Interactive Notebooks

Hands-on, engaging, fun and jam-packed with content!

These interactive notebooks include all the information needed to begin teaching these concepts. This is not just a product full of templates and organizers that require hours of research and prep time – I’ve included all of that information for you!

Each lesson includes:

  1. A colored photo of the finished product for a reference.
  2. Step by step lesson plan with written & visual assembly instructions.
  3. Teacher notes – content, definitions, examples – for what students should write on the template.
  4. Student templates – including blank templates in PowerPoint that you can adapt as needed.
  5. Common Core & TEKS alignment charts. Each lesson is aligned with the appropriate standard for grades 4-8 and/or 5-9.

    *Some lessons include technology resources such as links to video clips, songs, or other outside materials that are
    meant to enhance the lesson. Alternate backup links are provided when possible.*

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I’m often asked about various aspects of interactive notebooks, as well as how I use them. I’ve put all of the most frequently asked questions here in one place to make it easier for you to find the answers you need.

Table of Contents

SUPPLIES

  1. Can I use spiral notebooks or binders? 

    Yes you can, but I don’t recommend either. Composition notebooks are definitely superior. Spiral notebooks tend to come apart and wear faster. Students also tend to tear pages out of spiral notebooks when they need paper. They’re more likely to flip to the back (or not) to complete an assignment for another class. And good pages with content are more likely to be torn out by accident, especially as students interact with the elements of the page that open, flip, etc.

  2. Will glue sticks work in place of liquid glue? It’s so messy!

    NO! Glue sticks definitely won’t suffice for a truly interactive notebook because it won’t stick forever. In fact, after the students have interacted with the flaps, pockets, or tabs, it will definitely come off. Elmer’s School Glue holds forever! Just use baby dots about 1 inch apart on anything you glue. Be very specific about HOW to glue with your students.  NEVER use the toaster strudel method with glue! This results in wet, sticky, and wrinkled up pages. Gluing in an interactive notebook MUST be overtly taught. See next question for managing glue.

  3. My students keep forgetting their supplies! What do I do?

    My students are required to bring scissors and colored pencils to class. What do I do when they forget them? Ridicule and belittle the student into submission. No, really… I have extra supplies on hand that are inferior to their own. Little kindergarten scissors they use when they forget their big pair. Old discarded crayons and pencil colors (most left on my floor!) when they forget to bring their own. This way, students have the supplies they need, but are still motivated to bring their own. As for glue – I supply that. I buy 60 bottles per year at Wal-Mart when they’re 25 or 50 cents for back to school. I put duct tape around them to claim the bottles as mine. This definitely keeps them from walking away! I keep them in a big bucket and distribute as needed. I usually need new bottles by January. If students close the bottle and wipe the tip when finished, they’ll last a long time.

IMPLEMENTATION

  1. How many notebooks do my students need? Do they need a different composition book for Literature, Informational Text, Writing, Grammar, and Poetry?

    In the past, I’ve put all ELA activities into one notebook. I did not separate it into sections – that would be way too much to manage, I think. The only organization you need is to keep a running table of contents – save the first three pages of the notebook for this and update it each time you make a new entry.

    A second option is to use two notebooks. The first notebook will be for reading – literature, potery, and informational texts. The second notebook will be for grammar and writing.

  2. Some students take so long to construct the pages. Do you give them a time limit? How do you handle the slowest students?

    I’ll say “Throw some color on it, you’ve only got a minute left!” and I let my students assist each other when running behind. Some of my students, mostly girls, want to take their time and work slowly and meticulously. Ain’t nobody got time for that!! Really, I tell them they’ll have to come back to it later and do the perfect coloring after class because we’re moving on. For students who struggle to keep up, I let my busy-body girls who want to be in everyone else’s business assist that person. I also tell them that when they’ve finished their part, look around them and assist anyone who needs it. This way keeps everyone on task and everyone caught up! 

  3. Do you do all of the lessons in order? Do you finish one notebook before moving onto the next?

    No way! While I do re-use many lessons, I hardly ever keep them the exact same or teach them in the same order from year to year. And I do the literature/informational text lessons interchangeably during my reading block and the writing/grammar in my language block. For an idea of what my year with interactive notebooks looks like, please check out my pacing guides. When I moved to teaching only 6th grade, I updated that pacing chart to include all of ELA, while 7th and 8th only include reading. Since I didn’t teach 7th or 8th grade, I did not update those. 

  4. The pages in your notebooks mostly look like right side activities. What do you do on the left side?

    I have seen the left/right side business, and honestly, I’m just not willing to commit to that for a few reasons. First, I typically don’t have my students reflect in their journal since I don’t pick them up to grade and don’t want them writing false information in what is their reference for the content that I’ve taught them. If you wanted to use that format in your notebooks, then yes, my pages would be the teaching pages and you could add a reflection on the left hand side. 

