Back to School - Setting Up Notebooks

It's nearing the time to welcome a new batch of fresh faces into my classroom.  I'm sad to see summer fading away, but I still can't help the excitement I'm feeling with the new school year coming soon.

It's a busy time of year, and a big part of that is planning notebooks.  I set up six of them ahead of time for samples for students to use.  I keep those for new students that come in throughout the year.

I'm excited to share what I've put together so far!

I have started having my kids use their bathroom passes in their notebooks.  It means that they have to have the notebook in class to go to the bathroom.  They get three a six weeks.  If they don't use them, they switch out a daily grade for a free 100.  I value my class time.  If you want it, this is a freebie on my store.  You can get that here.  

 I like having a place I can refer the kids to about what they need in their notebooks.  I had a version of this last year, but we didn't really use it because it was way too wordy.  They year I made my own version of it.  I love it!!
















 In science, measurement is such a key part of a successful year.  That's also a skill that the kids will use throughout their lives.  I make sure, right at the beginning of the year, we get clear about what I'm going to expect.  I use the foldable to discuss what each tool measures and the units they MUST include.  If you want, you can get it from my store here.

Safety is something I have to go over every year.  I've used another source for these pages but they were never convenient to stick in my notebook.  So once again, I made my own version.  In the lab, I always need my kids to have something to refer to in case of emergency.  We have them around the room, but I'm happy with how these turned out.  If you want this page, you can get it here.   

This has been my bestselling product so far.  My kids have to know how to graph, what to include, and which on to use.  I use these notebook pages to go over it at the beginning of the year to include what I expect.  My kids refer back to it all year.  If you want these super awesome pages, you can get them here. 

Last but not lease, I have where I keep track of their grades.  I know a lot of people don't grade their notebooks.  I grade their notebooks though.  I grade them for completion.  I stamp their work and labs when they complete them.  That helps me grade quickly later.     

 I hope you have gotten something out of this.  I seriously enjoy this planning stage of the year.  Have a wonderful rest of your summer, if you have one left!