My students use their notebooks every day. They have two. One notebook is a "first grade notebook". This is where their journal prompts, notes, and practice goes daily. The second notebook is a "Center Notebook". That notebook only contains the students center work if their is no worksheet at the center. For example, at the spelling center, my students roll, write, and create sentences using their spelling or sight words. This eliminates daily grading for me because I can check the notebooks when we have our weekly teacher/student conference. Any student who has not been working during centers will know I will find out when I check their work for the week. It eliminates the social aspect of my groups and helps them stay focused.
The students and I had to learn how to use notebooks in the beginning of the year. They had to learn how and where to place the date and title and what I expected out of their notebooks. Sounds like a lot from first graders, but they LOVED these. Each student had a composition notebook. I take the cover and paste it on. On the first page, we glue the guidelines and expectations sheet. This sheet explains what I expect out of each journal entry. This is great because when a student says, "I'm done already, Ms. C!!", I can tell them to check their guidelines and make sure they have everything listed. It really showed them the importance of checking your work.
I created copies of the title page and guidelines for free on TPT. Click here to get your own copy! Let me know what you think.
How do you use notebooks in your own classroom?
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