SOCIAL STUDIES INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS | 7 WAYS TO STEP AWAY FROM THE LECTURE PODIUM & REVITALIZE YOUR SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOM

Before we continue with why social studies interactive notebooks are a must-have classroom strategy, I wanted to remind you that I have written other blog posts in this series called “7 Ways to Step Away From the Lecture Podium & Revitalize Your Social Studies Classroom.” If you are serious about expanding your teaching toolbox, you can read about implementing stations, simulations, escape rooms, and political cartoons in your classroom. There *might* be freebies in each of those posts, too, to help you get started 😉

So this is #5 in the series of 7, and social studies interactive notebooks might be one of my favorites because students are creating their own mini-textbook version of the content they are learning. Let’s jump right in!

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WHAT ARE Social Studies INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS?

Social studies interactive notebooks (INB) are a tool that students create, and it becomes a portfolio of their learning and a self-made textbook they can refer to for the entire year. One of the best things about INBs is that there is no one way to create them! Students can use 3-ring binders, spiral notebooks, composition notebooks (these have my vote because the pages are more securely bound and don’t rip out very easily…however they also tend to be smaller so anytime I printed out a whole page for students to glue, I had to make sure I decreased the size a bit…otherwise the edges will hang out. Students can always fold the pages to make them fit, but then the notebook can get really, really fat!), or students can create a digital INB. 

I personally believe if students create digital social studies interactive notebooks, they should also have a hard copy of the info, too. Students won’t always have access to their digital social studies interactive notebooks (unless your school is 1-to-1 with students being assigned a device they carry with them at school and can take home). I am a huge supporter of hard copy INBs, though, because if students are actively cutting, gluing, and writing, they are going to retain the information better and process it easier versus if they just drag-and-drop or type. However, because I know there are some teachers who only use digital social studies interactive notebooks, I do agree that a digital INB is better than no INB at all! Sometimes supplies can be an issue. If students don’t have notebooks, it can get very expensive for a teacher to supply a class (or 4-5 classes) with notebooks, scissors, and glue. Digital versions are free (meaning students don’t have to buy any supplies), and you don’t have to worry about slow cutters, gluers, or writers. 

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WHY USE Social Studies INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS?

• Increased engagement- I did not always use social studies interactive notebooks, and honestly, I don’t know how I (and my students) survived! INBs are a fabulous tool that helps students engage with and create connections with the content. One reason INBs help students learn the content better is because they are having to interact with the material in order to create this learning tool. They have to be active learners, and we know active learners comprehend content more so than passive learners.
• Flexibility- As I mentioned before, there is great flexibility in how they are created. You can design INBs based on your teaching style and your students’ needs.
• Deeper understanding- I saw a huge difference in my students’ understanding of the content when I started using INBS. And, before you say it (because I know you are thinking it), I know each year students can’t be compared to the previous year…which is why I say I KNOW INBs help students learn the content better because I began using them mid-year….and I saw a HUGE increase in understanding AFTER implementation in the SAME students. And my students even commented about how it was easier for them to study and learn after they began making their INBs. 
• Multiple intelligences- Students also have to use different intelligences when creating INBs. They are not simply listening and writing notes. They are constructing the information in a way that is meaningful for them (kind of like one-pagers, which will be another blog post soon!). Some students need to illustrate information to learn it. Some students need to manipulate the information (how do students manipulate words? They can be given boxes with the information they have to glue in order, etc.) With INBs, the possibilities are endless.
• Student choice- Depending on your comfort level with INBs, students can have a variety of choices when it comes to creating them. When students are able to choose their learning process and tools, they become self-motivated….and self-motivation leads to the next reason INBs should be used in the classroom…
• Fewer discipline issues- When students are self-motivated, we don’t have to monitor their behavior. We don’t have to redirect their attention. We don’t have to ensure they are on task and doing what they should be doing. They are invested and interested. This leads to fewer discipline issues that you have to handle. Who doesn’t want that?!

