Sample INB Unit for Biology

I've talked a lot about Interactive Notebooks and I wanted to give you some examples of how it actually looks within my classroom. I am going to walk through our Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration unit page by page! It may be lengthy, but I wanted to give you the best glimpse I could!

Many of the resources were not created by me, but rather edited to fit into the notebook from resources I already had. Check out my post on Printing Tips for INBs for how I did this!

I also added notes on how each of these was assessed and graded. Check out my Overview Post on Interactive Notebooks for more information on how I grade Notebooks!

First, we talked about ATP and its role as an energy molecule. Students received an introductory paper before instruction that required them to do some drawing, analyzing some diagrams, and do some reading. This was modified from several resources I had and printed using the "Booklet" option in Acrobat.

The following day, we took some simple notes on the ATP/ADP cycle. I modified this diagram using Google Drawings. We used color coding for ATP (orange) and ADP (purple) that we will carry through our other notes as well to help maintain continuity and help students draw connections between content.

When taking notes, I typically use Google Slides & my SmartBoard or my Document Camera. Both work great! I model good note-taking for my students and use think-aloud techniques as we go - such as "I'm drawing an arrow to help show the order..." and "I'm writing a star because this is important." Even after a few units, students are able to understand the key points better because of our note-taking strategies.

Their homework after the notes was to complete the Pre-Lab portion of their lab concerning aerobic and anaerobic respiration by reading a few paragraphs and completing a comparison table. The lab was completed at the beginning of class the next day. Again, this was printed using the "Booklet" option in Acrobat. This lab was graded during their notebook check.

To help lead into Cellular Respiration, I created this flow chart in Google Drawings. I was having a difficult time finding a flow chart that wasn't too detailed for my 9th graders, which is why I created my own. Luckiy, this was super easy using Google Drawings! This was a great reference for the rest of the unit as well. We kept this color coding consistent through the rest of the unit.

For Cellular Respiration notes, I followed a similar format as ATP/ADP. I used a picture available from our textbook and our already established color coding. These notes were using Google Slides & my SmartBoard. Between each step, I would pause and utilize informal questioning to review the previous content. At the end, students were answering questions from the entire page.

We took a quiz on Cellular Respiration & ATP/ADP. I created the quiz in ExamView, ensured the questions were on three pages, and saved it as a PDF. From the PDF, I printed it as a "Booklet" in Acrobat. When taking the quiz, students had a bubble sheet they turned into me (for data collection) and they also wrote their answers on their quiz copy to keep for their notebook. After the quiz, we reviewed the questions together.

Photosynthesis notes looked very similar to the others - color coding, think-aloud note taking strategies, and similar formatting.

A big focus for our standards is the interdependence of Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration. After learning both processes, we completed a sorting activity for the two processes (they were not required to color - but some students do anyways!). This was an example of a "Sticker Check" activity where I would give them a sticker for having the correct answers to give them approval for gluing it down. It also makes grading later on MUCH faster since the stickers are evidence of a 100%!

As homework, students watched the two Amoeba Sisters videos on Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis and completed a review paper. I created the cover paper with title, picture, and links and combined it with the PDF available from the Amoeba Sisters website and printed it as a "Booklet" in Acrobat - just modifying existing activities I had!

Any other Amoeba Sisters fans out there? I love their videos and they have free worksheets for so many of them! Check them out on YouTube and on their website!

The final part of the unit was our culminating lab using Elodea and bromothymol blue - a classic Biology lab. This lab paper was printed in Acrobat using the "Booklet" option. The first page was directions for part 1, setup for part 2, and predictions. Page two had a data table and explanation questions. The final page had an analysis question that students were required to write a paragraph response. This was another assignment I graded during the notebook check.

Pictures of the notes that I included are what I upload onto my class website for absent students to review. CamScanner works great for this and allows me to take a picture of the notebook and upload it as a PDF.

The tabs, page numbers, and dates are all part of our notebook routine, which I outlined in this post about Notebook Setup.

