I have read several posters mention they are going to be using interactive notebooks. I gather this is some sort of notebook that keeps kids organized but what all does it contain? How is it used? I need to use something that will keep kids Math notes, HW, assignments, calendar and syllabus all in one place. Does the interactive notebook do that? Does anyone else have a different method of keeping the students work and materials organized? Thanks!
Google the words interactive notebook. There are lots of resources out there for finding info about them. This will be my first year using them so I am still learning too. The best thing, IMHO, about them is that you can tailor them to meet your needs. I think everyone does them a bit differently.
Here is a link gathered from a lot of teachers. http://interactive-notebooks.wikispaces.com/ Also, if you do a search on this site, you will find discussion threads.
In short, an interactive notebook is a way of organizing your students and ensuring that they interact with the content. You think of each lesson as two-fold - a teacher directed side and a student interactive side. On the teacher side is the presentation of material - it can take many forms, but it is the knowledge/comprehension level of a lesson. After the teacher directed part of the lesson, the students interact with the information using the higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy. Again, this can take many forms. The link Wig posted is a great compilation of info links, and I believe there is even an example of a math ISN. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!
