My New Best Friend: Math Interactive Notebooks

For awhile now, I have seen and heard many people talking about interactive notebooks. I wasn't really sure what they were or even how to use them. I started doing some research- chatted with a few blogging buddies and my team partner about it and decided I wanted to jump in and give it a try this school year. I went out and bought spiral notebooks for A PENNY at Staples during their Back To School sale and got started.

I have to admit this was a HUGE decision for me. I was mainly worried about the time commitment it would take to properly implement the notebooks in my classroom. I thought I would definitely start with math first because our math series needed some serious overhauling to meet the common core standards. Then, when I started "shopping around" for second grade math interactive notebooks, there was one that jumped out at me from a very well known blogger and TpT seller. The item had tons of positive feedback, which further helped me to jump in and make the commitment to use the notebooks in my classroom. Once I purchased the product, I was so disappointed! There were so many spelling errors, unclear directions, lack of explanation of how to use the pages and many of the pages were not challenging enough to meet the CCSS for second grade. In other words.......It was a HOT MESS! That was the moment that I decided to make my own Math Interactive Notebook for my students. And I am happy to say, it is hot off the presses and ready to share with all of you!

We have been using some of the pages for a couple of weeks now and I am THRILLED with what my students are producing! We have been reviewing addition and subtraction strategies. Here are a few samples of what they have been working on:

Each page has a student friendly "I can" statement and a definition of the term they are working on. This page was used to review subtraction strategies. They wrote their own subtraction sentences on each wing. Under each wing, they drew a picture of one way to solve the problem. Some students drew pictures, some used a part-part-whole mat etc. 

We have also been working on problem solving skills. Each problem solving page asks the students to identify what is being asked in the word problem, draw a picture to show their thinking, write a number sentence and the answer. However, what is MOST important about the word problem pages, is an explanation of HOW they solved the problem. I love this part because it makes my students think and explain. When they can do that, they are more likely to understand and retain the concept being taught!

This teaching tool has it all! It comes with a student notebook cover, divider pages for each strand, notebook tabs and an example picture for EVERY page that is included. There are suggested usages and directions for assembling each student notebook too. Every Common Core Math Standard is covered. My students will use these notebooks to review for tests and during math centers. By the end of the year, they will have a comprehensive resource they can refer to for years to come. I hope you find this to be a valuable teaching tool for you and your students!

**I now have MATH Interactive notebooks available for grades K-5, as well as, reading and language notebooks for grades 1-3. You can take a closer look at each of them HERE!**