Using Interactive Notebooks in Social Studies

We all know Social Studies textbooks are bulky, outdated, and boring! I rarely used them with my 5th graders. Well, when they weren’t collecting dust I did use them to prop stuff up;). Interactive Notebooks are a much better alternative!

So I had students create their own Social Studies “bible.” No papers falling out of binders or flying out of folders. No lugging around a heavy textbook.  I know what you are thinking. Yes, I did have my little friends who needed extra attention to conquer the loose paper monster. But for the most part, Social Studies notebooks were a one stop shop for everything. And you better believe come testing season, my students were thanking me for making them glue “all the things” in one place!

I always loved having my student personalize their writers’ notebooks. I think it would really bring a positive, fun connotation to Social Studies if you let students decorate their S.S. notebook, too! It hurts my heart but I know that most kiddos (and lots of teachers) think SS is boring. Well, it definitely can be! After you have your plan for notebook organization, then go back and read this post and you will see how to remedy that! Turning History Haters into Engaged Enthusiasts

Organization really is teacher preference. There is more than one school of thought on how to set-up an Interactive Notebook. One approach is the super-structured method. Teachers have students keep a very detailed Table of Contents and require certain items on the left side and certain on the right, etc. They may also grade them with a very-detailed rubric. Well, this lady is a “creative” and I didn’t have my students number their pages and all organize their notebook exactly the same way. We used post-it notes as section dividers. I did notebook spot check participation grades for completion or would have students turn them in on test days. I would give students a checklist of the exact assignments I was looking for ahead of time.

The reason I said I collected notebooks on test days was because one thing I required for each unit was completion of the Picture Dictionaries. I created picture dictionaries as a means to better support my English Language Learners. These unique study guides included pictures, a short definition in the student’s own words, and a sentence applying it in context. Students would fill them out in class during discussions or by using close reading passages. I also required students to keep all reading passages in the notebook along with fold-ables, timelines, maps, and other notes. Having my students use the picture dictionaries instead of a traditional study guide made the content more manageable, especially since I did not allow students to copy from a glossary. And if they copied from Google, I took off points! When students got stuck, I would say “tell me about —” and when they responded I told them write down that!! It should be in kid-friendly language!

I have the entire collection (with answer keys) from George (Washington) to George (H.W. Bush) available in the Hip History Shop!! Join the Picture Dictionary Club to get access to all of them! Picture Dictionary Club