Interactive Literacy Notebook

What is an Interactive Literacy Notebook? It is a one stop location for all of your classwork! This will include class notes, assignments, study guides, vocabulary, reflective responses, graphic organizers, foldables, and other subject specific material.

Why are they such a neat idea? When students learn, they utilize both the right and left brain hemispheres to sort, categorize, and be creative with the knowledge gained. I learned about the notebooks in a course I took this summer and we (grown-ups) actually enjoyed using them to keep up with our materials! I have wanted to utilize something like this for a long time… but it takes a lot of work to organize. I know I’m ready to take on this goal, but I will need your help! I will need your creativity, ideas, and motivation to keep this going.

How is the notebook organized? Left brained learning (orderly and systematic note- taking) will be done on RIGHT side pages. Right brained learning (creative expressions of understanding; processing) will be done on LEFT side pages.

How is the notebook organized? Engaging the whole brain in this manner has been proven to increase learning tremendously by creating neural networks.

Notebook Advantages Organized, systematic, personal, intentional – the notebook enables the student to refer to information quickly and apply it more effectively. Provides structure while giving the freedom for creativity. Students become ACTIVE and INDEPENDENT thinkers!

ILN Guidelines It is imperative that students have their notebooks in class EVERY day! Notebooks will be assessed randomly… BE READY! (make sure I take them up every now and then… this is new for me too!) We will strive to use the notebooks regularly in class.

Expectations Your handwriting MUST be NEAT & LEGIBLE Do not doodle, scribble, or use your notebook in another class! We will need every page we can get out of this notebook… You might even need another one in January! All writing is practice! Please follow the standard conventions of English. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation matter! Do not tear pages out of the notebook (except today since I am lame and didn’t get this started the way I wanted to in August!)

ILN Setup Students will be guided through the setup today in class ALL notebooks will follow the SAME left/right configuration along with a Table of Contents. Because this is new, I will be completing a sample teacher version that will be kept in the classroom. I want to make sure what I am asking you to do is not completely crazy. Please use this as a guide if you are absent or fall behind for any reason. Please follow my instructions and use the handouts I have made for you in class today.