Exploring a new frontier...INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOKS!

I had a great first week of school!  I love seeing and meeting the kids for the first time, and I look forward to getting to know them.  Since I have been teaching at my school for quite some time (I'm one of the "veterans"), sometimes the kids have already heard about me from their friends or siblings.  However, here's one thing that my former students weren't able to talk about - Interactive Notebooks!  On the third day of school, we began setting up these bad boys, and so far, the kids are really enjoying it!

To start, I had committed to creating INBs since last spring.  Therefore, when we were asked to check over the school supply list for the new school year, I was able to add a composition notebook and a 3-pack of tape OR a 3-pack of glue sticks (absolutely NO white glue...ew!).  I was also able to use my remaining EEF funds to buy composition notebooks and tape from Office Depot.  I was so happy, because I teach 130-140 kids (it's still up in the air with schedule changes), and I only had to give about 10 notebooks to students!  One student even brought me a notebook to "pay" me back!

Then, I explained to the students that their notebooks are theirs to keep, and they would be able to decorate it any way they would like.  I gave them a warning, however, that I would be checking them regularly, so they better not have anything written inside or outside of it that is not "school appropriate".

Our school has changed it's bell schedule, and we now start 12 minutes earlier than in the past.  Therefore, I printed out our bell schedule so that the students can tape it in the front cover the their notebooks.  On the first page, I showed the students "Numbers About Me", and explained that they should decorate it using numbers that are important in their lives.

*Side note - mine looks cute right?  However, um, my birthday is wrong!  Lol...I was getting ideas from someone else's, and I accidentally wrote down the wrong year!  Haha!  I'm glad that I can laugh at myself :)

The next few pages are the Table of Contents (TOC) pages and Words Worth Knowing (WWK) pages.

In hindsight, I wish that I didn't use marker to make lines on my TOC pages, but oh well!  I had the students make 4 TOC pages and 8 WWK pages.

Finally, page 1 - My classroom info page.  Again, thanks to Sarah for the idea!

Class Information

Inside my class info page!

Pages 2-3 was my INB Expectations pages.  Sorry about page 3...I wasn't finished with my "give me five" page before taking the picture!

INB Expectations and "Give Me 5"

Inside INB Expectations page

Pages 4-5 were the learning styles pages.  Again, Sarah has some great ideas!  I haven't had a chance to draw my study tips...I'm such a slacker :(

Learning Styles...not finished yet!

At last, pages 6-7 I had the students complete a multiple intelligences inventory.  Before showing them my completed inventory, I had the students try to guess which one was my strongest.  Many of my kids weren't able to guess that I have a strong logical-mathematical intelligence...they were mostly guessing verbal.  I guess I talk to much?

And that's it!  I have had positive feedback from my students, ranging from "I like being organized!" to "Are we going to have arts and crafts day everyday?"  When I told them "math day" was going to be the next day, they didn't seem too happy.  Oh well...can't please everyone!