There are so many misconceptions about interactive notebooks. A lot of these myths are based on fear of the unknown instead of fact. In this post, I’m sharing the most common objections and how to overcome them. Trade those lies for the honest truth! Here we go:
1. Interactive notebooks waste too much class time.
Coloring, cutting, gluing… who has time for all that? The answer: everyone! INBs don’t have to be a timesuck. Use simple foldable templates and train your students with consistent routines. My special education classes can prep a whole week’s worth of interactive activities in under 15 minutes. Kids know where to find their supplies and often times get moving before I even say the word. Sure, this requires significant effort from the teacher at first, but soon enough, your class will run like a well-oiled machine. πͺ
2. Interactive notebooks are a wet, sticky mess!
Interactive notebooks CAN be messy, but they don’t have to be! With proper planning and some training, I’ve seen firsthand students as young as 5 years old able to manage their INBs without gluing all the pages shut. It’s all about the expectations and tools you provide. My students know that markers are an absolute no-no in our interactive notebooks because they bleed through the pages. They also know all work must be done in pencil first and then can be gone over with colors once corrected/checked. As far as pasting is concerned, glue sponges and Tap-n-glue lids are amazing investments. π
3. Interactive notebooks require too much prep time.
The truth: INBs do require some prep time from teachers but in my opinion, it’s time well spent! If you’re making your own foldable activities, be sure to use simple templates like the ones in my shop with minimal cuts and paper waste. I love the templates I’ve created because 1 page serves 2 students and is the ideal size for composition notebook use. When it’s time to distribute to students, I use a guillotine paper cutter to slice those bad boys right down the middle. Can’t be bothered with DIY? I have interactive notebook foldable activities for all math standards grades 4-6 for sale in my TpT store! ποΈ
4. Interactive notebooks dumb-down content instruction.
Interactive notebooks are what you make them to be. Sure, you could have a bunch of cute shaped foldables with the rote practice of, say, decimal operations. You could also have simple folds with complex ideas and concepts forcing students to, you know, think and draw out base ten models on the flaps before showing the standard algorithm underneath. The choice is yours. π€·ββοΈ
5. Interactive notebooks take too much time to correct.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but: not everything needs to be graded! I’ll type it bigger for y’all in the back: NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE GRADED! Interactive notebooks can be spot-checked by teachers, reviewed by a peer, and corrected by individual students. Mistakes allow thinking to happen! I will often project answer keys on the Smartboard and let students “play teacher” during small group station rotations. π¨βπ«
6. Whatever, kids hate interactive notebooks!
Uh, which kids? Even my most disorganized kids appreciate their interactive notebooks! INBs give students ownership over their learning and man, oh man… the pride in their little eyes as they show Mom or Dad at parent-teacher conferences is everything. My students loooove the arts and crafts feel of interactive notebook foldables. It doesn’t feel like work! I can’t get them to answer 10 problems on a worksheet, but if I put those same 10 problems on some flaps, it’s a straight-up game! Could it be that I also sell INBs to my classes as the best thing since sliced bread? Maybe. Whatever the reason, the student buy-in is real and palpable. π
ACTIONABLE STEPS: What have you heard about interactive notebooks? Share them in the comments below. I’m happy to debunk any myths and misconceptions!
