Math Notebooks REVISITED!!

My math notebooks have been THE most popular pins from my blog and the topic I get asked most about! The notebook packages I have in my store are my most popular items! That being said, I MUST revisit them!

Notebooking is something that I am very passionate about! I have loved being able to share them with you (and receiving such wonderful feedback from you about them). It is really encouraging to know you're doing something right!!! I am feverishly working on getting all of the contents of my notebooks available to you because you have been asking for them for months! I have no new pictures of the notebooks themselves to share, but I do have some additional resources available.


First up is this cute little pocket!!:

This pocket includes all of the tools you see (and yes, they all fit into the pocket!).

To view the Tool Pack click below:

I then took the components from the measurement section of my math notebooks (PLUS a few new things) and combined it with the tools pack to develop this package:

If you are doing math notebooks I think you will be REALLY pleased with this package!!!

To view the Notebook package click below:

First 3 to comment will receive a free copy of the Tools + Notebook Package!! Don't forget your email address!! :)

Math Notebook Setup Part 2

Welcome back! This is part 2 of my notebook set up series. Click here if you missed part 1!


4. Table of Contents

Directly after the personalized cover page comes the Table of Contents. As you can see in the picture, we record each entry with the date, title and page numbers. I decided to use subcategories in this year's notebook (picture #2). (You can see that is is much more specific than last year's (picture #1).) We will usually record the date and title before making a new entry; the page numbers are recorded after the pages are complete (so we are sure that it is accurate).

5. Vocabulary Section
The very last page of the notebook marks the beginning of the vocabulary section. We put all of our vocabulary cards back here.

We complete the cards together, with the students providing the information for each section. If you would like a copy of the Frayer model vocabulary card click here to download it from my store. There are several different versions out there--the version I have works well in my classroom. You may find that a different version is better for you. :)

6. Page numbers
We number each page, a few at a time. I like to have them number about 10-15 pages ahead of time. This keeps the kids on track and ensures me that they are on the right page when we are about to add a new entry.

7. Storage

Above is a picture of my almost-completed classroom (from back in August). Next to the table you will notice a plastic drawer set. This is where students keep all math journals and math class folders. Each class has its own drawer. These get VERY messy, VERY fast so it is important for me to stay on top of them! We clean them out frequently (some more than others!).



I have SO. much. fun. incorporating these journals into our classroom!! I hope you enjoyed these posts. :)

Math Notebook Setup Part 1

In addition to your sweet comments about my notebooks, I received several comments/emails inquiring about how to set them up. I would like to answer all of you now in this post! I do not have enough time to go through all of the setup process, so here is part 1. I should be able to finish part 2 tomorrow.

My students LOVE their math notebooks. They especially love making foldables or anything else on a colored piece of paper to put in them. I follow the same procedure each year to set them up:

1. Obtain notebooks
My students aren't always able to get necessary school supplies (for various reasons). That is why I clean out the composition books at Walmart each August! They always have them for 10 cents each right before school starts, so I buy ALL of what they have! I have stocked up on them over the past three years so I have quite the collection. I also stock up on the 10-cent spirals. I really have no preference as to which I want my kids to use--I just think it is important for them to have a personalized notebook so I accept whatever (new) notebook they bring in. Some have those ginormous three or five-subject notebooks, some have the basic composition book or spiral, some have Bieber, Phineas and Ferb, or Transformers on the cover, and some just have a basic notebook. As far as using one type over the other because of pages falling out--that has not been something that I have had to deal with. I know a lot of other teachers I have talked to about notebooks won't allow composition books because of that. Whatev, I'm not that picky (in that aspect).

2. Guidelines
At the beginning of the year we talk about how we are all mathematicians and even have a little minilesson over it. The point of the lesson is that mathematicians are always learning, observing and discovering, all of which can be recorded. We go over the guideline page (available below) together and then the kids sign the bottom. This page is glued on the inside cover so I can refer to it in case any problems should arise (like a student not taking care of his notebook--we can go back and look at the guidelines he signed). I think I got the original page from a workshop; I modified the font and a few words to make it fit my classroom.

3. Personalize notebooks
The very first page in the notebook is for students to personalize. This is a page that they decorate to represent themselves so I allow them to decorate it as much (within reason) or as little as they want. (I don't have any picture examples to share now but I'll get some tomorrow!) For this year's deco party, I brought in a bunch of scrapbook paper with a nice variety of patterns and colors. I had aspirations of bringing in my Cricut so they could cut out the letters in their name but I decided not to at the last minute--it would have taken too much time and I didn't have anymore to spare. They were given two class periods to decorate--we went ahead and did the front and back of the page so it was nice and sturdy. They really enjoyed this part and I love how they came out!

