- Notebooks must be kept for the entire year. Students are responsible for keeping their notebooks up to date with notes and assignments.
- Notebooks must be neat and easy to read. Coloring and illustration is allowed on the left side of the notebook only.
- Notebooks will be collected on Fridays unless otherwise noted by the teacher, but assignments will be checked on the day they are due.
- Scoring: In addition to individual grades on assignments, the completed notebook will be graded based on the attached rubric.
- The interactive notebook must contain: 1) table of contents, 2) author page, and 3) all assignments, as well as an envelope in the back to store works in progress.
- All work must be your own. No copying from other students or sources is allowed.
These are the types of assignments that will be completed on the left-hand side of the book:
- Maps – illustrate an area, its events, and importance
- Brainstorming on a specific topic
- Caricatures – draw caricatures to present the main characteristics of a group in history or how an individual or group was perceived by another group.
- Obituaries – write obituaries to show the virtues of prominent historical figures or civilizations.
- Charts and Graphs – create charts or graphs to show relationships between things or to show steps in a sequence.
- Spoke Diagrams – create spoke diagrams as a visual alternative to outlining.
- T-Charts – create T-charts to compare classroom experiences with historical details, to look at advantages and disadvantages of a topic, or to compare and contrast two different items.
- Venn Diagrams – create Venn diagrams to compare and contrast people, concepts, places, or groups.
- Forms of Poetry – write various forms of poetry to describe a person, place, event, or feeling of a moment.
- Historical Journals – assume the role of a historical figure to keep a journal that recounts the figure’s feelings and experiences in language of the era.
- Illustrated Timelines – create illustrated timelines to sequence a series of events in chronological order.
- Invitations – design invitations that highlight the main goals and key facts of important historical events.
- Mind Notes – draw and label outlines of the heads of important historical figures. Fill in the outline with quotations and paraphrased thoughts from the figure.
- Perspective Pieces – design drawings or write newspaper articles to represent different perspectives on controversial figures, events, and concepts.
- Political Cartoons and Comic Strips – create political cartoons and comic strips to provide social or political commentary on important historical events.
- Posters – draw posters to emphasize key points about political ideas, a political figure’s point of view, or reasons behind important historical events.
- Provocative Statements – react to provocative statements to introduce historical themes or to critically assess a historical period.
- “What If?” Statements – use “what if?” statements to apply newfound knowledge to hypothetical historical situations.
How the notebook works:
Left side: assignments are completed or worksheets are glued or stapled in.
Right side: classroom notes, outlines, and assessments.
Notebooks will be completed once or twice a month and checked, but assignments will be checked as they are assigned.
