When I first stared teaching I was on the hunt for practices that would work with my high school students. I would google and look on Pinterest and I would often find solutions for elementary school classrooms. Now that I have been teaching for six years I have found the best practices when it comes to all science subject. The most effective practice that I have utilized in my class is interactive notebooks.
In my class we use our notebooks for everything! My students take their notes, record their investigations, and review all using their notebooks. I listed some of the the best practices that I have found to keep high school students engaged in their notebooks for the whole year below:
1. Keep them organized !
The first year I tried to do notebooks with my students they simply did not work because I got lost with the page numbers and I was not consistent with when we used our notebooks and when we did not. Last year I started to keep a running log of the page numbers on these dry erase giant notebook pages that I purchased at Lakeshore Learning similar to the below page on Amazon. I purchased two pages and had them laminated at Lakeshore Learning for a little less than a dollar
I also introduced the notebooks using the system by Getting Nerdy with Mel and Gerdy. Their product on TPT includes a table of contents that allowed the students at least 2 minutes a day to update or if they finished early .
2. Make them colorful !
I added this coloring page to the front of my notebooks this summer for summer school and my students investment in keeping their notebooks nice skyrocketed. I also plan on using a lot more Biology coloring pages to encourage students to continue coloring in their notebook after the first week. I've found high school kids like to color even if they act like they've out grown most things.
3. Use them everyday !
The mistake I made my first couple of years was going back and forth between the interactive notebooks and binders. The students started putting items in their binders because it was "less work " . Investment from both the teacher and students is critical for the success of your notebooks ! An easy way to use them everyday is to make adding pages to your notebook part of your beginning of class routine. I added an ISN instructions portion to my do now slide everyday. That way students knew they were a non-negotiable.
4. Have all your materials ready !
This last step has taken me the longest to implement and be successful with because I am surviving on a teachers budget lol. Last year I was fortunate enough to have many of the materials donated by a teacher who was leaving or purchased from the science school budget. This year I am trying to use our budget on lab materials so I started this Donorschoose campaign for our notebooks. I currently use the following materials for our notebooks :
100 page college ruled spiral notebooks with a plastic cover
The plastic cover makes them durable enough to last all year
Adhesives ( glue sticks, tape, staples )
This year I am going to allow students to choose how they would like to put things in their notebooks. Glue sticks run out quickly , but tape disappears in my classroom, it's an unsolved high school mystery.
Scissors
Colored Pencils ( For coloring ! )
Folders
I added this to my summer school class and this was really helpful for test or lists that did not make sense to try to squeeze in our notebooks.
Leave me comments about what works in your class or any questions you have in the comments. Good Luck !