I’m back, friends! Before we talk about managing interactive notebooks, let me discuss life as a chaos coordinator. The last few days have been WILD. We had a field trip on Friday to the local ice rink for some skating, which sadly I had to watch from the sidelines because of medical restrictions. Then, after work, I rushed to a doctor’s appointment for said medical restrictions before going away for the weekend with my small group from church for a spiritual retreat. Talk about busy! I truly enjoy fellowship so much, though. We got home not too long ago, within the hour actually, and now it’s back to business!
Have you been enjoying this miniseries so far? We’re about to dive into week 3 of our interactive notebook talk. New around here and not really sure what’s going on? No sweat! You’ll find weeks 1 and 2 linked here: 1.1 provided an introduction to INBs while 1.2 discussed INB benefits.
For the third installment of the INB miniseries, you’re probably both intrigued and intimidated about next steps. You wouldn’t be alone in those sentiments. Many people find interactive notebooks to be more of a burden than a blessing. While they might feel overwhelming at first, INBs shouldn’t take any longer than a regularly scheduled worksheet or lesson activity! How, you ask? The 6 Ps!
Prior proper planning prevents poor performance!
Once clear expectations and routines are established, INBs are a breeze. Be sure to work smarter and not harder. You can do many things, but you can’t do them all yourself. It’s best to involve students and assign roles for them to aid you in the interactive notebook process. Many hands make light work! I have also found it beneficial to have students seated in pods or table groups (ideally 4, but no more than 6) so that INBs and any materials necessary are readily accessible to all.
There are a few key roles, jobs if you will, that I assign in every group. l’ll explain them below and even provide a freebie for labeling your desks at the end of this post.
Materials Managers
Materials managers are responsible for distributing any materials we may need for our interactive notebooks. It is recommended that you have storage caddies or bins stocked with scissors, glue, crayons or colored pencils, and highlighters at a bare minimum. At the start of any lesson INBs will be used, I let my students know which materials will be needed. Another suggestion is to have a materials list posted on your whiteboard or morning meeting slide so students have a visual reference as well.
Clean Up Crew
Clean up crew is responsible for the “tidy tub” pail which collects garbage for the table. Nothing drives me crazier than multiple bodies moving about the room all at once while I am actively teaching. Any paper scraps, pencil shavings, tissues, and so forth get put into the mini garbage cans kept at the table pods until there is an opportunity to empty them into our larger classroom trashcans.
Small but Mighty Roles
Scribes fill out absentee notices for missing students as well as record notes for the table when working collaboratively. Tight lip lieutenants keep tablemates on task while managing the noise levels of the group. Lesson leaders are an extension of you. They can answer student questions and diffuse situations to keep you from becoming inundated. Mindset motivators are our growth mindset cheerleaders. They understand the struggle IS real and help keep classmates positively engaged with the INB lesson.
Employ students to help you now and they’ll be less likely to hinder instruction later.
Crystal Mencia, on assigning class jobs for implementing INBs
Remember your 6 Ps: prior proper planning prevents poor performance! It is critical you plan ahead and stick to the plan. Consistency goes a long way here! Next time, I’ll give you some more tips and tricks for using INBs effectively in class.
ACTIONABLE STEPS: Use the free job labels to assign student roles in your class in preparation for INB implementation. Comment below any procedures or systems you already have in place that would aid interactive notebook use.
