After completing this activity, students will
- begin their use of science notebooks with a sense of personal ownership.
- familiarize themselves with routines around using their science notebooks.
Students receive their science notebooks and take the time to make them their own.
After completing this activity, students will
There are many benefits to sharing students’ science notebooks – both with teachers and with other students. However, it’s important to balance this public aspect of the notebook with the personal. If students view their science notebook as their own, the notebook will become more than simply a place to complete assignments for the teacher. It will become the student's tool for recording observations, reflections, and other thinking around science.
Giving students a chance to personalize their science notebooks by decorating the cover at the moment they receive the notebook is a great way to start building this sense of ownership. Take a look at these example covers to get an idea.
Fulton, L. & Campbell, B. (2004). Student-centered notebooks. Science and Children, 42(3), 26-29.
Learn how notebooks can help your students think and act like scientists.