• Offers differentiation- When I use INBs, I had multiple options for students, depending on their abilities. Some students were expected to handwrite the information. Some students were given cut-and-paste boxes to glue. Other students could not cut and glue quickly, so they received a different format I call “Easy Notes”….absent students? Having an already completed page you can pass out makes it easy for them not to fall behind (I call these “Absent Notes” that I include in my INB packs along with “Easy Notes”).
• Learning organizational skills- Students do not just have to figure out how to organize the entire notebook, but also how to organize the information on the page, which leads to deeper understanding.
• Portfolio of learning- Students have a record (or portfolio) of what they have learned. This is super important if students don’t have a textbook (or a decent textbook). 
• Study tool- My students used their INBs to study for quizzes and tests because they knew important information went in the INB, and the quizzes and tests have that important information on them. 
• Communication tool- INBs make it super easy to communicate with students what they are still struggling to learn, and INBs can serve as data collection for students who may need additional services. You can also share with parents what their child is learning in class without having to do any extra prep work on your part! When used as a parent communication tool, INBs can also help parents better understand what their child might be struggling with, as well as provide parents an opportunity to help their child study (I know I have tried to help my own children study, but I had NO idea what exactly they needed to study). 
• Easy yet effective- You don’t need an elaborate plan for INBs. Depending on your teaching style and students, you may not even need to make copies. If you choose the digital route, all you have to do is assign it to your students!

In short, you really can’t go wrong with using INBs in your class!

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HOW DO I IMPLEMENT Social studies INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS?

• First, you need to decide what type of INB your students will create because this will determine the materials they need. I always had my students create a hard copy- meaning they used an actual notebook. Up top, I explained why composition notebooks are my top choice.
  1. Hard copy- Students will need: a spiral notebook/composition notebook/3-ring binder with paper, glue, scissors, colored pencils/crayons/markers, pencils, highlighters, and pens. Pretty basic supplies! If your students are creating a digital INB, they just need a device.
  2. Table of contents- This might be the most underrated part of the notebook! A table of contents is a MUST because students need to be able to flip quickly to the information they need to review. Students make the table of contents as they create the notebook. This is the first thing students write in their notebooks: a blank table of contents
• Then you need to make sure your prep work is done. You need to look at your students’ abilities and needs. When I taught advanced, most of the time I had them fold paper to make the foldables for their INB, so I did not need to make any copies. However, sometimes I did give them a copy of the foldable template because I had images on them. You may need (or want) to give your students the foldable template. 
• How will students create the INBs?
  1. Guided notes- When my students first begin creating their INBs, we used INBs as a guided notes tool while we went over PowerPoints. I gave them the foldable template, they cut out and glued it in, and then we began. As I went over the PowerPoint with the students, I guided them on what information they needed to record. Students then either wrote or cut-and-pasted the information. Introducing students to INBs as guided notes first helps them understand the purpose of INBs and how to create them.
  2. Independent notes- Once students learned how to create the INBs and their purpose, they would go through PowerPoints on their own or with a partner. They knew exactly the key information they needed because it was on the foldable template. Sometimes I would give students a reading passage or online resource to use to fill out their INBs. Again, you can give students a template with the key topics noted, or have students create their own INB for the key topics that you list on the board. I always showed my students examples when they began creating their INBs independently so they would have an idea of what it could look like. It’s important to model as you guide them to independence. I also had a few students share their INBs with the class each time so they could get ideas from one another for future INBs. 
  3. Comprehensive review- I also had my students summarize parts of the unit as new pages of their INBs. We know that summarization is a powerful instructional strategy, so having students periodically go back through earlier content to summarize helps them keep the material fresh. 
• Monitor students- Regardless of how students were creating their INBs, I would always walk around the room to monitor their progress. If I was presenting a PowerPoint, I would always give a few minutes after each slide that had info students needed to record which allowed me to circulate the room. This enabled me to help those who might need it, as well as check for understanding quickly. 