That's it for today--stay tuned for part 2! :)

MORE Math Notebooking!

This year's math notebook is even more awesome than last year's! I am MUCH more proud of this one! :) My kids are so excited each time we make something to put in it and are even more excited that they get to take it to 5th grade with them next year! I have some of the pages available--look for the links! Hope you enjoy!!!

 

Expanded form cards

Trailing Zero journal page

Introduction to fractions journal pages

I choose not to use our math textbook--in fact, the fourth graders I had three years ago are the only ones that have even seen the book!! For my kids, the notebook IS their textbook, so I make sure that I always carefully plan out each page and activity. I want it to be GOOD if it is to be used as a reference tool.

I appreciate all of your feedback that you have given in regard to my notebooks! :D

Math/Science Notebooking Part 4

Part 4 of this series is dedicated to assessing notebooks/journals. I give a notebook grade at least once every 6 weeks. I feel that it is important to not only ensure that students are following directions and organizing their journals in the same way the teacher is, but also to certify that the information in the notebook is accurate (for future reference). This task could become rather cumbersome with my 50-60 students. To make the notebooks easier to assess, motivate my students a little more, and avoid being subjective in grading, I developed a rubric. (I haven't formally used a notebook rubric one in the past so I am excited to get to use one this year!) Feel free to download your free copy of each rubric by clicking on the picture:

Math/Science Notebooking Part 4 UPDATE

Part 4 is coming real soon. I will have a decimal notebook package available at that time. You can expect a post sometime before Wednesday! Thanks for your interest!!!!


UPDATE: So it's Thursday and I do not have a post ready yet. It's been a hectic and crazy week so hopefully by the weekend :D

Math/Science Notebooking: Part 3

Part 3 of this series is about interactive activities. I always try to add activities to my math journals that students can interact with, such as trading cards, flash cards, or a simple game. I've shown these pictures before, but here are some examples:

There are some fraction/decimal flash cards in the model card pocket. The cards have a picture of tenths or hundredths and the number for it in fraction and decimal form (written by the student).

Though I glued mine down, these trading cards can easily be placed into a pocket for practice later.

A few months ago, a friend and I created expanded form cards as part of a place value unit we were working on. I used them this past week in my classroom and my students loved them, to say the least! They were so totally fascinated when they realized that the cards stacked. They are pictured below. You can pick up your copy from my Teacher's Notebook store!!

And, as always, the first 3 people to comment will receive a free copy of these cards. :D

Notebook resources now available!

I have finally started to upload all of the pages I have created! You can find them in my Teacher's Notebook store! My place value pages are now available.

The first 3 people to comment will receive a FREE copy of this package! Remember to leave your email address :D

Math/Science Notebooking: Part 2

In case you haven't noticed, I went ahead and added science to the Notebooking series. (I also use notebooks for science so I thought I would give tips for those too.)

When introducing and setting up the notebooks, I always go over and have students sign a list of guidelines.  (You can check it out below, two for science and one for math.) The students then glue them to the inside cover of the notebook.

I hope you find these useful!

Math Journal Guidelines

Safety Sense Contract

Science Journal Guidelines

Math/Science Notebooking: Part 1

Due to the number of responses I received on my math notebook post I have decided to start a mathand science notebooking series. (By the way, I was NOT prepared to receive such an amazing response to my journal example, but very excited that so many of you are interested in them!!) So, without further ado, here is part 1:


When creating math and science notebooks with your students there are 5 things (among many) I think are necessary to consider from the get-go:

At my school 4th grade is departmentalized so I keep a notebook for each of my math classes (so I have a total of three). I fill in my notebook at the same time as my students, modeling how I want students to fill it in. It is also useful in case students are absent, though I normally have another student fill in an absent student's notebook. Just in case I forget...

Color--why not??! You want the students to take ownership of their notebooks so let them personalize it by using color! (And, yes, they have the potential to go a little crazy get carried away with color.) If you are able to, print charts, graphic organizers, notes pages, etc. on color. Color is a powerful stimulus for the brain!!!! It helps them learn!!

This WILL help. Students WILL appreciate it, YOU will appreciate it. The table of contents in my notebooks include the date, entry title and page number. Each actual entry is dated, the title is written at the top and the page number written at the bottom.

Foldables and minibooks are a super way to reinforce concepts. My students' faces always light up when they see that they get to make some sort of foldable or minibook. I try to be creative and use different kinds each time. Dinah Zike has a few excellent books on foldables.

It's great to have students take notes in your journal, but to step it even more and increase interest/learning, add interactive activities. It can even be as simple as a concentration game in a pocket. My students (in the past) enjoy taking the activities home and using them with parents or siblings.

I hope you enjoyed this post!! Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow, the Student Contract! (freebie included!) :D