A Month of Using Interactive Notebooks

We have spent a lot of time working on the Interactive Notebooks so far this year. I look back on previous years' and realize how much more I'm doing now. It's GREAT!!

Even though I teach Honors English 8 and regular English 9, I have found Erin Cobb's "Interactive Reading Informational Text Notebooks" such a fabulous resource!! (It's written for grades 4-8.)

I've followed along with her suggested lesson plans and my kids are really getting it! I think we assume they learned different things in previous years so we don't need to teach it. Or...we assume they remember what they were taught but they don't have any resource to refer to that will help jog their memory. This is it!!!

Throughout Erin's pages of information, I've added some of my own supplemental information. For example, I thought they needed more details on the "SUMMARIZING NON-FICTION" pages. I know I searched Pinterest and gathered the information but can't find it for the life of me! (So frustrating!! So...if you know where I might have found this, please leave me a comment so I can give credit where it's due. I don't want to be accused of plagiarizing or violating copyright!)

I also added more information to the TEXT STRUCTURES pages. I wanted some definitions and key words. For that page, I purchased Deb Hansen's "Nonfiction Text Structures" packet from TeachersPayTeachers and tweaked the graphics to fit what I needed. I LOVED coloring them with my many colored pens. (Don't you just hate seeing everyone using "adult coloring books" and/or "Colorfy" on their phones and you don't have time? I took a picture of the things I color at school and sent it to my daughters who all love to color. I captioned it with something to the effect that while they are making pretty pictures with Colorfy, I'm coloring school stuff. One daughter commented back that my stuff was "much more satisfying." I hadn't thought of it like that...it made me feel a lot better!!) Anyway, here are the pages I put on the left side of my notebook then put Erin's practice page on the right page; the two pages created a "spread" of information for each structure.

This is on the left side...Deb's graphics added to a WORD document I created.

Erin's page from her packet.

We did quite a bit of simple practicing with Erin's examples which helped solidify the ideas in the kids' minds.

Then, I needed to figure out a way to teach NON-FICTION TEXT FEATURES. Erin has a little "toolbox" in her packet but I wanted something a little more detailed and more age appropriate for my kids. I couldn't find anything designed specifically for the Interactive Notebooks so I created my own by putting two different sources together with my own design. Here's what I came up with...

(Sorry...I couldn't get the stupid picture to rotate!)

First, I downloaded Tangstar Science's fabulous "Interactive Notebook Templates FREE Sampler Pack" from TeachersPayTeachers. I used the "Hexagon 7 panels" template. I enlarged it 155% on our copier and cut it in two sections: one section of four panels and one section of three panels. I added a tab at the top of the three panel section so they could glue them together. 

Then, I downloaded Deana Kahlenberg's FREE DOWNLOAD of "Non-Fiction Text Features Posters" from TpT. They're GREAT!! I printed them nine to a page and then reduced them another 85% on my copier. This made them the PERFECT size to glue on the panels foldable. I made the header using WordArt in Word and printed it all out. The kids had a fabulous time cutting, gluing, and singing to Pandora. (Whatever makes the little dumplings happy, right??)

Honestly, I don't know what we did before TeachersPayTeachers, Pinterest, and Google. I've only been teaching for 14 years but, seriously, how did we survive without being able to share ideas with anyone who cares to search? You all should get on TpT and check these talented ladies out! They have wonderful stuff to share. Even though a lot of it is written for lower grades, I'm able to adjust it to fit the needs of my junior high kids. They LOVE IT!!! (I've had some of my honors kids from last year come back and tell me how much they wish they had me again this year. Their friends in my regular 9th grade classes are showing them what we're doing and how much it's helping them. They're jealous!! Secretly...it makes my heart happy!!)

On to the practice activities now!! 

Main Idea & Supporting Details

FOR MY STUDENTS:
You will need to get copies of the handouts for these two pages from the file folder on the counter in the room. Please be sure you follow the examples to complete your notebook. (Note: my copies are always available before or after school. Please see me if you have any questions!)

Thanks to Erin Cobb's packet, "Interactive Reading Informational Text Notebook," I have some great additions to our notebooks this year! I've found determining the TOPIC, MAIN IDEA, TOPIC SENTENCE, and SUPPORTING DETAILS is hard for some students. This is going to serve as a GREAT review!!

PAGE 10 OF INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK:

• Color, cut out, and glue the page in as shown.