• What about absent students? One of the options I include in my INB packs is what I call “Absent Notes”. These are already completed INB pages that I can easily give to any absent student. You may say, “Hey! Wait a minute! You said students need to CREATE their INBs to have a deeper understanding!” Yes, yes I did. However, giving students a page here and there won’t diminish the value of the INB. And it really depends on the student. I had students who did not want the page when they were absent. They did their own page at home for make-up work. Or if they finished an assignment in class early, they used that time to catch up in their INB. I just made sure I had an option for students who were absent because if a student misses several days, it can be very overwhelming for them to get caught up.
• What about students who don’t finish? Make sure you are realistic in your time expectations. Creating INBs will take longer than just writing down notes. Students have to have time to think about the information and how to best organize it. Also, a lot of your students will want to include illustrations, even if it’s just a line drawn one that isn’t colored. For students who don’t finish in class, you can have them finish at home (I have found students are more willing to finish INBs at home because it allows them to be creative more so than worksheets) or have them complete it if they finish another activity early.
• Differentiation options- I had multiple options for my students, depending on their ability and level and the circumstances (I include all these options in my INB packs)
  1. Traditional- students either create their own foldable or cut out a template to glue; then they write the information down
  2. Matching- students either create their own foldable or cut out a template to glue; then they cut out, match, and glue the information (perfect for students who might need extra support with the content)
  3. Easy Notes- students are given a blank graphic organizer, and they write the information (perfect for when you don’t want cutting & gluing)
  4. Absent Notes- students are given the already completed graphic organizer page (perfect for absent students)
  5. Google Slides- students can type the information on the blank graphic organizer (perfect for paperless classrooms)
  6. Google Slides Drag-and-Drop: students can drag-and-drop text boxes into the blank graphic organizer (perfect for paperless classrooms & a quick activity)
• Early finisher assignment- If my students ever finished an assignment with time left in class, I always had them take out their INBs to review. Some of my students would use this time to add illustrations to their INBs. Either way, INBs give students something to do when they are “finished”.
• Notebook checks- Some teachers like to do periodic notebook checks to ensure their students are keeping up. I found that by monitoring students every day they are creating them, I did not need to collect their INBs to go through them. It was easy to walk around and choose 5 students to do a more thorough checking of the INB. This is how I did my notebook checks. By the end of the week, I had usually checked at least 20 notebooks, and it didn’t take up much of my time (and we know how important time is these days!) 
• Think ahead- If a student is really talented at creating INBs, take photos to show other classes or even for classes the following year and beyond. I also made my own INB so that students had a concrete example I could show them. I made it the day before students would create a page. This is a little bit of work the first year, but you can keep it for YEARS. I only had to add to it here and there after that first year. And students loved being able to see what they would be creating that year. 

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TO GRADE OR NOT TO GRADE?

It is up to you if you want to grade INBs. If you choose to grade their INBs, you can use a rubric. I did not grade INBs. I viewed INBs as part of the ungraded work students complete during my class. We don’t grade everything our students do, and I chose not to grade INBs. I felt like it would be very time-consuming to use a rubric. If you feel like you MUST grade it, though, for students to put forth the effort, I would suggest once a week or every two weeks randomly choose a specific page to grade. Grading one page every 1-2 weeks is more manageable than grading every single page.

Some teachers stamp pages as students work. A stamped page means it’s been “graded”, so it’s easy for a teacher to see which pages have not been checked yet.

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READY TO GIVE Social Studies INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS A TRY?

If you are new to INBs, or you just want fresh ideas, I put together a FREE sampler of 7 INB activities for a variety of US history topics. You can click {HERE} to download this sampler pack for FREE! I didn’t know which topic you would need right now, so I just pulled from a variety in hopes there would be at least one you can use right away! Try it out, and see how your students like it. 

I have several INB packs for US history in my shop. You can click {HERE} to see all of them! Each pack includes multiple activities, and each activity is available in 6 formats, so I know you will find the perfect fit for your students!

I would love to hear about your experience using INBs in your classroom in the comment section below!