Interactive Student Notebook Guidelines

Interactive notebooks allow you to record information and process it to improve your level of understanding.
As you learn new concepts, you will use several types of writing and graphic techniques to record them. This
process will get you to use critical-thinking skills or habits of mind to organize and process new information.
As a result, you can become a more creative, more independent thinker and will have a deeper understanding
of what you are learning.

To create your Interactive notebooks, you must bring these materials to class each day:

1. Spiral notebook (8.5 X 11)

2. A pen
3. A pencil with an eraser
4. Two felt-tip pens of different colors
5. Two highlighters of different colors
6. Glue stick or clear tape
7. Colored Pencils
8. A small pair of scissors

Why do this?
Writing down lecture notes does not mean that you have learned the new information.
 You must actively do something with the new concepts before you really understand it.
 Note-taking becomes an active process.
 You will organize as you learn. You will record ideas about every activity that you engage in during a
unit. You will use organizational techniques such as TOPIC HEADINGS, colored highlights and
different writing styles to synthesize concepts.
 It gives you permission to be playful and creative in your responses without “messing up” your notes.
When you are creative, you will remember more.
 It serves as a reminder to me to give you time to absorb ideas as we go. If I see blank left-hand pages, I
will know that I am providing too much information without giving you enough time to process the
material…or maybe you are not working at your learning!
 Bottom line: Your interactive notebook becomes part of your portfolio of what you actually learned.

How to use the interactive notebook:

La izquierda ( left side)
Student Directed
Subjective information
Reorganize new information in creative formats.
Express opinions and feelings. Your Homework.
You will work out an understanding of the new
material by using illustrations, diagrams, flow charts,
poetry, matrices, and cartoons. You will have
thinking maps, reflections and pictures.
You will review what you have learned and preview
what you will learn.
La derecha (right side)
Teacher Directed
Objective information
Class notes, discussion & reading notes, handouts
with new information.
Most “testable” information is found here.
You should structure your notes so that key ideas
and concepts are clear and supported by examples.
Here you will write outlines,
flowcharts, and other graphic organizers.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/4906131/Interactive-Notebook?autodown=doc
Here you will actively do something with the
information. You will explore your opinions and
clarify your values on controversial issues, wonder
about “what if” hypothetical situations, and ask
questions about new ideas.
This side will have Student-Generated Information.
Notes from lectures or overhead, movie, group
discussion or readings. Answers to fact based
questions. Content that is similar for everyone.
This side will have Teacher- Generated Information.

General Instructions
Although the notebooks emphasize creativity and originality, a few organizational practices should be
followed. Therefore, students should:

 Record every assignment on “El indice”. Class notes do not need to be listed there.
 Begin each assignment entry on a new page with a header that contains:
 El titulo (the title)
 La fecha de la asignatura ( the date of the assignment)

For each unit:

Write the title of the unit on the right side of your notebook.
 Find a picture or draw an illustration that represents a theme of the unit.
 All notebook pages will be chronological.
 All handouts will be glued into your notebook unless I specify otherwise.
 Additional ideas to make your notebook visually and graphically appealing:

 Use a variety of note taking techniques suggested from note-taking handout. i.e. An outline, a
matrix, mind maps, etc.
 Use color to highlight meaning, not just as decoration, think of an alternative method if you
think you may be colorblind.
 Exchange notebooks with your friends to get ideas from each other as long as you do not write
the same thing on the left side. You will receive a 0 if you have copied another student’s work.
 Leave blank spaces throughout your notebooks for pasting relevant clipping and cartoons for
adding comments when you review for tests.
 All homework assignments will be in your notebook unless I specify otherwise. I will collect the
notebooks twice a grading period. The checks will be UNANNOUNCED!

Assessing the Interactive Notebooks

Notebooks will be checked periodically as a test grade and these checks will not be announced. All class
notes and notebook right-side assignments should be included, even for the days in which you were absent.
This includes each being recorded in the table of contents. Each right side assignment must be complete, have
a heading, and the date assigned or given written on it. Mostly it is checked on being complete but the left
sides must be varied (not all the same kind of activity) and not be a simple restatement or a picture with no
processing of content from the right side

Then each right side page must have a left side where one or more of the concepts or skills used on the right
side is/are applied. All LS non student-created images and articles must have a complete MLA citation.

Student Signature _____________________________ Parent Signature _________________________

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