  5. I have the same students for multiple years. Do they use a new notebook each year? Do they make the same notebook for 3 years in a row?

    That’s one of the harder parts of interactive notebooks – keeping it fresh for the 3 years in a row that I see these kids. Honestly, I just do it as I go. For example, my 7th graders did 4 types of conflict with the 4 triangle tabs that meet in the middle that are in my literature notebook. Now in 8th grade, I’m not going to go through the motions of teaching the lesson – and I’m not going to teach the lesson like it’s new again, but instead review. Sometimes I will use the same template again, even though it is the same as the year before, if it really contributed to the lesson – such as the point of view templates with the windows – but otherwise, I’ll just change it up. I’ll do a simple 4 tab shutter foldable and put conflict on it instead of using the triangle tabs. Also, when reviewing, sometimes I’ll review the 4 types with my students and then give them a sheet of notes to have them copy in the foldable themselves – not as part of the lesson – and sometimes even as homework. So they’ve got the notes, but they aren’t new, just a review. There are lots of places to find template ideas online for interactive notebook templates – try pinterest or just googling them. I do have a template pack for sale in my store, but it’s mostly for convenience, as you can find most of them for free online if you’re willing to look for them.

  6. Do you have a suggested pacing guide?

    Yes, and I uploaded them to TpT as freebies:

    Grade 6 Pacing Chart (All ELA, including Grammar and Writing)

    Grade 7 Pacing Chart (Reading Only)

    Grade 8 Pacing Chart (Reading Only)

  7. Do you make an interactive notebook page every day?

    Of course not! It really varies for me. When I introduce a concept, we make a page. We keep working on that concept and doing other stuff even though we’re not making pages every day. We’ll read a story or a few stories to apply that skill or concept and refer back to the page when we need to this week and throughout the rest of the year. If it’s grammar or writing, then we’ll practice the skill or write something after making the page, and the students are to use the page and the notes on/in the page as their reference. As far as how many per week, it really just depends on the week. Sometimes a few, sometimes just one. But on average, about one per subject per week.

  8. Do you have a routine in your classroom? How do you structure your day?

    I have a 100 minute block for teaching reading, writing, grammar, and spelling. Describing my daily structure is much harder since it seriously varies so much from day to day!  I mesh reading and writing together so much as we write about what we’re reading. I really focus my teaching on the reading aspect and add the rest in around it. I’ll cut corners and sacrifice some of one subject to do more of another, as needed. I like to get grammar out of the way since it requires less critical thinking, then spend the bulk of my day on reading and writing activities. Spelling is done mostly out of class and tested once per week.

  9. You suggest some short stories in your lessons. Where can I find them?

    Most popular short stories can be found online. Just Google the name of the story and include PDF in the search and you’ll probably find something.

  10. Do you have a rubric? / How do you grade your notebooks?

    No! I don’t grade notebooks. All of the information in there is dictated by me, and none if it is original student work, so I don’t grade it. It’s just part of the lesson. I wouldn’t grade dictated notes, so I don’t grade this. You might assign a grade for completion or neatness or something but I don’t. 

  11. What if I get a new student in the middle of the year?

    Don’t stress about this. Hand them a blank notebook and have them copy your table of contents (the whole thing) into their notebook and number the pages the same as you have them numbered. Ask them to look over the table of contents and let you know if there’s anything they’ve never learned before (an excellent quick immediate assessment of where they’re coming from). Then, have them pick up wherever you are. As you come across content that the student doesn’t know but needs, have them do that page. Sometimes after school, sometimes sent home, I find a time. You don’t want them going through and doing all of the pages, especially since you’re NOT teaching it to them and technically they haven’t learned all the concepts. Now you can teach the concept as needed. Their notebooks won’t be complete at the end of the year, but it’s the best solution I’ve found and it’s still an accurate record of what they’ve learned in YOUR class.

  12. What if a student loses his notebook? What if he just doesn’t bring it to class one day?

    In three years, no student of mine has lost his notebook. I hope I’m not jinxing myself here! But we’ve always found it some place. If or when a student does lose his notebook, my back-up plan is to treat it like a new student. See question 11 for that advice. Ultimately, it’s more work on the student who loses the notebook, so there is no incentive for that.

    If a student doesn’t have his notebook in class one day when we’re gluing into it, I’ll have him do the activity with us on looseleaf paper and save it. When he brings his notebook back, we can glue in that entire page where it belongs.

