Day 1: Set-up

Armed with my trusty document projector and a PowerPoint presentation I worked up to explain the whys, hows, etc. of Interactive Notebooks, we started to set them up. One thing I keep stressing, and stressing, and STRESSING is that they

MUST COPY MY EXAMPLES!

EXACTLY!!

At the first of the year, and several times throughout, I go over the "don't cheat," "don't copy," "don't plagiarize" speech. However, I've told them this is not only the one time I allow them to copy, I make it mandatory! 

Everyone's notebook must look exactly like mine as far as pages,

 information, etc. unless otherwise indicated. 

At first, they look at me like I've lost my mind but then they get over it and feel comfortable with the guidance and examples I give them. 

One of the things I loved about "The Mouth's" notebooks were you start at the first and work through page-by-page. Now, I'm not going to lie and tell you mine have been perfectly done every single time. I'd love to be able to do that but I cannot tell a lie! :) In fact, I've started and re-started about four notebooks. I'm down to one for my 8th grade classes and one for 9th grade. The others that got "messed up" are my TRIAL-AND-ERROR notebooks where I try the layout and then perfect it before it goes into my final books. "The Mouth" suggested keeping one for every period...I couldn't keep up with that! Two has been fine for me so far...

STEP ONE:

Number each page in the upper, outside corner. Even numbers on the left page; odd numbers on the right page. I had them number 1-25 or so in class with homework to number the rest. They should have 200 pages when they're finished providing they didn't get ripped off by the notebook company.

STEP TWO:

Title pages 1-7 as "TABLE OF CONTENTS." I did the Math and figured out we would use six to seven pages for our Table of Contents. I rounded up to seven just to be safe. I also told them to be as "cutsy-fartsy" as they wanted. (They thought it was funny I said "fartsy" in class. REALLY??)

As we add each page(s), we enter it into the Table of Contents. 

STEP THREE:

Glue in "Who Are YOU??" assignment from the first day of school. We'll come back to this at the end of the term for Goal Reflection and will enter a new one at the beginning of each term. Have them date it with the day you put it in the notebook and enter it in the Table of Contents.

NOTE #1: As I created handouts to be glued into the Interactive Notebooks, I created a border around the page for them to cut on. I'm a bit OCD in making sure things are lined up and don't cover the holes so they can put them back in their English binder (in my defense...my minor is Business/Marketing Education so I know computers and I was the Yearbook advisor for four years! I'm all about making things look neat and orderly!!). I have them cut out on those borders which I've adjusted to make sure it fits in the notebook.

NOTE #2: As I talked to them about putting glue on the pages, I really tried to stress they should just glue around the outside edges of the paper they're gluing IN the notebook...not the notebook itself. However, I've already had MANY who thought the entire paper should be covered with purple glue and then some. I guess that's why I needed to replace glue sticks within the first few days! Can't afford that!! :(