PAGE 11 OF INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK:

• Underline the passage as shown. (This is helping you to identify the four items we are reviewing today.
• Glue the passage in your notebook.
• Then, add the information to the back side of the TOPIC/TOPIC SENTENCE/MAIN IDEA/SUPPORTING DETAILS page. Cut along the OUTSIDE edges of this section and glue the right and left sides to the passage. 
• CAREFULLY cut up the middle of the top page only, as shown.
• SEE ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!!!!!

DON'T FORGET TO PUT THE DATE ON THE INSIDE CORNERS OF THE PAGES!!

DON'T FORGET TO ADD THESE PAGES TO YOUR TABLE OF CONTENTS!!

ASSIGNMENT:

1. Get a copy of the article, "She's Back!" located in the file folder.
2. Identify the main idea and supporting details as taught on these two pages.
3. Turn the assignment in for participation credit. (REMEMBER!! You only have ONE DAY for each day you were absent to make up the work for full credit!!)

Interactive Notebooks and Back to the Basics

I LOVE INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS!!! 

There are so many GREAT resources out there for different pages and how to use them in your classroom. I still have kids come back and tell me how grateful they are for the notebook because they use them in high school! That, in itself, is a reason to do them! Yes...they may whine and complain while putting them together...but...if they USE them the way I intend, it becomes an amazing resource!!

This year, I plan on starting with them the second day of school. Rather than having the students purchase them and have to wait until everyone is prepared (or supply them out of my own funds), I asked the office to get one for every student. THEY SAID YES!!! So...we'll start the second day!

I'm going to do the first few pages just like I did last year. You can find the information about that HERE. I'm also going to post a copy of our school's plagiarism and cheating policy as I explained HERE. That takes me through the first nine pages and, I figure, two days.

Then...I'm taking them BACK TO THE BASICS!!!!! I'm really surprised at how many kids either don't know or don't remember how to find the main idea, supporting details, how to summarize, author's purpose, text structures, etc. So...we're going to HIT THOSE HARD!! I've got to pound these concepts into their heads to help with the "end-of-year-testing"!!

Last spring, I purchased the "Interactive Reading Informational Text Notebooks" packet from Erin Cobb (imlovinlit.com) through TeachersPayTeachers. I didn't do anything with it until this week. HOLY MOLY IT'S GREAT!!! Yes...it's written for grades 4-8 but I think it's going to work as a review/reference for their Interactive Notebooks. After we review, I'll start working them through more difficult texts and will refer back to these pages often.

My plan is to work on one concept per day which will include creating the page(s) in the Interactive Notebook and an easy practice.  Then, I've found some "age-appropriate/interest-level" articles on the Smithsonian TweenTribune website (for grades 7-8) and Smithsonian TeenTribune (for grades 9-12). What's great about this site is you can get the same article written in different Lexile levels! You can pass out the same article in a lower level for the ELL or struggling readers and they'll be able to work with the "at-level" or "advanced" kids using the more difficult version. I'm really excited about this find!! There are SO MANY different exercises you can do with each article...from main idea/supporting details to author's purpose to text structure. I can't wait to use them!!

Plot/Storytelling Arc for Interactive Notebooks

As I've mentioned before, I'm using Laura Randazzo's FABULOUS "FULL YEAR of English Class Vocabulary, Grammar, and Literary Terms, Devices" available on Teachers Pay Teachers. Today's "Lit Term Tuesday" was all about Plot, or as Laura's products call it, "Storytelling Arc." I want my kids to be familiar with both terms so I've tweaked my Plot Interactive Notebook pages to add the new term. The process is still the same as I had on the blog with THIS POST but I just re-created the front page. 

DISCLAIMER...Sorry for the crummy pictures. Low lighting in a hurry does not mix! :(

THIS IS WHAT MY EXAMPLE LOOKED LIKE TWO YEARS AGO. DON'T MIND THE DATES...

Links to the foldables and better pictures of the anchor charts may be found on the original posting located HERE.

Year-Long Theme: HEROES (2014 update)

I've had a year-long theme for the past two-three years. Everything we read/study ties back to this theme; the kids have really enjoyed it. This year, instead of me just "talking" my way through it, I decided to put it all together in a Prezi. As a disclaimer, this is only the second one I've ever done so it's not full of all the bells and whistles of others I've seen. Then, when I tested it at school last Friday, I found out we'd been denied access to YouTube...I had four videos linked as an integral part of the presentation. UGH!! Thanks to my handy-dandy husband, we were able to reformat the videos and put them into the Prezi which went around the need for YouTube rights. (NOTE: we had to change one video because it did not allow reformatting or downloading.)

