Rethinking the Interactive Notebook with Five Star®

I had used interactive notebooks in my classroom long before they became a “thing.”  My very first interactive notebook was what I called our Brain Book, and it was ten years ago!  It was a student planner, workspace, and note keeper for my students.  We used one notebook for every subject, and it was taken home every night for parents to look at and sign.

Interactive notebooks in my classroom have evolved over the years.  For the past few, each subject has its own notebook, which may change in the future.  I’m still debating on that one.  I still used the classic composition notebook, but that will be changing for next year!

This post has been sponsored by Five Star®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I recently partnered with Five Star® and wanted to share with you eight reasons why I will be using these notebooks for next year’s interactive notebook!

1. This customizable interactive notebook contains a durable plastic cover that allows students to personalize their notebooks, or in this case, I am able to give them a specific cover, and they place it inside the pocket.  This eliminates the need to glue the printable onto the cover and then to later find that they have fallen off.

2.  Pockets, pockets, pockets!  Yes, I said pockets!  I was so excited to see these.  The left side is excellent for placing loose pages, or in this case, our reading bookmark.  The right side has two pockets that clasp shut and are perfect for a paperclip, index cards, and sticky notes for students to quickly access when reading.

3.  The table of contents is already in place and labeled!  All students need to do is to add the date, topic/description, and page number.  What is even really special about the table of contents pages is that the paper is thick and extremely durable.  No worrying that the table of contents gets torn out!

4.  I also like that The Five Star® Interactive Notebook is the size of a regular spiral notebook.  I can easily print full-size pages, like my anchor charts, for students to attach without having to stand at the copy machine and try not to forget to shrink each page I want for students.  The size of the notebook also provides students with a lot more writing space, which can be very helpful for those students that need it.

5.  The page number block and side margin is great for organization and provides a space for those students who like to personalize their notebooks even further!

As you can see, The Five Star® Interactive Note has definitely made me rethink the interactive notebook and what I’ve used for many years.  I’ve even added it to my student school supply list for the next school year.

Mandy Neal at Teaching With Simplicity
Mandy Neal at Teaching With Simplicity

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