Getting Started With Interactive Notebooks

ΚΑΛΑΜΑΡΑ ΦΩΤΕΙΝΗ — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 17:55:55 +0000

They’re everywhere.

Interactive notebooks, that is.

And they aren’t going anywhere!

Have you ever thought that you’d like to implement interactive notebooks in your classroom, but not sure how you’d get started?

Perhaps you’re nervous to implement them with your students because you’ve heard horror stories from teacher friends who felt they took up too much instructional time, or that it was just chaotic and not worth the effort?

Well, stick around because I’m going to give you some tips for making them a success in your classroom.

WHAT ARE INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS?

I never like to assume any knowledge, so before we get too far into it, I want to make sure that we are all on the same page.

Interactive notebooks come in all shapes and sizes, but essentially, interactive notebooks are spiral or composition notebooks where students can organize their notes.

Traditionally, interactive notebooks were organized in such a way that the right side of a notebook had information given by the teacher (notes, discussions, handouts, etc.). On the left side, students personalized the information given by the teacher in forms of drawings, cartoons, personalized wording of vocabulary, etc…

As interactive notebooks have trickled their way down into the elementary level, interactive notebooks have evolved and don’t always follow the right side/left side rule (although some still do and work great!).

Students now often glue in notes sheets, foldables, timelines, vocabulary flaps and more into their interactive notebooks. The notebooks can take on a variety of looks depending on the age level, abilities, and needs of the students. Many teachers use interactive notebooks for all subjects, while some use it for only one or two subjects.

And – although Pinterest may make you think otherwise – the elements that your students glue in to their notebook do NOT need to be fancy, overly creative, or crazy complicated.

WHAT MATERIALS WILL YOU NEED?

To set up your interactive notebooks, you will need:

spiral/composition notebook
white glue (I think white glue works better that glue sticks as the adhesive lasts longer)
scissors
crayons or colored pencils (not markers – they will bleed through the pages)

3 games to help you teach english to kindergarten and primary level students

ΚΑΛΑΜΑΡΑ ΦΩΤΕΙΝΗ — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 17:55:54 +0000

1. Touch Your Nose, Please (Simon Says Game)

Simon Says is a classic classroom game which young learners absolutely love. And the best part is it doesn’t require any preparation from the teacher. If you’re not familiar with Simon Says, the rules of the game are simple. The teacher should give instructions to the students and if the teacher says “Simon Says..” before the instruction, then the students should do what the teacher said. If the teacher does not say “Simon Says…’ first, then the students should not follow the instructions.

A great alternative to the classic version of Simon Says is to replace “Simon Says..” with “…please.” So, for example, if the teacher says “Touch your nose, please.” then the students should touch their nose. But if the teacher doesn’t say “please” then the students shouldn’t follow the instruction. This variation of Simon Says is super fun and a great way to teach manners to kindergarten students at the same time.

2. What’s Missing?

o play this fun ESL kindergarten classroom game, all you need are some flashcards. Place 6-8 flashcards on the board and then say each word aloud and ask students to repeat after you. Then, tell students they have 10 seconds to try to memorize the words. After 10 seconds, tell students to close their eyes and then remove one of the flashcards from the board. Next, tell students to open their eyes and ask them ‘What’s missing?’. If a student guesses correctly, invite that student up to the front of the class to choose the next card.

3. What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?

This next kindergarten game is best played outside or in a room with lots of space for the kids to run around. To play this game, choose one student to be the ‘wolf’. The ‘wolf’ must face away from the other students and close their eyes. The rest of the class should stand at the other end of the classroom / playground. Next, the students should shout out ‘What time is it Mr. Wolf?’ and the wolf should answer with a time between 1 and 12 o’clock. The students should then take steps forward corresponding to the time that the wolf answered. For example, if the wolf said “It’s three o’clock.”, then students should move forward 3 steps.