Tips for using interactive notebooks?

[katfco]

I tried using interactive notebooks last year, but I found management was a pain. The assembly seemed to waste a lot of time. How do you manage it in class? Do you cut out everything ahead of time? 

[nellgirl]

No advice as this is what happened to me, too. They took foreeeeeveeeeerrrrrr, and I couldn't justify the class time that went into them.
I do think that they're really cool, though, so I'm following for tips!

[justkeepswimming]

It blows my mind how long it takes my kids (fifth grade!) to cut and glue. I have found a few strategies that help a little, but it is still time consuming. I try to format things so I can pre-cut them using the big paper cutter. Sometimes that means just putting a box around something with an irregular shape.
I also tap into their competitive side. "Can the boys finish before the girls? Can the left side of the room finish before the right?" Or put a song on and see if they can "beat the song". I'm also not above bribery "we have 15 minutes to complete our notebooking today, if everyone finishes early you can use the rest of the time for free chat". The only thing to remember with any of those is to make sure the kids know how you want it done, and that it only counts if done correctly.

[irishbride2]

I set timers or have them do the grunt work as the warm up,

I also have them do assembly lines at their tables (one person cuts, one glues, etc) I teach 8th though so they are a bit quicker.

We are also one to one iPad so if something is complex, I make a quick video and post it so they can watch it if hey get stuck. This cuts down on me having to help 10 kids individually .

[sugarbear]

I LOVE them for my 7th and 8th grade Humanities classes.

I do try to avoid a ton of foldables. Often My inserts are simple one-page, or half-page organizers to complete.

I also highly recommend Elmer's Glue Pens, which are far superior to glue sticks and easier to use / share than a bottle of glue.

[ryndi]

I am not real particular on cutting exact shape of the pictures. In my math notebooks, if it is just cutting out cookies (or whatever) for counting purposes, I have them draw them instead. I have comprehension journals that they have to put the pictures in the correct order to match the story. They are shaped like puzzle pieces, I taught them to just cut straight across. I also model the quickest way to cut with the fewest amount of scraps, but that's because I have issues! (1st grade).

[sarahswim]

I have an aide who cuts everything out ahead of time for us. That helps tremendously. If that's not an option, parent volunteers or even kids who have extra time to help you (maybe during indoor recess or down time when they are asking to help you? I always have girls who want to help with stuff).
In class, it took me a while to realize that I can be talking about the topic while they're coloring/gluing. Also, you know you always have certain kids who are ahead of the game, so use them to help slower kids catch up.
The notebooks I use are from Lovin Lit on TPT-I can't recommend her enough. She has videos, tips, hints, and how-tos on her blog. I love using NBs and think they are so helpful for my classes.

[katfco]

Thanks for the tips! So, given that others find them taking a lot of time, are they worth it?

[jentervention]

I underestimated how much time of would take my 5th Graders to cut and glue. My middle school kids got it done faster. Trying to help it along this year by making my foldables with some info already filled in and "cut dotted lines, fold solid lines" consistent instructions. I'll probably buy some pre-made editable templates I've been looking at on TPT instead of making them from scratch.

ETA (not my product): www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Flippable-Template-Pack-for-Personal-Use-PDF-and-Editable-368489#

[sugarbear]

Jul 11, 2017 15:45:30 GMT -5 katfco said:

Thanks for the tips! So, given that others find them taking a lot of time, are they worth it?

I think they are totally worth it. Using INBs and Google Classroom, I literally never have a sheet of paper coming across my desk. Major written assessments are turned in via Classroom (including essay and short answer tests, which I often do via Google Forms).

Everything else gets glued or stapled into the INB, which I check once a week.

[The Foozzler]

I put a timer up on the SmartBoard. Third graders take FOREVER to cut and glue. If you finish early, you help your group mates. They are not done until their whole group is done.

[Jalapeñomel]

Dinah Zike (the queen of foldables)has some really good resources for how to make foldables (and therefore IN) efficient in the classroom: www.dinah.com/

[jg183]

we use a lot of processing strategies that don't include extra foldables. they can draw them into their INB but it still takes awhile.

[tiptoetulips]

I scale everything down to 82% and cut the 2 sides or I put 2 copies on one page and cut down the middle. They don't cut anything down to size.