Interactive Notebooks: Day 1

I decided last summer that I would use Interactive Notebooks with my Algebra 1 students this year. I was nervous, but excited. Sarah Rubin's blog http://everybodyisageniusblog.blogspot.com was a lifesaver! Check her out! As I was getting started in the year, her blog was my go-to place for ideas. I hope to show some of my ideas so someone out there can use this blog, like I used Sarah's.

I wanted my students to have their notebooks on day 1. I wanted them to get used to carrying them to class everyday and learning that we use, almost daily! They are an integral part of our classroom and they are valuable. That being said, I didn't have time to wait around for the "please bring your notebook by Friday" thing. I went to office depot when they had comp books for $0.25 and stocked up. On the first day of school, every student grabbed a book and we went to work! Now, one of their required supplies was a college ruled comp book to replace the one they had been given. They restocked my supply and I'm ready to go on day 1 again next year--YAY!

On the first day we created a title page, taped in their syllabus and procedures, and determined their speed dial partners.

Title page went on page 1 of their notebooks. They wrote their names, their phone numbers, and my name and classroom number. Hopefully if they lost their notebook it would make its way home.

We then skipped 4 pages for table of contents and began numbering...1. The year had started!

Page 1 had their Mastery Math Guidelines (the system our district uses), Classroom Procedures and Policies, and the Course Overview. All three of these documents were layered on one page.

Students were already getting excited about their notebooks as we layered the three pages!

 

On the top was their course overview, taped only the left side so it could flip open.

 

Flipped open, they could read the back and also see their Policies and Procedures page.

The Policies and Procedures were taped only the right so they could flip open opposite the Course Overview.

With the Policies and Procedures open, the Mastery Math Guidelines were visible.

 



Students were already loving flipping their pages!

And their homework?

Trace their hand and write down 5 things from the pages of information that was important to them!

I stressed that these should be personalized as we each struggle with different things.

Personalized...these notebooks are going to be personalized...I wanted to establish this early.

 

And, as I said above, Sarah's blog is awesome! The "Give Me 5" homework assignment was her idea, shown here.

 

Would you believe that my students were actually excited about homework on the first day of school?! Good sign! Even 8th graders love to color and draw!