Notebooking

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Richard on December 29, 2008 at 5:37pm

Hey,
I've been using foldables for a couple of years now and just love them. They really help kids organize their information and prepare them for future note taking. A couple of other sites I've found include http://www.squidoo.com/lapbooking and https://foldables.wikispaces.com/
Neither are wonderful, but the squidoo site was my source of inspiration for combining foldables into a "book" similar to your notebooks, but smaller. Amazing idea!!! Now my kids can organize their notes for an entire unit.

Permalink Reply by Eve Heaton on December 29, 2008 at 7:05pm

Thanks. I will check out both!

Permalink Reply by Richard on January 15, 2009 at 2:26pm

A few weeks have passed since my last post on Notebooking. Now I've taught a fourth grade unit on the Northeast Region of the US with foldables, but without a notebook, and have recently completed a unit on the South with foldables organized in a student-made and decorated pocketfolder.

The class average on the second test (with notebooking) was a few points higher for one class and NINE points higher for the other class than the class average for the first test.

Coincidence? Could be. But, my gut says that notebooks helped kids grasp the unit as a whole, better over a period of weeks. It also helped them review for the test in a methodical but simple way. I'm hooked!

Permalink Reply by Patrick Stansberry on January 15, 2009 at 1:49pm

Interesting ideas. In my 2nd grade science classes, we don't have a textbook or workbook. This sounds like a great way for students to organize the material and highlight the key concepts.

Permalink Reply by Eve Heaton on January 15, 2009 at 4:16pm

I definitely credit notebooking with helping students to better organize the information they are receiving. When I ask a student a question related to something we have already studied I am amazed at how quickly they relate it to the notebook activity we did and how fast they can find it in their notebook. I was going to have them respond to a journal prompt about notebooking to see what they would say when asked without being face to face to a teacher (sometimes I think they just say what you want to hear). I had one of my fourth graders "sneak" her notebook home (I only let them go home for parent signatures about once a month) so she could show off what she has been doing.

I definitely think the notebooking concept could work for a second grade class. I am teaching an in-service class on notebooking to my school to see if there is any more interest. I think it will help to have student samples with me. It is one thing to talk about it but another thing to see what students are capable of.

Permalink Reply by Shari Edwards on February 1, 2009 at 1:31pm

I'm an Instructional Coach at my school and have been thinking about doing an after school study group on notebooking in 4th and 5th grades. I'm going to follow your blog for ideas!

Permalink Reply by Eve Heaton on February 1, 2009 at 3:46pm

I shared my student notebooks at a local share fair that was put on for teachers and they were a hit (which was nice...since it was the first time I every presented them anywhere). I would like to present at a state science conference in October so that was my trial run. I would love to hear how notebooking is going for you and any cool things you are doing with them once you get them off the ground.

Permalink Reply by Patrick Stansberry on February 8, 2009 at 5:47pm

I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas and bought Reading With Meaning by Debbie Miller. The book has a ton of great information on how to teach comprehension strategies.

I wasn't sure where to start since there is so much information in the book. We brainstormed and discussed and we filled 2 chart papers full of ideas, but I just don't have the wall space to post many charts. So I decided to use notebooking as a way to organize our thinking and the strategies we learn along the way. We just started last week, so I will surely let you post updates.