Mini ISN's: A Great Tool for Organizing A Unit

I have used binders, interactive notebooks, folders and just about anything for students to get organized, reflect, and analyze their notes. Some students love to just glue into a composition notebook or 3 whole punch and stick in a binder. Usually I allow them to organize any way they see fit, at least my GT classes. But a year or so ago I added to the end of the year what I call a mini-ISN. I have students take anywhere from 8-10 pages of computer paper and fold in half, and use a piece of yard to bind it, very simple. Then voila' a mini ISN (Interactive Science Notebook) a compact, portable, interactive study guide. I have taken a survey every year and by far, overwhelming results, students love these self-made, class organized, review tool.

This not only cuts down on paper because all their notes are in this same booklet, it also is a fun way to collect and compile all the graphic organizers of the unit. I even have students unpack the TEK"S (standards) and reflect on their mastery at the end of the journal. My favorite mini ISN is the one students create on Ecosystems, Energy Transfer, and Succession. Here are some pictures of the mini ISN pages for some inspiration. Test scores improved, retention improved and STAAR scores have increased since I have integrated these little gems into my classroom, because they are student-driven and organized they are a more fluid way for students to study and practice concepts. In fact every year my students come back and say they used them to study for their 8th grade STAAR test.

Interactive note books are a support tool that are important for several reasons: they help students organize and synthesize information by creating a visual manipulative, they accommodate different learning styles, tactile and visual, they can be used for parents and teachers to monitor progress, students can compare theirs with another students, asking questions about interpretation and understanding. Also, students can be creative and use their notebook to study. The more freedom a student has to design and construct their own tool, ISN, the more they own their learning. Finally, ISN's are used to reflect on their progress. Writing a reflection is key to understanding their growth and personal mastery of the content.