Kellie Marcarelli

“Although the primary role of a science notebook is to be part of the student’s learning process, it can provide important feedback to a teacher who looks at it. It can be an indicator of whether the student has in fact learned the major concepts of a unit, as well as the art of good inquiry and thoughtful interpretation of results.”
J. Pine, 1996

Interactive notebooks are used as a tool to strengthen student learning of curriculum through increased student participation
Input- facilitated learning (mostly used for work done in class.)
Output- metacognition - Student thinking

Based on research of How People
Learn ( National Research Council )
Increases achievement in students
(Classroom Instruction That Works ~
Marzano and Pickering )
Students benefit from them!
Teachers benefit from them!
Supports NGSS and CCSS

National Research Council
Key Implications For Teaching:
1) Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting understandings that their students bring with them. (Prior Knowledge)
2) Teachers must teach subject matter in depth, with a focus on assessing student understanding rather than surface knowledge.
(Conceptual Understanding)
3) The teaching of metacognitive skills should be integrated into the curriculum.

Increases Achievement
Classroom Instruction That WorksMarzano, Pickering, and Pollock (2001)
Instructional Strategies that affect Student
Achievement
Category % Achievement Gain
Identifying similarities and differences
Summarizing and note taking
Reinforcing effort and providing recognition
Homework and practice
Nonlinguistic representations
Cooperative learning
Setting objectives and providing feedback
Generating and testing hypotheses
27
27
23
23
45
34
29
28

Student buy-in and know where they are going
Ownership and pride
Flexibility for different learning styles
Encourages self-reflection- students track their own thinking
Deepens meaning- allows students to articulate their thinking and understanding
Students use evidence collected to draw conclusions and make-meaning of science concepts
Increases student organization

Formative assessment tool- informs instruction
Enables the teacher to monitor the progress of each student and provide meaningful feedback to the student
Communication tool for parents
Provides opportunity to reinforce writing and science process skills

•
1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
•
2. Developing and using models
•
3. Planning and carrying out investigations
•
4. Analyzing and interpreting data
•
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
•
6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
•
7. Engaging in argument from evidence
•
8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

•
Listening and speaking- Students should be hearing and using both content vocabulary and academic language.
•
Reading- Students should read nonfiction text including text including trade journals.
•
Writing- Students should be using science journals or notebooks (this can be done digitally) to record their observations, data, and thinking.
•
Mathematics- Students should be applying mathematics and computational thinking during science investigations.

Number all pages
Table of contents
Input and output
Rubric
Setting up the “Aha
Connections”
Clear expectations

Providing feedback-
• Corrective in nature
• Timely
• Specific to a criterion (skill or knowledge)
• Can be effectively done by the students themselves
Stamping for accountability
Accountability for ongoing explorations
Peer checks
Providing students with criteria
Parent evaluation or review

Keep a skeleton sample.
Provide immediate feedback early on by checking notebooks during the first few days of class.
Graded work can be added to the notebook after it is returned, just label the space.
Give an occasional open notebook quiz to inspire great notebooks.
Celebrate excellent student work.

Extending Student Learning through the
“Aha connections”
Trigger
Identify a “Problem”
Gather evidence from many sources that addresses the problem
Make Connections
Use the evidence to develop an “Aha Thesis”
(answer the problem)

Creates a clear outline for the students to follow.
Gives the students a chance to reflect on the work that was done and to see the whole picture.
Promotes writing and higher-level thinking.
Allows the teacher to see inside the student, what they are proud of and what they want to improve on.
Provides opportunity for self-correction.

Can be reflective on that day’s inclass assignment.
Research from books or Internet as an extension.
Extensions/ applications of the lab.
Graphing results/ interpreting and summarizing data

Mini-Lessons
Prior knowledge
Key terms
Procedures
Observations
Data collection
Class consensus ideas

Summary / conclusions
Making meaning of data
Student questions / wonderings
Application to the real world
Brainstorming
Making Connections