I hope this gave you some ideas for how to implement this within your classroom. What other questions do you have?

Printing Tips for INBs

The most daunting part about starting Interactive Notebooks in the classroom is the prep work - what do you do with the resources you already have? How do you modify existing things easily? Do I have to remake or buy EVERYTHING?

Absolutely not!

I have a few helpful tricks that have been an absolute lifesaver while switching to interactive notebooks.

Many teachers choose to keep their existing activities separate from the interactive notebook. For me, personally, the goal of the interactive notebook is to keep students organized and to have consistency within the classroom routine. Keeping a notebook as well as a set of separate activities breaks up the continuous routine of the classroom. To keep a consistent procedure and routine, almost everything done in class is kept in their notebook.

Tip #1: Adobe Acrobat is your Best Friend 

There are several features unique to Adobe Acrobat that will make your notebooking life so much easier! I may create something in Microsoft Word, but always be sure to save a copy as a PDF in order to use the Adobe Acrobat printing features.

1. Print 80% - any normal 8.5 x 11 paper can be shrunk by 80% to fit perfectly on a traditionally sized composition notebook page. Many copiers have the ability to shrink the size of a copy, but in Acrobat there is an option to print in that size as well. This allows you to take any single sided paper and have it fit perfectly in their notebook - no editing needed!

2. Print as Booklet - This was a game changer for me! In science, we have lots of "packets" for labs and activities - usually 2-3 pages. I did not want to use 2-3 pages in their notebook for a single lab. I would modify any activity or lab in Microsoft Word so that it utilizes three pages - being sure not to use a font smaller than 11 pt and making fonts larger as needed to use three pages. Then, save as a PDF and open in acrobat. When printing, select the "Booklet" option and it automatically prints it into a three page booklet, on one sheet of paper, that is blank on the back for gluing.

Tip #2: Adjust your Word Documents

There are also plenty of ways to modify your word documents without converting to PDF. These are tricks I use when creating new activities. Sometimes, when making these adjustments to existing documents, it can get frustrating.

1. Margins - Change the margins to 6" Wide and 8" Long. This will automatically make your document notebook sized!

2. Add Page Borders - Add page borders around the text to provide easy cut lines for students. Add borders then click "Options." Under the "Measure From" drop down menu, select "Text."

3. Fun Fonts - This is totally optional, but definitely one of my favorite things. There are tons of free fonts available online. Using fun fonts can jazz up title pages for activities. I always try to keep the directions and information in a simple font (like Century Gothic) for accessibility reasons, but love using fun fonts for titles!

Tip #3: Learn to Use Google Drive

I find INBs run so much smoother when they are incorporated within a collaborative team. It can seem like a huge amount of work to do alone, but many hands makes light work! I strongly recommend having a notebook "buddy" to work with - especially the first year of implementation!

1. Share! - Make a shared folder or team drive to share resources among all the teachers using notebooks in your team. Having an open, collaborative environment means students are getting the absolute best from the school.

2. Google Drawing - This is the least known tool in Google Drive, I think, but is one of my most used! Google Drawing is a more friendly version of paint. You can make flow charts and concept maps look professional and clean. You can modify images easily. You can create simple foldables easily (such as flaps).

3. Google Slides - Interactive Notebooks are a huge part in my overall classroom management. Almost every day in class you can see a Google Slides presentation projected on the board. It allows me to insert videos and timers seemlessly (no window changing!). It allows me to share my presentations easily with my team mates. I can edit the presentation from any computer.

Check out my post about how I use Google Slides as a part of my Classroom Management!

The Basics of Interactive Notebooks for Secondary Science

I have read SO many blog posts about interactive notebooks. When I first started teaching, I tried to copy the recommendations from others, but I wasn't fully committed and wasn't able to implement it the way I envisioned within my classroom.

Five years later, and interactive notebooks are an essential part of our everyday routine. I have used them with Ecology, Biology, and Chemistry for 9th and 10th graders. I have used them with SPED students, ESOL students, and regular ed. students. In ALL of these classes, it worked for me and our classroom routine.

