Interactive Notebooks (Pt. 3) - Staying Organized

Example of tabs used in a notebook

Let's talk about how to stay organized when using interactive notebooks! The notebook should be a resource that is constantly being referred to, organization is key to making this usable!

Option 1 - Table of Contents -

I did this one year and will never do it again. This has everything to do with my personality and teaching style. I know so many teachers that have had success with this strategy, it may work great for you!

Page 0 would be great for this, it would essentially just be a 2 column chart that has the page number and then the title or topic so students can find it.

Here is an example from smithcurriculumconsulting.com

I could never remember to update this with the students! It seems so simple and easy. I just didn't have the systems in place to support it, so I ditched it for other options.

Option 2 - DIY Tabs!

I absolutely loved this for my INBs. It made the notebooks so user friendly and easy to navigate. I will acknowledge it does take some extra print and time in class, but the feedback I got from students was overwhelmingly positive.

These tabs are available as a fully editable document in google slides on my teacherspayteachers store.

They stick out just enough for students to find them but not enough that they get caught on things. In a perfect world, they would also start by gluing the first chapter on the very top of the page and then the next chapter would be a little lower, allowing for them to be fanned out. Idk, I'm just happy if they just get them in!

Each chapter gets a different color to make it super easy to find what they need.

Logistics - Students fold them on the dotted line and then glue them over a page, you would tell them the specific pages (good thing you numbered them in Pt.1!). This can be kind of confusing at first. Model, model, model! I have a video on my instagram.

For example, "The tab for this unit will go over page 12 and 13. You need to fold it along the dotted line and do a practice placement before gluing. If it's upside down, something isn't right! Here is my example...."

What is on each tab?

This is what worked for me, it took a few years to refine and again this is for a Spanish class.

• Which set of notes will go in each chapter. This is like a mini table of contents.

  • Ex - in our first chapter we go over body parts, numbers, school supplies, etc. so each of those will get a spot on the tab and a square for them to fill in what page number they fall on.

• The Essential Question(s) - EQs

  • We put an essential question at the top of each set of our notes, so these are on the tab for students to review at the end. If they can answer the EQ in their own words, they have mastered the content!

  • I will also use these tabs for review before a quiz. For example, we might do partner review and i'll have them ask/answer the essential question.

• Practice Quiz Questions

  • On the back side of the tab I put practice quiz questions, these are different from the EQs because they are much more specific. For Spanish it could be, how do you say ____? or what does ___ mean?

  • I could use this for a quick review with partners or they have space on that page to the right to write out their answers. (quick easy lesson or sub lesson at the end of the unit!)

  • I would have the answers at my desk for them to check their work.

More Ideas for your tabs---

Any Content - Unit outline with dates, unit partners (I can imagine changing the acronym each unit and having them find new partners), standards, rubrics, a QR code for practice games at home.

ELA - Editing checklist, grading rubrics, key vocabulary they have to fill in, partner revision, quickwrite prompts.

Math - Key vocabulary, equations or formulas for the unit, practice questions, extension questions for the unit.

What else could we put on these tabs? The options are endless!

Coming soon.. taking focused notes, how to interact with our notes to show mastery, and how to grade notebooks!