INTERACITVE NOTEBOOK TIPS (frequently asked questions)

How can I use newspaper articles, political cartoons or comic strips?

  • NEATLY cut out the article, comic, cartoon, or picture.
  • Paste or tape it into your notebook on the left-side. Use a border or some color and be creative about how the article fits into the notebook.
  • READ and ANALYZE the article, cartoon, or comic strip.
  • WRITE a 5-sentence summary and analysis about HOW the article is connected to the information on the right side.

What if the assignment that I started on the right-page takes up more than one page?

  • EVERY TIME YOU WRITE ON THE RIGHT, YOU MUST PROCESS ON THE LEFT.
  • You continue the assignment on loose leaf paper. When you are finished you tape it to the spiral side the page on the right.
  • You then fold the additional page toward the spiral so it is even with the page on the right.

TITLE ALL ASSIGNMENTS!

  • Title your assignments and hi-light them so that I don't miss your entries while grading.
  • Use a hi-lighter or colored pen and a ruler to distinguish between multiple assignments on a page.

Practice outline skills and the use of color!

  • Remember to use your hi-lighter and colored pens/pencils. Write vocabulary words in one color and definitions in another. Use the same technique for questions and answers. This allows your eyes and mind to focus on important information when you review your work to retrieve information or study.

Why do I have to copy the questions and then write the answers?

  • This is NOT busy work! Your notebook is a study tool. A simple sentence does not aid studying. The questions allow you to review the information and ask others to help you review the information. In addition, the text should not be necessary to review if your notebook is completed accurately.

Why do I have to use color?

  • Color allows you to "chunk" information so that your brain can process and remember the information better. Again, this is NOT busy work! This is a learning technique.

What do I do on the left-side of the notebook?

  • You must SHOW ME YOU UNDERSTAND THE MATERIAL ON THE RIGHT!
  • You may use a variety of techniques such as illustration, picto-words, time-lines, maps, news articles, charts, graphs, vocabulary webs, poems, etc.
  • If you just draw a picture of a phone to show information diffusion, I do not know that you understand what diffusion means or its impact on cultural change.
  • If you just print clip art of inventions from the Industrial Revolution and paste them into your notebook, I do not know that you recognize the influence or importance of the technology. Be sure to label or explain when necessary.

How can I improve my notebook next time?

  • Begin to use different techniques for showing understanding. Incorporate information from other classes that may apply to our unit of study.
  • Ask "what if" questions that you may not know the answers to but are curious about.
  • Make use of the charts & diagrams available for you, but be sure you include details.
  • Use your analytical and creative skills. Show action in your illustrations or write dialogue between your stick figures. Consider using the same character throughout your notebook.
  • Read the newspaper and find articles that relate to our unit of study that you can summarize.
  • Write a song lyric, a poem, or a limerick.

How much of the left-side of the page do I use?

  • You should use the ENTIRE LEFT PAGE. Why not make the picture or diagram large enough for me to see without a magnifying glass? Use details - they will help you fill the page. Three stick figures at the top of the page aren't going to successfully illustrate all the concepts on the right-side. When considering a Venn diagram, don't choose to process the information that way if you can only come up with one unique characteristic and one shared characteristic for the concept.

What if I can't draw?

  • You do not have to draw. You can write on the left-side through the creation of poems, limericks, song lyrics, etc. You can design vocabulary webs, picto-words, or make associations between units of study or other classes. Make diagrams, maps, flow charts, or time lines. Use news articles or clip art, but be sure to explain how these entries relate to the material on the right.

Can I type my assignments?

  • You may type your assignments. It is often helpful in reducing the number of left-page entries because you can clearly fit more information on the right-side when using 12 point font. You must still attempt to hi-light or use bold and you MUST use 12 point standard font only.