Heading FULL FORCE in implementing Interactive Notebooks in my classroom!

 I have changed schools and grade level this year. I am always amazed at the differences in school culture. I can't believe how each school focuses on different items.  Last year, I was teaching Algebra I in a block schedule. What an adjustment!

Two years ago, I had came from a school with tradition scheduling and had taught 7th and 8th grade math in a small school district in Missouri. I had just heard of the concept of interactive notebooks but hadn't been brave enough to even try it.

Last year, I paid for the Algebra I Employment Training Standards. This training is required for Tennessee  teachers with middle school endorsement to receive an employment exception letter for the Tennessee Department of Education. At that training, a presenter had conducted a section of the workshop on how to implement what she called Mathematician's Notebook.

I knew I had my chance to to try using INBs with my students during the spring semester. New semester. New students.  Here are some pictures of my students' interactive notebooks. I used the title page that I downloaded from Sarah Hagan's Blog called Math = Love.

                                         (I tried to create a check list for my students when they factored.)

It was a great start into the world of using interactive notebooks. I told my students to keep their notebooks and they would be able to use them in their upcoming Algebra II course. I would love to know how many of them actually kept them or plan on using them in Algebra II.

Now, I am teaching 7th-grade math. I did quick survey of my students to see if they had any experience in making or using interactive notebooks. Some of my students have made them in their 6th-grade science class. We shall see how this goes this year.

 I have trying to figure out how to quickly pass out materials in my classroom. I have seen posts on Pinterest where teachers used three drawer rolling carts. While these ideas are great, I felt that they would be too costly for my classroom. I have my students seated into seven groups.

I bought some trays from the Dollar Tree.  They only had four trays made in a similar fashion. I immediately bought them. I looked for something similar but was only able to find dishpans. So I settled for three dishpans. I didn't want to take a chance of not having my trays completed for my classes.  They don't exactly match but I can live with it. I bought school supply boxes. I made sure that each tray would have the same colors. The black box will holder crayons, markers, or color pencils. The small blue box will hold pairs of scissors.  I tried using Gorilla Glue to secure the supply boxes to the trays. I discovered that after it dried, the boxes became unattached if they were dropped on the floor.  I love Gorilla Glue but it was not suitable for my trays. Finally, I used Velcro to secure the supply boxes and glue bottle.

                                        (Dish Pan Tray. I had to turn the glue bottle for it to fit)

The trays are stackable. I am hoping that this will speed up the process of passing out supplies for working on our interactive notebooks.

 I found Duck Tape Fabric that can placed on the cover of a notebook. I have mine covered and ready to begin!