Science Interactive Notebook

What is it?  Your interactive notebook will be used in class daily to help you learn and remember important scientific concepts.  The notebook helps you to use all of your brain to sort, categorize, remember, and creatively interact with the new knowledge you are gaining.  It will dramatically improve your learning if you do it correctly.

  1. Cover-  Decorate your cover with your name and title
  2. Inside front cover-  you will glue or place this paper
  3. On back cover- paste or place the behavior contract
  4. Note-taking- all notes will be taken in Cornell notes style
  5. Labs-  should be written in notebook as well except ones you are given handouts for
  6. Your notebook is ONLY for Science.  You are NEVER to rip any pages out
  7. Any additional or typed documents will be given to you to paste or tape into your notebook or to store in your folder.
  8. It is critical that you use color as part of your note taking system to organize the information and differentiate between sections as well as for illustrations.

Grading-  This notebook is worth 25% of your grade!!!  Notebooks will be graded on a weekly to bi-weekly basis.  You will grade another person’s notebook and sign the record sheet.  You will use the rubric below to assign points.

                                 Poor(1)        Average(2)             Excellent(3)

Organization

Somewhat organized, may include divisions and some sections may be labeled, poor writing

Sections and divisions are apparent, has the required elements, writing is legible

Has all sections and divisions clearly labeled and may be color coded, neat and tidy

Questions/

Main Ideas

Has a few questions written or a few main ideas written in the left column

Has questions and main ideas written for each set of notes

Has higher level thinking questions and well labeled main ideas, usually color coded

Notes

Has written some notes

Has written good notes

Has written excellent notes with color and illustrations when appropriate

Visual

Notebook is not visually appealing, just the basics, no color

Notebook is visually appealing with some color

Notebook is visually excellent with lots of color and well laid out

Summary

Has one or two summaries written per week

Has 3 to 4 summaries written per week

Summary for each day and they are 3 to 4 sentences long