The Key: Make it a routine, and do what works for you and your students.

I want to outline a few tips and tricks that have made my journey with interactive notebooks easier, as well as answer a few burning questions I know you all have been wondering.

Printing Tips for INBs

Setup for INBs

Sample Unit for Biology INBs

Why interactive notebooks? Why not binders, or packets, or...? 

I used to use binders and packets and folders, and I have never had as much organizational success as I have with interactive notebooks. Their ability to keep a notebook organized was the biggest draw for me!

With the exception of homework and lab conclusions (paragraph writing), every assignment and quiz is glued into their notebook. I give them time in class to cut and glue - always with a timer, to keep both myself and my students on track. I may give them 3 minutes at the beginning of class to cut the papers and 2 minutes at the end to glue - which gives me time to take attendance and do any other housekeeping I need to before class starts.

Do you provide all the materials?

Yes - essentially. The list of required supplies for my class is two composition notebooks (one per semester) and pens/pencils. The first week of school, we set up our first semester notebook and I keep their second semester notebook in my cabinet until January.

I have enough glue bottles and scissors for each student. I keep them in scrap bins to allow for easy trash pickup and there is one per table (I have 18 tables of 2). I also have a colored pencil bin for each table. Thankfully, my school has purchased many of the supplies for me, but I also buy supplies during back to school sales, garage sales, and the dollar tree. I buy one set of glue bottles for the year and refill them using gallons of glue (so much cheaper!). I also use tap-and-glue caps on the glue bottles which will save your students from having over-glued notebooks and will save you money! They're pricey, but I've been using the same caps for 3 years with zero problems!

If students don't like the off-brand colored pencils, the tiny scissors I supply, or my glue caps, I remind them they are always welcome to bring their own!

How do you grade your interactive notebooks?

As teachers, its our responsibility to provide frequent and meaningful feedback to our students. In my classroom, this comes in several forms. 

1. Weekly homework (1 page, not included in the notebook, given Monday and due Friday)
2. Sticker Checks
3. Quizzes
4. Notebook Checks

Sticker checks occur when we are doing in-class activities. I am a huge advocate of setting timers to keep students mindful of staying on task. I might chunk a large activity into smaller portions, set a timer, and have them raise their hand when they finish portion one. I walk to each student as they finish, quickly check their answers, and give them a sticker if they are correct (allowing them to move to the next section) or I give them some guidance for how to revise their answers and have them call me back after correcting. 

I typically give quizzes after each big concept. They are always 10 questions and all multiple choice, with mostly DOK 1s and a few 2s and 3s. Students turn in a bubble sheet to me for me to grade, but keep a copy of their quiz for their notebook. After students finish, we go over each question and students have the questions as reference when they are studying for the quiz. An important thing to note is that these are not the same questions as their unit tests, but usually lower level questions to check for understanding. 

Notebook Checks are almost always on the day of the test. Students turn in their notebook at the beginning of the class period and I grade specific assignments in them. I usually give students a list of what assignments need to be completed and could possibly be graded, although I typically grade fewer than what is on the list. Each assignment is graded for accuracy and entered as an individual assignment in the grade book. I do not grade them on neatness, having page numbers, etc. These are skills enforced throughout class, but not something I assess. Every single grade in my gradebook reflects what students know about the content and not their ability to follow directions or stay organized. 

Is this a lot of work for the teacher? Yes - but the bulk of it comes on test day, with only homework or writing assignments to grade in between. I am not inundated with a mountain of grading every single weekend.

Can students bring their notebook home?

ABSOLUTELY! I want them to use their notebook as a one-stop-shop for studying. However, I realize that organization is not a priority for many 9th graders. My expectation is that they have it in class every day. If they can be responsible for carrying it back and forth, they can, but I also keep crates in the back where they are welcome to keep their notebook if they feel like they cannot keep track of it.

How does it help establish a routine and promote organization?

