Developing the Science Notebook

 

As the summer season rolls on, I thought I would share some of my plans for the science notebook that is to be used in the 2011-2012 school year. I am developing an interactive notebook for the students to use throughout the school year. It is to be a combination of journal, note-taking, experimentation, and archive for students to create.

In the past, students have mostly collected photocopies of assignments and placed them into a three-ring binder. After completing assignments or taking notes from class, they did very little reflection on the content. This may be due to the fact that students seemed to be bombarded with photocopies. The organization and storage of these papers has been an issue because the binding holes tend to rip, papers get shoved into the binder's pockets, or lost all together.

With the new science notebook, students will use more self-designed graphic organizers and structure their ideas in the notebook. The notebook will have more rigid requirements and students will pay closer attention to what needs to be placed into the notebook. The entries into the notebook will be crafted to help students to solve a scientific problem. Students will be using the notebook to organize pertinent information as they complete tasks. The science notebook will contain the information to help students explain the significance of scientific phenomena that is observed in the laboratory or in the real world.

To prepare the science notebook, I am working on the logistics. Such as how to introduce and model for the students how to add entries, extend entries, and reflect on what is learned. I also need to develop the grading methods and procedures for the notebook. I look forward to seeing how the new science notebook will extend learning in the upcoming school year.