Science Notebooks (A Non-Newtonian Fluid Approach) Sue Campbell Livingston Middle School

Why Use Notebooks An organized way to have students write and interact with content To teach students how to become active learners and give them a tool A portfolio To see what students are really thinking and learning about the content An assessment tool Communicate with parents

Oobleck and the Science Notebook Is it a solid or a liquid? Have sufficient structure so it holds its shape Have sufficient flexibility to change as needed

Notebook Essentials Title page Table of Contents Index – for vocabulary and concepts Pages are numbered

Decisions How do you expect the students to take notes (Cornell?) Left/Right format? Colors of Ink, Pencil or Pen? What will you do if they forget their notebook?

UNPREPARED FOR CLASS REPORT FORM Name: ________________________________ Period: _____ Date: ____________ What materials did you fail to bring to class? Where are the materials? What is your plan to make sure you are prepared in the future?

Table of Contents A daily entry? Entry by topic?

Index The notebook should be a tool An index helps them find information quickly Index can include vocabulary and major concepts

7 Research-based Components Question, Problem, Purpose Prediction Developing a Plan Observations, Data, Charts, Graphs, Drawings and Illustrations Claims and Evidence Drawing Conclusions Reflection – Next Steps and New Questions

Power of Review Within 20 minutes you begin to forget the material At the end of 9 hours – 60% of the material is lost 10 minutes of review between day 1 and day 2 rate of remembering stays high 5 minutes of day minutes on Day 30

Review and Reflective writing Begin your class with five minutes of review and reflection Cornell notes – highlight important ideas and create questions Reflective writing (not retelling) Good prompts are essential

Assessment Create a rubric Assess frequently at the beginning of the year – even if it is an informal assessment Conference with students about their notebooks if possible Have additional assessments for struggling students