This is the biggest impact for me! I teach mostly 9th graders who need a great deal of support in terms of organization and study skills. Here is a general list of expectations that are set up in my classroom from day 1 to help ensure our class runs smoothly, regardless of the activity. 

• Students check the board for a list of supplies needed and collect supplies from the bookshelf if needed
• Bell rings and I start the timer for their first task. Directions and timer are posted simultaneously thanks to Google Slides (Check out my post on how to do this!)
• Notebook pages are numbered and dated 
• Pages and Dates are posted on my class website so students can easily determine if they are missing something
• Notebooks are turned in before taking the test on test days.
• I give them time to cut/glue - with a timer - so there is no excuse to not have it done unless time is not being used wisely. 

Once this routine is established, beginning and end of class time as well as transitions goes so much smoother. Even if you are not doing Notebooks - these are great habits to enforce from day one and will help so much with classroom management.

Start of DNA Unit for INB

A typical unit for different teachers can vary a lot. As some of you may know, the notebooking for my class does not follow the popular left side-right side or input-output, as discussed in my previous post. Instead, we focus on creating a reference tool for students, like a personalized textbook.

To give you an example, I wanted to share some of my DNA resources with you!

First, we start with DNA structure and function. I use this organizer to do "notes" with my students. We also color code the parts of the nucleotide (sugar - red, phosphate - purple) and each different base gets its own color that corresponds to a lab we do later (A - Green, C - Pink, G - Yellow, T - Orange). We are all about color coding and carry macromolecule color coding all the way through the school year!

Below the structure and function organizer you can see the top of our DNA organization flipbook. We cut and glue it together as we discuss it as a class and we watch a video afterward about how DNA is organized (portion of this video from TedEd).

Our first lab is a candy DNA lab. This is maybe a little different than ones you have seen before. Students first string together their backbones (Cheerio phosphates and Twizzler sugars) and then add their nucleotides following our color coding rules from before. Students can even twist it into a double helix shape after. They really love this lab and it helps reinforce the structure of both the backbone and the nucleotides. Students answer questions on the lab in their notebook.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas for how to start your DNA unit!

I wanted to share some of my resources with you all! You can get copies of them by clicking the links below. 

Intro. DNA Structure and Function

DNA Organization Flip Book

Types of RNA Diagram

Interactive Notebook Setup

Interactive notebooks can be setup lots of different ways. This is what works for me in my classroom, but you may find something else that works for you. INB's are wonderful because you can customize them to fit your classroom and content!

I strongly recommend using composition notebooks. I have had students use spiral notebooks and they just do not hold up as well -- covers fall off, pages get torn. Composition notebooks are much sturdier as long as students don't rip out any pages.

On the inside cover I have students glue their Plickers code and create a pocket for holding their homework and other papers if they don't finish in class. Plickers is an awesome quick assessment tool, you should check out the link if you haven't heard of it before!

To create a pocket, have students fold over one corner of the front page, then glue around the edges. This type of pocket has worked great for us and is the perfect size to fit a sheet of paper folded in half (such as homework papers).

Then, I have students flip their notebooks over so they are looking at the back cover. They count 10-12  pages from the back for their glossary section. Students glue down a mini-post it to make a tab so they can easily find the page. These are not the sturdiest tabs, but they are easy, available, and get the job done. I have students add a few drops of glue to the sticky area to make it more permanent. You can also create tabs in Excel and print them on cardstock. I have started doing this most recently and the tabs are much sturdier.

Click here for a free downloadable version of the tabs I use for Biology!

The back portion of their notebook is for their "glossary" section. I create a Quizlet vocabulary list for each section and print a list of the vocabulary for their glossary section. The list also has a URL for the Quizlet list for easy studying.

Checkout my post on Printing Tips for INBs for ideas on how to easily print the pages to fit!

I also have students make a reference section by counting five pages before their glossary section. They also add a tab for references. I have found this so handy to include this year. We glued in a copy of the syllabus, a lab equipment reference, graphing references, and will continue to add reference pages as we go. It's a great, subtle way to give struggling students some extra support with some science basics so they can focus on the content.