This has been really powerful throughout the years. I tweak it a little bit each year so the "rerun students" I have don't get bored. Since this is my first time sharing, I'm not sure if it will work but you're welcome to use it if you'd like. :)

You can also find my inserts for the Interactive Notebooks HERE. 

Here's what pages 14 & 15 of the 2014-2015 notebook looks like:

THEME for Interactive Notebooks

Understanding THEME is a huge item in the Common Core/DESK Standards (my district's version of the Core). Therefore, I want students to get an overall understanding of the definition and then we will dig deeper as the year progresses.

I found this great Anchor Chart on Pinterest which linked back to "thelibbylou.blogspot.com." However, the picture was a little bit skewed so I created my own chart and a new picture. I am so grateful for teachers who share their work! What in the world did we do before Pinterest was invented??

There is a LOT to this Anchor Chart but it's critical students understand it so they will be able to "dig deeper" on future assignments.

NOTE: I'm also using Laura Randazzo's FABULOUS bundle for "Lit Term Tuesdays" in conjunction with these anchor charts. Lit Term Tuesdays come as part of her Full Year Grammar Package available on Teachers Pay Teachers.

First days of Interactive Notebooks

This week has been GREAT so far! Every student has started their Interactive Notebooks and are doing well at saying caught up. For my own documentation, as well as suggestions for others, I am uploading pictures for each of the pages we've completed so far.

This year, we are using the "cheap" spiral notebooks, found at WalMart, Target, Office Max, Staples, etc. for 17 cents (on the Back-to-School sales), I purchased twenty five extra notebooks for those students who weren't able to have them the day we started entries. By the end of the day, I had given away ALL of them! I asked those students to try to get one and then just give it to me to replace the one I provided. So far, about one-fourth of them have done that; I figure a 17 cent loss is affordable. (Plus, our office ladies had purchased some and were able to help reimburse my stash for future students.)

NOTE TO THOSE WHO HAVE USED MY DOCUMENTS BEFORE...I've had to re-size them to make them fit in these smaller notebooks. I'll try to upload the new sizes but if I forget, you'll have to make sure you do that if you are moving to the cheaper, smaller ones.

PAGES 1-3: The first three pages of the notebooks will be designated the TABLE OF CONTENTS. Each time they create a page, they will enter the title and the page number on this page.

PAGE 4: As I did last year, I will be giving them "Doodle Pages" to color when they have all their other work finished. I found these at DOODLE-ART-ALLEY and just re-sized them to fit the notebooks. (I will not be posting links to these pages...it's easy for anyone to do using their own quotes.) 

PAGE 5: I want my kids to start setting goals for this class. We have an Advisory period this year where they will be setting academic goals so I want the ones they put in their Interactive Notebooks to be focused specifically on English. I honestly can't remember where I found this format idea but I did redo it to fit in my notebooks using a table in Word. I had them fill out the top three boxes and then will revisit this page later in the term to check their progress and revise it, if necessary. CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF. 

PAGE 6: This is a reference page for formatting documents on the computer. I have used this format (MLA standards) for years and still have students coming back saying they use it in high school! Love that!! CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF FILE.

PAGE 7: This page is probably the most used page in the entire notebook! I am adamant on them putting their "MLA HEADING" on every paper they submit to me. The first few assignments include a grade for proper formatting to make sure they do this correctly. I've had a few parents upset that their student lost points on an assignment because it wasn't "perfect" but when I explain to rational behind it...that it is a standard adopted by our school and one they will use in high school and many of their college classes...they understand. This year, I let them use some of my beloved Post-It notes instead of tracing cards I'd cut for the different sizes and then made them color them to look like Post-Its. I made a really big deal about it being a "step in my recovery program for Post-It addiction." They thought that was pretty funny. ;) 

PAGE 8: This summer, I attended the USOE Utah Standards Academy. We were taught several strategies for doing CLOSE Readings (more on that later...), different ways to take notes, and how to do an "OPTIC Analysis" which is used for analyzing visual pieces like paintings, graphics, cartoons, etc. I've never done this with my kids before simply because I didn't know how. We did this yesterday and I LOVED IT!!!!!! I used this page as their reference and then had them do the assignment on a separate sheet of paper. We went through it step-by-step using Norman Rockwell's painting "The Holdout." It was FABULOUS!!!!!!! I highly recommend adding this to your curriculum as a really fun activity that everyone enjoys! (I figured it fit the Common Core Standard SL8.2 for my 8th graders and SL.9-10.2 & 3 for 9th graders. While there's nothing "fallacious" in this picture, it gets them started with the idea of how to "evaluate information presented in diverse media." CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF.