  13. What can I put in the interactive notebook? Where do I put everything else?

    Can my students use their interactive student notebook for DOL (Daily Oral Language)? Can they use them for daily journal entries?

    For these two items, my answer is definitely NO. Each page has a specific purpose. There are no “throw away” pages in the notebook. What’s the rule for knowing if something is a “throw away” page? Well, if your students will need to refer back to this information in the future, it definitely goes into the notebook. If your students really won’t need to refer back to this information (like a journal prompt answer, daily activity, or comprehension questions), then put it somewhere else.

    But don’t be afraid to put extra stuff in the notebook that isn’t necessarily interactive or perhaps not even content-related. My students set AR goals each 9 weeks, so of course, we put those in the notebook and include it in the table of contents. No more students asking me what their goal is – it’s right in their notebook! Goals, data, etc. that you want students to keep for the year should definitely go into the notebook.

    For everything else, my students bring a red folder to class each day and that’s where I have them put anything I need them to hang on to. They’re required to always have loose leaf paper in there. I also keep some in my room because it’s easier to give them paper than it is to make a stink over it.

  14. When students are constructing the pages, how do you give directions so that they aren’t constantly asking questions?

    I construct each page right along with my students. I use a document camera and model every step for them. They do it as I’m doing it. I keep one separate notebook for each class so that I always know where I left off. Also, sometimes different  classes do different things or at different paces for various reasons, so it helps me keep track of that, too.

  15. How do you organize the notebook or set up the Table of Contents?

    To start your notebooks, just leave 3 blank pages at the beginning and number the first page with the number 1. There. You’ve started! Now, label the very front page “Table of Contents” and begin listing what is on each page as it is completed. This way, you can do whatever you like in any order. 

  16. What do you do when a student is absent?

    If a student misses an activity, I’ll have them come to me during lunch, after school, or some other time and I give them my notebook (See 14 above!) and the pages and they complete the activity. I’ll give brief instructions when it isn’t obvious, but it clearly doesn’t take the place of that lesson. Normally, I’m going to teach this concept over and over again (not just that day) so they should pick it up later, unless they missed a whole week or something. In that case, they’re going to need extra remediation anyway, so I’ll have a high student help me with some of the catching up and instructing on the pages and just do the best I can.

PURCHASING OPTIONS

  1. Do you have a bundle for all / some of your notebooks?

    Yes, I have two bundles of ELA notebooks. The Interactive Notebook ELA Bundle of 5 includes the 5 most popular interactive notebook resources: Grammar, Reading Literature, Reading Informational Text, Writing, and Poetry.  You can see the ELA Bundle of 5 by clicking here.

    The second bundle is the Interactive Reading Notebook Bundle for Grades 2-3: Literature & Informational Text. Take a look at the Grades2-3 Reading Notebooks here.

  2. I’ve already purchased a notebook from this bundle. Can I get a discount on the rest of the bundle? 

    Although I’m not able to individualize prices for customers, TpT does offer a refund or credit when you purchase a bundle and you’ve previously purchased an item in that bundle. Please check TpT buyer FAQs or contact TpT support to verify the exact requirements.

  3. Is this a new bundle? I think I’ve purchased it before.  

    In the past I have offered similar bundles in other forms, such as on CDs or on flash drives – all hard copies mailed to you. This is the first digital interactive notebook bundle I have been able to offer.

  4. Does this bundle include ALL of your interactive notebook resources? 

    No. This bundle includes the most popular 5 interactive notebook resources – Literature, Informational Text, Grammar, Writing, and Poetry for grades 4-8

    I have over 20 ELA and Social Studies Interactive Notebooks,  8 Quick Notes® , 5 add-ons and companions, and two sets of templates and graphic organizers.

    You can find all of my Interactive Notebook products in my TpT store here: Lovin Lit Interactive Notebooks

  5. Do you have math, science, or social studies notebooks for other grades?  

    Yes! I have a complete American History curriculum that includes a bundle of 12 Interactive Notebooks that will take you from The First Americans into the modern era.

    There are quite a few bundle options with this curriculum. An individual unit bundle includes four products:

    1. Interactive Notebook Activities & Quick Notes® *Digital Options*
    2. Lesson PowerPoints
    3. Vocabulary Posters, Word Wall Cards, Flash Cards
    4. Study Guides, Tests, & Modified Tests * Self Grading Google Form Versions*

    You can find the bundle of my 12 American History Interactive Notebooks here.

    You can read all about my American History Curriculum in this post and find links to a free unit.

I know these Interactive Notebooks can help you teach with confidence!

You can check out 7 of my best tips to help you be successful with Interactive Notebooks in this post. 

And be sure to download the FREE Interactive Notebook covers below!