When students are finished with that portion, I have them start numbering their pages. This takes a while and is a good filler for students who finish early and you are waiting for others in class. On the day we set up notebooks, numbering their pages is their homework if they don't finish. Page numbers allow for easy reference for both me and my students and allows them to complete their table of contents easily.

If you're interested in learning more about how I implement interactive notebooks, check out my other blog posts under the "Interactive Notebooks" label!

Introduction to Interactive Notebooks

Interactive Notebooks are one of the newest and most talked about teaching strategies right now. There are so many ideas and opinions it gets easy to get lost and not know where to start. I want to share with you why I decided to start notebooking, how I setup notebooks, and how they work in my classroom.

I wanted to start notebooking during my first year of teaching. I had heard so much about the Left Side-Right Side or Input-Output setup and wanted to try it out. My problem was that I was left figuring it out, on my own, during my first year. It was far too overwhelming and became too confusing for me and for my students to be effective. Only a few months into the school year and I scrapped the notebooks and went back to traditional fill-in-the-blank notes and handouts.

The lightbulb moment for me came when I met one of our new science hires at school. She had been doing notebooks for four years and had already experienced many of the growing pains that I had gone through. Almost immediately, I started asking questions to figure out how she made it work. She described notebooks in a way that made sense for me:

It's like students are creating their own version of a textbook. 

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean that students fill the pages with paragraphs and paragraphs of text, but it does mean that they are a reference tool for students and hold all the information students will need to be successful in a unit.

Why did I start notebooking?

1. Organization: As a teacher of freshmen, there is a constant battle to help students stay organized. Notebooking helps keep them organized because we do all of the organization together in class.
2. Accountability: It keeps them accountable because I ask them to go back and continue to review and reference past content. Because notebooks are kept in my classroom, I can page through notebooks at any time and remind students who are falling behind. 
3. Ownership: Students take pride and ownership of creating something that is theirs. There are lots of students who stay on task to make sure they have time at the end of class to color things just right or make their headings colorful. When students take ownership of their work, they try their very best to make sure they are doing everything correct. 
4. Brain Breaks: Notebooking allows me to build in automatic brain breaks that I often forget about otherwise. Teenagers have short attention span. Giving them a few minutes to cut and glue gives them time to refocus and get back on track when they need to. 

What does a typical unit look like?

We take some notes -- although they are simplified and shortened -- and glue down diagrams, graphs, and pictures to help the notes make sense. We color code diagrams and paragraphs. We make foldables to use as study tools. We do labs with data tables, graphs, and conclusions. We write paragraphs. We do science.

The variety within the notebook helps keep students engaged. No two pages are the same and no two days in class are the same.

I am able to use many of the same activities I have always used, I just modify them for notebooks -- usually shortening up the procedure, or printing them in a smaller format to fit into the notebook.

What does a typical day in class look like?

• Students have 2 minutes at the beginning of class to collect supplies (usually glue, scissors, colored pencils), take their seat, and answer the warm up question. 
• Take notes for 5 minutes and analyze a diagram. 
• Discuss diagram and examples while students are cutting/pasting the diagram into their notebook. 
• Give directions for activity, and students find a partner and get to work. 
• Students have the rest of class to finish activity and notebook work. 
• Early finishers can work on coloring, vocabulary, or past assignments. 

We stay busy and we stay engaged with material, but we are moving and interacting. My classroom is not the type where you only sit and listen.

How are notebooks setup in my class?

This is something truly individual to each teacher. I have done a walk through of my notebook set up in this separate post.

Interactive Notebook Setup

How are notebooks graded?

This can vary widely from teacher to teacher. I grade each assignment in their notebook as individual assignments -- even dividing them into classwork/lab/homework grades depending on the activity. I typically grade notebooks at the end of each unit (about every 4 weeks) and I am able to grade them almost 100% at school on test days. I am no longer drowning in a pile of grading!

Hopefully this gives you some confidence and information to help you decide if notebook is right for your classroom.