Interactive Science Notebooks: Putting the Next Generation Practices into Action Kellie Marcarelli

“Although the primary role of a science notebook is to be part of the student’s learning process, it can provide important feedback to a teacher who looks at it. It can be an indicator of whether the student has in fact learned the major concepts of a unit, as well as the art of good inquiry and thoughtful interpretation of results.” J. Pine, 1996

What is an interactive notebook? Interactive notebooks are used as a tool to strengthen student learning of curriculum through increased student participation Input- facilitated learning (mostly used for work done in class.) Output- metacognition - Student thinking

Rationale Based on research of How People Learn (National Research Council) Increases achievement in students (Classroom Instruction That Works ~ Marzano and Pickering) Students benefit from them! Teachers benefit from them! Supports NGSS and CCSS

How People Learn National Research Council Key Implications For Teaching: Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting understandings that their students bring with them. (Prior Knowledge) Teachers must teach subject matter in depth, with a focus on assessing student understanding rather than surface knowledge. (Conceptual Understanding) The teaching of metacognitive skills should be integrated into the curriculum.

Increases Achievement Classroom Instruction That Works- Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001) Instructional Strategies that affect Student Achievement Category % Achievement Gain Identifying similarities and differences Summarizing and note taking Reinforcing effort and providing recognition Homework and practice Nonlinguistic representations Cooperative learning Setting objectives and providing feedback Generating and testing hypotheses Questions, cues, and advance organizers 45 34 29 28 27 23 22

Student Benefits Student buy-in and know where they are going Ownership and pride Flexibility for different learning styles Encourages self-reflection- students track their own thinking Deepens meaning- allows students to articulate their thinking and understanding Students use evidence collected to draw conclusions and make-meaning of science concepts Increases student organization

Teacher Benefits Formative assessment tool- informs instruction Enables the teacher to monitor the progress of each student and provide meaningful feedback to the student Communication tool for parents Provides opportunity to reinforce writing and science process skills

Supports NGSS Practices 1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering) 2. Developing and using models 3. Planning and carrying out investigations 4. Analyzing and interpreting data 5. Using mathematics and computational thinking 6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering) 7. Engaging in argument from evidence 8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information  

Supports Common Core Listening and speaking- Students should be hearing and using both content vocabulary and academic language. Reading- Students should read nonfiction text including text including trade journals. Writing- Students should be using science journals or notebooks (this can be done digitally) to record their observations, data, and thinking. Mathematics- Students should be applying mathematics and computational thinking during science investigations.

Organization Number all pages Table of contents Input and output Rubric Setting up the “Aha Connections” Clear expectations

Assessing Student Learning Providing feedback- Corrective in nature Timely Specific to a criterion (skill or knowledge) Can be effectively done by the students themselves Stamping for accountability Accountability for ongoing explorations Peer checks Providing students with criteria Parent evaluation or review

Helpful Hints Keep a skeleton sample. Provide immediate feedback early on by checking notebooks during the first few days of class. Graded work can be added to the notebook after it is returned, just label the space. Give an occasional open notebook quiz to inspire great notebooks. Celebrate excellent student work.

Extending Student Learning through the “Aha connections” Trigger Identify a “Problem” Gather evidence from many sources that addresses the problem Make Connections Use the evidence to develop an “Aha Thesis” (answer the problem)

Self-Reflection Assignment Creates a clear outline for the students to follow. Gives the students a chance to reflect on the work that was done and to see the whole picture. Promotes writing and higher-level thinking. Allows the teacher to see inside the student, what they are proud of and what they want to improve on. Provides opportunity for self-correction.

Homework Can be reflective on that day’s in-class assignment. Research from books or Internet as an extension. Extensions/ applications of the lab. Graphing results/ interpreting and summarizing data

Facilitated Learning Mini-Lessons Prior knowledge Key terms Procedures Observations Data collection Class consensus ideas

Metacognition Summary / conclusions Making meaning of data Student questions / wonderings Application to the real world Brainstorming Making Connections

Using Science Notebooks = Questions? Using Science Notebooks = Literacy + Learning