So you have started an Interactive Student Notebook, used it for a year and are ready to take it to the next level… How do you add a layer of sophistication and organization to your students ISN? Consider adding Unit Pages!

In addition to providing organization to your ISN, unit pages can be used for previewing or reviewing a unit. I mostly use unit pages to help students develop schema prior to teaching a unit.  You know that “dead time” you have after students finish a test? I use this time to have students preview the upcoming unit and create a unit page.  My directions look like this:

• Skim pages # – # (usually the next chapter, but sometimes my units are smaller)
• Look at all of the pictures and read all of the captions.
• Read all of the subheadings.
• On the next clean page of your ISN, create a unit page – it needs
  • a quote from the chapter (I usually guide students to pull what looks like an important sentence)
  • images to represent the topics you see
  • 3 key vocabulary terms
  • the essential question (I provide)
  • 3 or more colors
  • no white spaces