ISN+setup

= ISN Setup =

The fun part is getting started. What kind of notebook will you use? How will students personalize it? How will the organization flow?

There are tons of ideas and resources out there for you. I will have some here, but in the mean time, you can Google "interactive notebooks" and find a ton of ideas.

Tips:
 * Try to set up the notebook so that students move with you without confusion. This means you will need to think about the set up. Will work stay on the same page for all students? Will students be able to move to the next page, resulting in different page numbers as they go along? What goes on the left side? What goes on the right side? How will you keep them on the same page? How will you allow for extended information to be added in? How will you handle it when students mix up pages?
 * most notebooks are set up to have the right side for teacher input and the left side for student output. It seems to work great for most and if it does, go for it.
 * I use an In - through - out model: my warm-up, bell ringer, or engaging activity is at the top of the left page. The meat of our daily work is on the right side. Students finish the day with their reflection assignment on the bottom of the left page.
 * Set up your version first and keep it in class. This will help you work out how you have students set up theirs and it will give you a visual. It will also give you a resource for students to use who are absent. They can go to the notebook and use it to fill in what was missed. Have the first week ready, and then add to it as you begin new assignments. It will be a work in progress, but it will help you gauge the time you need and it will help you refine instructions.
 * Have students decorate and personalize their cover. This can be fun, but challenging. I started covering pages with contact paper once they finished. Notebooks looked so nice and they were protected. It was my way of monitoring who was finished. I wouldn't cover one until I felt they gave it a good effort. This is the buy-in for the student. It makes this their notebook and it gives them a reason to keep up with it.
 * students can personalize with their own elements and pictures--with middle school, be sure to cover what won't fly
 * students can personalize with a checklist of personalized elements that you want
 * students can use magazine pictures and articles related to science
 * Grade for content and don't get frustrated if you notebook doesn't look like the ones your trainers used. They pull their best examples.

// For more tips and discussion on setting up ISNs, check out the discussion tab above. //