Last year (the 2015-16 school year) was my first time jumping in to interactive notebooks with both feet. From reading multiple blogs, I knew that having a way for students to personalize their notebooks was important for ownership and just plain ole fun, but my OCD-ness also wanted something structured and orderly. Some time last summer, I saw this post on Pinterest and I knew that's what I wanted for my covers. Personalizable, yet uniform. Plus, as a math teacher, I love the message that mistakes are to be expected. Here are some of my students' finished products.
I had them write their name on the paper before using clear packaging tape to laminate it to the front of each student's notebook. If you decide to try this, be warned that it will take far more packaging tape than you think. And much more time than you think. I still haven't figured out how to make this happen more efficiently.
Each day I make reflective notes to myself about the day's lesson or activity. We did this one the first day of school, and here are my notes.
Each day I make reflective notes to myself about the day's lesson or activity. We did this one the first day of school, and here are my notes.
The students responded well to the coloring. It kept them occupied without being mentally draining the first day of school. I liked seeing their products, and they seemed to take pride in them. I would definitely do this again. It also was nice that they had something lengthy to do, so they colored some, and then we did hall passes. They colored more, and then we did Celly. The coloring kept them occupied while I handed out notebooks to those who didn't have one.
Link to the blog post of inspiration.
Link to the site that contains these colorable quotes.
This year, I'm having to come up with a new quote because I will have some of the same students, so I think I've decided on this one.
Link to the site that contains these colorable quotes.
This year, I'm having to come up with a new quote because I will have some of the same students, so I think I've decided on this one.
I'm not crazy about the design, but I love the quote, especially for math. I even have it hanging on the wall in my classroom.
I will definitely pull the "mistakes are proof..." quote back out for future years. :) If you have suggestions for how to quickly and economically adhere/laminate these to the front, leave a comment. Also, do you have another resource for colorable quotes?
I will definitely pull the "mistakes are proof..." quote back out for future years. :) If you have suggestions for how to quickly and economically adhere/laminate these to the front, leave a comment. Also, do you have another resource for colorable quotes?