing it with me so I could print it for them on the label.

What I discovered… I really miss when lunch was all it took to get my son to create some notebooks for me. Seriously though, I much prefer when the students start off with a label on notebook. It helps with the name legibility issues and encourages the students to personalize the notebooks further. I don’t know if I will spend the time placing labels on all those notebooks and I am hesitant to make it a requirement, so I’m still in a bit of a quandary on this one. I do know that I will not be offering to print labels again. Yikes! (I should probably note that the shared printer sits in an office space between classrooms, not in my classroom, so it had to be done after school.)

What should I put in my interactive notebook?

When I first started with interactive notebooks, I probably had about 20 pre-printed pages for students to cut and glue into the first 20 pages of their notebooks. These included everything from instructions for making reflections to strategies for notetaking. While these are important things for my students to know, understand, and use, I no longer think they need to be printed out in mass and posted in each notebook (I still shudder to think about how many reams of paper I went through in those first years). Now, I have students cover just the first page with 1 pre-printed worksheet… a table of contents. I also ask my students to number each and every page of their notebooks. I’ve held on to these pieces because while the interactive notebook is meant to be a personal system of learning for each student, it is also just that- a system. It is a system for students to organize their reflections, data, and observations in a way that becomes useful for them later. Utilizing a table of contents and numbered pages is a way of keeping the system intact and training students to organize their own work.

What I did differently this year… I like to refer to my students as “student scientists” so it follows suit that our notebooks should be used just as any other scientist would use theirs. Our notebooks this year included 3 main categories: investigations (this included observations and data collection from labs, hands-on activities, modeling activities, and more), notes (from reading passages, class activities, or lectures), and reflections (opportunities for students to think about the science concepts they are learning and process them in their own way which might include drawing, reflective writing, or creative writing). We tracked these categories on our table of contents, next to the name of the activity.

What I discovered… I didn’t use the reflection category nearly as much as I should have. This is actually something I have been thinking on a lot as the school year came to a close. Reflections, like the notebook itself, is personal but vastly important. Some students will take a long time on their reflections while others will be quick about it. Some will struggle while others will have no issues. Some will need a variety of tools for reflection while others will simply be able to jot down their thoughts. Within my classroom, I believe we took time to work through some of these pieces verbally but there is merit to putting it on paper, and including in in the science notebook as part of the journey. So, this will be a large part of my focus moving forward.

Should you grade the work in the notebook?

The biggest change I made this year was to not grade anything students put in the notebooks. It felt scary to do this. In the past, I have graded everything in the notebook from assignments, to notes, to reflections. While most often this was a simple “one point-you did it, zero-you didn’t do it” style of grading, I think it takes away from the overall objective of the notebook (a personal system of notes, investigations, and reflections). There were more heavily graded activities in past notebooks (I even had students insert rubrics for projects on which I would provide their grade!) but this year, I decided to move all of these to Google Classroom. I did this for several reasons. First, it can be troublesome and difficult to grade everything in the notebook… and to grade in the notebook. I have lugged home 150+ spiral bound notebooks with good intentions over a weekend, only to return them to my classroom ungraded the following Monday. And those things are heavy! It’s also slightly more time-consuming to grade assignments in the notebook, even if you aren’t grading every single thing, particularly when they are further along in the pages. Flipping through each one, locating the correct page, grading… it adds up. Also, again, I think grading anything in the notebook distracts from the overall purpose of the interactive notebook. Grading any part of it sets up an expectation of their being a “right” way to complete the notebook, and a “wrong” way. I wanted to change that mindset this year. I wanted to encourage a mindset that there is only “your” way of developing “your” interactive notebook.

As this was a science tool that students created, I did allow them to use it as they complete graded assignments, regardless of the type of assignment. Whether they were building a model, taking a test, or writing a paper, their notebook became a science tool they created and for most of them, it became very apparent very quickly that the more attention they gave to their notebook, the more successful they were on their graded assignments. In the end, though, I do think it’s a personal choice whether to grade the notebooks or not. Some students need the extrinsic motivation (certainly there were a handful of students at the end of the year who still struggled to see the connection between their notebook and their grade) but I intend to keep them ungraded for now.

Why should you use interactive notebooks in your science classroom?

There are 3 main reasons why I would encourage any middle school science teacher to utilize an interactive notebook in their classroom. First, it encourages students to create a system of organization for their science work which can contribute to their overall success. Second, it provides a personal way for students to process science concepts, particularly as you branch out more in allowing students to collect data, reflect and even take notes in ways that are meaningful to them. And third, it encourages students to see themselves as scientists, working as scientists do by creating a personal tool (their interactive notebook) that can be used to critically analyze science problems and engineer solutions.

How do you create a notebook system in your classroom?

Students may use their notebooks each and every day, so developing a pickup/drop-off system that works for you is really important. In my classroom, students work in small groups organized by color (red, yellow, and so on). Their notebooks are kept in color coordinated magazine bins on a counter at the back of the classroom (I found them at Target and see them everywhere during the back-to-school sales, but snag them early if you want a variety of colors). I have one set of colors for every class period- so, yes, there are a lot of bins on my back counter. But, as I said at the start of this, I love a good system of organization, and this one works for me! The bins are labeled with the class period so students know exactly where to find and place their notebook (class period and table color). As students come into class, one person (the materials manager) gets the notebooks for everyone at their group. This same person puts them away at the end of class. Having one student be responsible for getting the group’s notebooks helps prevent a backup at the notebook area and cuts down on the time it takes to get ready or clean up.

I started this routine on day 1, only with blank notebooks in the bins. On the first day, I select one student from each group to collect the notebooks from their designated spot and pass them out to their groupmates. In this way, we begin practicing our “start and end of class” routines from day one. I typically won’t established group roles (or even a firm seating chart) in the first week of school but I do give each person an opportunity to practice the job.

Do you use interactive notebooks in your classroom, or are you thinking of starting? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!