Notebook Setup & Organization

• Build a yearlong table of contents or per-unit table of contents.
• Start each new unit with a section divider page. This can include illustrations, photos, maps, etc. that represent each major section of the unit.
• Model for students procedures for gluing items into the notebook.
• Should you need a pocket in the notebook, create one by folding over a page and gluing it to the next one…or adhering a small envelope.
• Add a quick-find bookmark with a piece of ribbon taped to the outside of the spine.
• Create a system for absent students to efficiently pick up the handouts from the previous day’s notebook entry. This might include a bulletin board display or downloadable documents on your class website.
• Download a JPEG or PDF of the Nonfiction Notebook sticker. Print on 31/3″ x 4″ labels for a perfect fit.

MULTI-FACETED FOLDABLE:

• For those just dabbling with a nonfiction notebook, consider starting small. Rather than designating an entire notebook, utilize a foldable that ha
  s many sections or facets to it. This would provide a great first experience for students to try out the notebook concept without embarking on a yearlong commitment.
• One of Kristina’s favorite foldables for a mini-nonfiction notebook is the Layered Book (also known as the Matchbook).
• For more specifics and examples, check out the archived article on the Learning Center.

Recompose information into Notes & Lists

UNIT NOTES: Take notes about key concepts per unit.

READING NOTES, ANNOTATIONS, Q&AS: Respond to reading in a variety of formats.

RESOURCE PAPERS: Adhere portions of worksheets, charts/maps, photos, or typed lists.

BOXES & BULLETS: Identify the main idea/key point. Then bullet smaller, related supporting details below/adjacent to it.

OBSERVATIONS: Record information about a subject/topic after studying it within its environment.

FOLDABLES: Glue in a foldable. Within each “flap,” students write an in-their-own-words explanation and example of the concept.

SAMPLES & EXAMPLES: Paraphrase the steps in a process by creating an example and captioning the steps.

R.A.N. (Read, Analyze, Note)
Literacy expert Tony Stead created this fabulous alternative to the KWL when the content is complex and/or unfamiliar. It should be used when students have little or no knowledge on a topic they are reading/researching.

• It can be executed as a whole-class activity projecting the PDF or Notebook version onto a whiteboard.
• Or, students can utilize the Word version or handout template when collecting individual research.

Recompose information into Visuals

MAPS: Visualize setting-significant information. Depict it within a traditional drawing map or an illustrated summary showing movement and relocation over time.

LABELED DIAGRAM: Sketch accurate & close-up details. Label them with facts/evidence.

COLLAGE: Collect multiple images and words to demonstrate a theme or abstract concept.

Reorganizing information into Relational Maps

CONCEPT MAPS: Create a map of facts that doesn’t just itemize information, but organizes it, too.

CUT, SORT, & LABEL: Using images from pre-fab worksheets, students demonstrate knowledge and add a responsive element to extend their thinking.

Recompose information about Vocabulary Terms

DEFINITIONS & EXPLANATIONS: Generate an in-your-own-words explanation in addition to the formal, glossary/dictionary definition.

After reading informational text, have students retell facts, brainstorming onto an ABC Chart. 

• Download an ABC Chart as a Word document.
• Download an ABC Chart as a PDF.
• Download the ABC Chart SmartBoard version.

ADDITIONAL MEANING-MAKING INFO: Record information about a subject/topic after studying it.

• Specifics & examples
• Sentences
• Synonyms & antonyms
• Visual representation
• Root words (NOTE: For those with iPads in the classroom, students could download the ROOTOLOGY app to have a quick reference guide as to the meanings of various root words they come across in their reading.

Additional Resources

• Third grade teacher Ariel Eishen has uploaded many images of her students’ math notebooks.
• Learn more about how K-2 science notebooks can be incorporated successfully into the primary classroom.
• Access the handout that Melissa Pletkovich shared at the 2014 Illinois Reading Conference session.
• MS social studies and ELA teachers (and especially those who teach Humanities–both in the same class) will love Mrs. Gannon’s website about interactive notebooks.
• For more web links about notebooks, check out the middle school mouth blog.