Output Ideas for Interactive Notebooks

INPUT vs. OUPUT

The Interactive Notebook has become a large part of many classrooms around the country.  It is typically divided into two sides (left side and right side). 

•The right side of the notebook is used for INPUT.  This side is for the student to record notes and “testable” information.  It is typically information that is provided by the teacher, such as class notes.  But it can also be diagrams or maps, vocabulary, graphic organizers, handouts, etc. 

•The left side of the notebook is used for OUTPUT.  This side is for students to process new ideas.  It can be a review of what they already know or thinking about new information.  It is also a place for students to show their understanding of the information learned in class.  It can include creative drawings, ideas, or writing.  It is simply a way to wrap up the lesson or summarize.

The Struggle is Real

The OUPUT side of the Interactive Notebook is something that I am constantly struggling with in my own classroom.  I either run out of time or forget to allow my students the opportunity to reflect and process their learning.  I know — worst teacher ever, right?!?  But, I know I am not alone.  (Simply typing this makes me feel less guilty somehow.)  I get a lot of questions from teachers around the country about how to do this or what method(s) I suggest.  

Honestly, I haven’t had just one method.  Sometimes I will have students complete a related Exit Ticket or warm-up.  I use my Daily Science Starters for this along with my Admit and Exit Tickets which are not subject specific and give teachers more creative ways to formatively assess students, while still allowing them to reflect and process information.  Other times, I may have them answer conclusion/reflection questions for a lab investigation we just completed.  While I still believe that the students need to be given variety in the ways they can reflect, I wanted to create something that would be easy for teachers to implement into their classrooms, whether they were already masters at having students complete the output (left) side of the Interactive Notebook, or if they were just starting to incorporate notebooks into their classroom routine.  

The two most important things that I consider before implementing something new into my classroom are: 1) is it what is best for my students? and 2) will it be extra/unnecessary work for me?  With this product I truly believe that it will make it easier for you to begin implementing meaningful interactive notebook output opportunities for students.  And because most of the work has already been done for you (and no copies need to be made and no handouts need to be passed out), your precious time is not taken up by yet another thing.  

My Solution

I have created an EDITABLE PowerPoint that includes 42 different output activities for you to easily incorporate into your classroom notebooking routine.  It has a clean design with icons that are used for quickly accessing pages and easy recognition of topics.  

Each page already includes a text box with some ideas for using it, but you can easily replace the text in the text box, add another text box, insert an image, or insert a video.  The possibilities are endless!

To check out the full product on sale for the first 7 days of the new year, click on any of the images above to be taken directly to it.  Or visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  

Happy 2016!