Interactive math notebooks are an amazing way to anchor your students’ learning. In my classroom, our interactive notebooks become a personalized student textbook. The day before our mid winter break, I snapped a few pictures of my favorite interactive notebook pages from our math notebooks.
I wanted to share these pages with you as a diverse look at all the different items that can go in an interactive notebook. One of the most important things I have learned over the past few years doing interactive notebooks is there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Individual classes (and even students) have different needs and may need more, less, or just different components in their notebooks. Let’s take a look at a few of those different components now.
1. Interactive Word Problems
I love using our interactive notebooks for word problems! Word problems should and are a daily part of my instruction, so of course they need to be represented in our notebooks. These particular interactive word problems are printed two to a page. The students solve the problem on the notebook space and write their solution on the lines. These word problems become an anchor for my students’ learning. They refer to them often when they are solving similar word problems.
Want to read more about how I use this? Click here to read a detailed post and grab a freebie! Want to go ahead and purchase some? Click to check these out in my store: 4th grade version and 5th grade version.
2. Foldables
My students love foldables! We use these for computation and for word problems in addition to the interactive word problems posted above. Below are pictures from my Interactive Student Notebook for 5th Grade. These word problems focus on multiplying fractions by fractions.
3. Practice Pages
Good, old-fashioned practice pages and worksheets work perfectly in interactive notebooks as well. I zoom them down (80% works perfectly with composition notebooks) and they work perfectly in our notebooks. Something about cutting and gluing a worksheet into a notebook makes it a tad more fun. 😉 The particular page shown below is from my Multiplying and Dividing Fractions Unit. The students can now refer back to this page as we continue our unit on multiplying fraction using models.
4. Notes/Tips/Reminders Posters
Specific posters that contain notes, tips, and reminders are another go-to for our interactive math notebooks. Sometimes I give my students a completed poster to glue into their notebook. Other times I give them a partially completed poster and we fill in the rest together.
Having these in my students’ notebooks is a great way to support my struggling students. My students refer to the notes and tips as they are completing independent work and math centers. You can read more about how I support my students in math centers by clicking here. This is an example from my Subtracting Mixed Numbers with Regrouping Unit.
And here is another example from my Modeling Multiplying and Dividing Fractions Resource.
Now for the freebie! As mentioned above, sometimes I like to type up quick tips posters to help the students work more efficiently. Here is an example of a poster that I made and the students completed and glued in their notebooks. This one goes over the three ways that I teach my students to make denominators the same.
Do you use interactive notebooks in your classroom? What are your go-to activities or printables to include in your interactive math notebooks?
Hey there!
I came across your website today and am in love with it! I have a quick question about interactive notebooks. What do you find is the most efficient way to have students cut and glue/tape/staple the papers into their notebooks? How do you set them up to do it correctly the first time?
I have not used this often, and want to change that for this upcoming year. I can foresee students struggling with it even if it is modeled and practiced with them.
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you,
Dhara
I am so sorry that I am just now seeing your comment, Dhara. I definitely model for my students how to cut, glue, and cleanup quickly. I set expectations for them that “cutting and gluing time” are absolutely no talking. This keeps them working and concentrating and not wasting time.
We use glue for our interactive notebooks (usually liquid glue because it sticks better). We write on the foldable or paper before we glue it down. I teach my students how to use small dots in the corner and one in the middle, as well.
I hope this helps!
Hey! I love reading your site. Do you have the things you put in your math interactive notebooks for sale anywhere? I am really interested in getting one started with my kids. I just don’t know exactly what to put in them. What grade do you teach? I teach 4th. Thanks! Amy LeCroy
I, too, enjoy reading your posts. I found you when looking for ideas on Math Centers. As such, I’m curious how you include interactive notebooking with your guided math centers. I look forward to your response! And, thank you for sharing all your wonderful ideas!!!