PAGE 9: Each week, we will be doing "MUGShot Monday" using Laura Randazzo's FABULOUS "FULL YEAR of English Class Vocabulary, Grammar, and Literary Terms, Devices" available on Teachers Pay Teachers. I'm so excited about using this package with my own little tweaks to it. This morning (we did them on Friday this week since Monday is a holiday and I don't want to get behind...), I had them glue this Proofreading Marks page into their notebooks. Then I put the MUGShot up on the projector (she has it as a PowerPoint) for them to work on. They came in and started cutting out this page before the tardy bell even rang! It was AWESOME!!! I can't wait to do more! :)  CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF. (NOTE: I already had this one as a PDF...I just printed it and then reduced it to fit on the notebook page.)

That gets me caught up through Bell Work on Friday. I'm excited at how well things are going so far, and really hope it will continue! :)

Intro to Argumentation

Teaching argumentation is HARD!!!!!! Although all teenagers are masters at it, it's hard to explain how to organize their arguing using the terms outlined in the Common Core. I've read textbooks, theories, websites, searched for anchor charts, etc. and finally think I've got a handle on the basics. I decided they needed to have basic reference pages in their Interactive Notebooks for this and then we'll build on it from there.

The easiest way for me to present it to them was to create a PowerPoint presentation. Unfortunately, I can't get it to move into Google Presentations so I've just saved it as a PDF for viewing on the web.

As I showed the PowerPoint, I had them draw pages in their Interactive Notebooks.

This is just the beginning!!

Why do GOOD readers identify the MAIN IDEA??

After going through The 3 Types of Questions and discussing how to use the different types of questions with expository, fiction, and poetry, I wanted to make sure they understand the importance of identifying the main idea. It's critical to every type of reading they do in any class. I found this great anchor chart on Pinterest, recreated it for my room, and had the students copy it into their notebooks. I really dealt with a lot of whining and complaining about "not liking to color" or "I can't draw very well" etc...but I made them do it anyway. I told them if I handed them a piece of paper to glue in their notebooks, they'd do it without even looking at it. If I had them just write it all down, they'd kind of remember it. But...if I have them make it "pretty" or "cute" and spend time with it by drawing it and coloring it, they will remember it MUCH better! They still whined but I still made them do it! ;)

 

 

On a side note, I am really excited about my valance over the big window in my room. I ordered a spring-bar rod online for my daughter and son-in-law's apartment and then they decided not to use it. It would have cost almost as much to ship it back as I spent on it so I decided to use it in my room. I love the multi-colored chevron fabric and it really brightens things up!

Getting Started...

As I mentioned, I am planning to use the Interactive Notebooks a lot more this year. I'm also using a lot of the same pages as last year. So, in the interest of time, I'm just going to refer back to those posts to show what we did as a class.

I had such great success with the "Heroes" theme last year, I'm going to be doing it again. You can refer back to that HERE. Some of the YouTube videos I used last year are gone so I substituted some that are similar. You can use whatever ones you choose to make your point.

We're Back to School!!

I can't believe how quickly this summer flew by! As I've talked to the other teachers, they feel the same way but they did a lot of fun things...travel, camping, etc. I stayed home and played with family and did a lot of sewing. One thing I did NOT do was work on lesson plans; at least until the last week of summer. Consequently, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now. Oh well...I'll get over it or something. :)

Today we started putting the Interactive Notebooks together. I'm adding some things which I hope will be valuable and help them with the Common Core Standards. Part of the ELA Common Core states students should be able to read informational text and determine meaning. I want them to be able to figure out what the author wants us to know and how we can make meaning to our lives. It's got to have a personal connection! In addition to reading newspaper articles, documentarries, etc., I think you can get a lot of practice reading and interpreting motivational quotes. So, I will be adding those to their notebooks. I found a great website via Pinterest that has "Doodle Pages" of great quotes. I debated whether to use these or not because I was afraid many would be coloring when they should be working on other assignments. I decided to give it a try and see how it goes; worse case scenario, I'll give them the quotes and they'll have to write them down themselves. (I will be having them write what it means to them and how they can use it in their lives, too.)

