Incorporating Interactive Notebooks for the Next Generation Science Standards for Kindergarten and First Grade




Are you looking for a new ways to empower you to implement the Next Generation Science Standards with your students?  These new research based science standards give teachers the flexibility to create classroom experiences to enliven student interest that will serve them throughout their lives
as they deepen their thinking and become more curious. Many educators are scrambling about trying to find meaningful science activities and lessons that align with these new standards. Several districts do not have up-to-date resources on hand that will support teachers as they create lesson plans that incorporate the Next Generation Science Standards. Keeping this in mind, I developed this Science Interactive Note with young students in mind. I researched each standard for kindergarten and first grade and designed this Science Interactive Notebook. I have utilized these activities in my own classroom with lots of success. Students are naturally curious and once you provide them with opportunities to make discoveries on their own they will flourish. Interactive Notebooks are a great way for students to show of their knowledge.  In this notebook,  you will find activities in Weather and Climate, Ecoystems, Forces and Interactions, Engineering Design, Heredity, Earth's Place in the Universe, Light and Sound, and Plants and Animals. You will be excited to see over 60 different topics covered. You can find a full list of topics by checking in out here. 










               
              

             


              


Have you tried Interactive Notebooks in your classroom? I gave it try with my Kindergartners and it was a HUGE SUCCESS. Interactive Notebooks are a fantastic, fun way for students to learn and interact with new information as well as a great way to practice and review skills introduced. By adding an interactive feature, learning becomes more meaningful and will spark interest. This type of learning involves so much more than just simply listening to the teacher and then filling out boring worksheets. Keeping interactive notebooks in the classroom helps kids to be more responsible and take an active part in their learning. Unlike worksheets that go home and often don't ever get looked at again, interactive notebooks stay in the classroom as students work in them to build upon and review skills. It is also great for all those paras and incoming teachers that come into the classroom because they will have a better sense as to what topics you are learning about and what needs to be reviewed and taught. 


Interactive Notebooks provide a way for students to think and plan and use their creative side while they write, draw, color, cut, and glue. You can use different interactive notebooks in so many ways in all subject areas at any grade level. You may think that all this cutting and gluing might be a little scary especially, for the little ones. However, if you plan things out right while thinking about where your students are developmentally and let the students work at their own pace, it can be done!  



When creating my interactive notebooks for kindergarten, I thought about being sure that my activities did not require a lot of complex cutting skills. I made sure that there was not any complex folding or the notebook did not contain too many flaps. I also thought about not having lots of lose pieces that can easily become lost. I've seen some really cool interactive notebooks with pockets to keep pieces in, however I think that this may cause a problem with little ones, as pieces will just fall out and get lost. If you teach kindergarten or first grade, then you know how upset students can get if they lose something. They can cry so easily. 





So far, I've created six interactive notebooks. A couple of years ago I introduced my Alphabet Notebook and Number Sense Notebooks to my students. Students used them in small groups during either literacy center time or RTI time. At first, you need to slowly show students where to cut and fold. My interactive notebooks are very simple and easy for students as they are asked to cut only on the dotted lines and fold on the solid lines. After they fold, there is a large enough area for students to paste down in order to make simple flaps. lt is so important to provide an example of what your expectations are before the kids get started. Once they get the hang of it, they can work more independently. Once they finish a page, they can work on the next one until literacy or RTI time is over. "NO MORE, I'M DONE, NOW WHAT DO I DO NEXT."  I love interactive notebooks because it keeps students busy in a meaningful way while you are able to give your attention to other students who may be struggling. You also get a chance to run a small group for guided reading or RTI instruction. My groups are never more than four or five students to keep things manageable. 

If you are interested in viewing my collection of Interactive Notebooks for beginners, you can check them out by clicking on the following pictures that have a direct link to each product.  
Alphabet Interactive Notebook
 Alphabet Interactive Notebook
Number Sense 1-10

 
Kindergarten Literacy Interactive Notebook


Number Sense 11-20

Kindergarten Math Interactive Notebook

               
Science Interactive Notebook

If you are interested in purchasing my Kindergarten Interactive Notebook Bundle to save money check out the following link. It includes Literacy, Math and Science Activities. This Bundle will save you 35% off as these products would cost $38.00 if sold separately. It also includes many of the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards for the Entire Year! It is a fabulous way to get your students practicing their skills and show off what they have learned.


     
Kindergarten Interactive Bundle















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