Interactive Science Notebooks!

I can't believe I am back at work next week! Monday is our new student orientation where we introduce new students to the school and give them a tour. Then Tuesday and Wednesday is set up day! Thurs-Fri ALL DAY MEETINGS! I think I might need some stretch breaks throughout the day! Anyways, because we are starting so soon, I started to buckle down and plan out the first few weeks (maybe months lol). 

Last year I used interactive notebooks for the first time. I have done lab notebooks before, but it was only for labs and it stayed in the classroom. I wanted to try out having everything in one spot. I think last year was a success with a few things I felt worked and didn't work. 

this years INB: Teacher Editions, planning sheets, a foldable on units

what worked:

• organized table of contents was great! when the students actually had their pages numbered it was perfect. Some even went a step further and would put a string as a bookmark or a post it tab so I knew where the most recent assignment was. 

• course guide in the front of the book - I had a folded paper with all the info for the class in like a mini guide where they can refer to when they needed help! I forgot where I got the template from but the person who made it is amazing

• storage pocket in the back - I made them create a pocket from some back pages to hold anything they did not finish in class to make sure it wouldn't get lost. It was magical. 

• decorating - they were given creative freedom in decorating the notebook to show their personality. Mine was a little crazy I am not going to lie. 

• which leads me to "teacher edition" - I made one at the same time the students did. Yes, I had to pretend to be a student and complete the assignment in the notebook just like they did. It was time consuming but worth it. If a student was absent, I showed them mine. It modeled what I was looking for and how it should be organized. It was fun!

what didn't work:

• the vocabulary index was a fail. It was extremely time consuming and we had so many vocabulary words for both Biology and 8th grade science it was hard to keep up. Maybe in the future I can find an easy way to incorporate it.

• Vocabulary pocket - we never made flash cards like I wanted because again lack of time so the pocket just sat there all sad. See, he looks very sad. 

• Input/output on left and right side of the pages - I found that the students would run out of space and start writing on the back of the wrong side. Some wrote more than others and honestly, I felt like I was wasting paper if I didn't use both sides and let the notes run continually. I am tree loving hippie so I believe in saving trees. 
• grading with stamps/stickers in the table of contents - this wasn't too bad, it was the collecting of the notebooks in my large class and stamping/grading the assignments that took lots of time. I need to make sure I did notebook checks on days they were working independently. In one class I had 40. yes 40. In a 55 minute class period. That was obviously graded over multiple days. I also felt that some assignments in the notebook deserved a separate grade rather than just having it averaged into the notebook grade.  

INB changes for the 2015-2016 school year: 

• this year the students are going to have 2 composition notebooks. Our department orders enough to give the students their notebooks so they don't have to buy them and we get started from day one. 
• one notebook for labs that stays in the classroom 
• the other is an interactive notebook that stays with them at all times! 
• planning sheets - I didn't use these last year but I created one that matches the table of contents to make it easier for me to use when I am planning and not mess up my teacher edition.
• I am creating a teacher edition. again. I am teaching a new subject and one from last year so I need to make one to stay up to date. 
• foldables and activities are going to get graded before we paste them into the notebook. I like this idea because I can give them a grade for assignments they worked hard on rather than having it grouped in with a notebook grade. I can have the notebook grade at the end of the 9 weeks worth a smaller grade. 

I am hoping the notebooks are successful again this year! 

Technology Thursday!: Common Curriculum

I decided to link up with the Teaching Trio for Technology Thursdays!

I love using technology in the classroom. I grew up using technology in school and it has evolved into an incredible resource that can change learning for the better. Here is my first weekly feature on technology! every Tuesday I am going to try my best to post some sort of technology (website, equipment, app, etc.) that can make out lives as teachers a little easier and stress free. This week I am reviewing a site I discovered last year called Common Curriculum. 

here's the main page

I used to do all of my lesson plans on Microsoft word and print them out, but it drove me crazy when I had to change something in my lesson plan making me go back and change the document and print it out again for my lesson plan binder (I hate wasting paper!). Last summer, in an attempt to become paperless, I found this site. Its FREE for teachers (anything free is awesome) and very user friendly. 

lesson planning page

I teach different subjects and this site makes it easy for me to have lesson plans for all the subjects on one page. I also have each day divided into different headings to have a spot for my objective, the essential question, etc., all which can be customized to what you want! You can edit anywhere since its saved online, you can download PDF versions of you plans, you can organize them to be shown monthly, weekly, daily, whatever is easiest for you! Best part is the inclusion of the standards. Instead of typing out the state standard, you can search for it and it places it within the lesson plan for you. 

where to add your standards

You can also share your "planbook" which is basically your lesson plans with up to 3 other teachers. I share mine with a fellow coworker in the science department. We collaborate on most of our assignments and activities so this site made life wayyyyy easier. 

Of course if you want to share with the entire department or school, then a membership needs to be purchased. For now I share with the teachers that teach the same subjects I do to try and stay on the same page. Absolutely love this resource and definitely recommend it to everyone!