The first one I printed out was from Dr. Seuss in his GREAT book, Oh the Places You'll Go. (I LOVE that book!!)

I told them I truly believe they have the power to determine the direction their lives will take them. If they choose to do well in school, they can do it! Of course it will take work and effort but THEY CAN DO IT!! A lot of them were really excited about being able to color; others think "coloring is dumb!" Oh well...can't please them all. ;)

 

We then added the "Who Are You??" page I used last year on page 9. We'll add more tomorrow.

 

(SIDE NOTE: As I explained last year, I went with The Middle School Mouth's suggestion of using the acetate covered college-ruled notebooks. I bought 40 extra notebooks during the sales and told students I'd have them today if they wanted to bring money to purchase them from me. Between students who were unprepared (they owe me the money for the notebooks), got the wrong size (wide-ruled instead of college...there is a difference in size of the notebook and all my handouts are geared for the larger size), or just wanted me to do the shopping instead of them ;), I went threw ALL of them by 5th period!!! I took the ones I traded (wide-ruled) and ran to WalMart on my prep and brought back 15 more. By the end of 7th period, I have 3 left!!!!!!! Just call me the "WalMart Extension!!")

Quotations, Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and MLA source formatting

UPDATE 5/13/2015: I APOLOGIZE TO ALL WHO HAVE REQUESTED COPIES OF THE DOCUMENTS FOR THIS POST. I HAVE NOW UPLOADED THE DOCUMENTS FOR YOU TO HAVE FOR YOUR OWN USE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THEM. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND PATIENCE!! :) 

THE DOCUMENTS ARE UPLOADED AT THE END OF THE POST.

It's my least favorite time of the curriculum...research. I personally don't mind doing research but trying to teach the process to students is so time-consuming and tedious. But, with the new Common Core focus on argumentative writing, we have got to focus on it more. Plus, it's a skill they will use in all the years of schooling that follow.

I'm all about making the Interactive Notebook pages creative which makes them more likely to be used. I also firmly believe that the more modalities you have students use when learning something, the more likely they are to remember it. So, I've pulled out the colored pencils and markers and encouraged them to have fun designing the pages.

NOTE: Our district has adopted MLA formatting as the standard for all classes. Everything I post on this subject will be in accordance with the latest MLA standards.

I started with a reminder of what is considered FICTION versus NON-FICTION:

I reviewed our school's plagiarism policy to remind them of the consequences here as well as explained the consequences if caught in college/university. I stress this over, and over, and OVER again throughout the year! (The most hateful part of my job involves cheating and/or plagiarism!!)

Then we created a page for using quotations in an essay:

The next day, we discussed paraphrasing: 

and summarizing:

I then showed them the Incredible Shrinking Notes concept of taking a piece of material, taking notes on it in the top box, deleting the lesser important items for the middle box, and then 2-3 MOST IMPORTANT statements in the smallest box. It helps give them a visual of how to pick out the most important information. I also stress using bulleted lists with sentence fragments when taking notes. This helps with making sure they aren't copying information word-for-word which leads to plagiarism.

Then we created a reference page for "MLA Format for Parentetical Documentation." This is hard for them to grasp so having a resource to refer back to always helps.

The following two pages are the basic types of sources they will be using as they research and how to create the Works Cited page. My own daughters, who are in college, still refer to this as a guide for Works Cited pages. I update it as MLA standards change. 

Then, we practiced as a group how to cite an article they had summarized the other day. I had them walk me through the citation but made corrections as needed. Next week, they will create a Works Cited page from a variety of sources I provide. It takes time but it really helps them get the hang of it.

NOTE: THE NOTES ON THE TOP OF EACH NOTEBOOK PAGE ARE ON PAGE 1 OF THE QUOTATIONS, PARAPHRASING, SUMMARIZING PAGE. YOU CAN EITHER PRINT THIS OFF FOR THEM TO GLUE IN TO THEIR INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS OR HAVE THEM WRITE IT. I PREFER TO HAVE THEM WRITE IT BECAUSE THEY'RE USING MORE MODALITIES SO IT GETS INTO THEIR BRAINS BETTER. (AT LEAST I HOPE IT DOES...)

QUOTATIONS, PARAPHRASING, SUMMARIZING

MLA FORMAT FOR PARENTHETICAL DOCUMENTATION

WORKS CITED FORMAT GUIDE