I love the idea of interactive notebooks, but they always felt too involved and took way too much of my class time. In my classroom, cutting and gluing cute clip-art-filled notebook parts always turned into a messy waste of time. However, I was very reluctant to give up the concept of notebooks because I love how they let the students record their learning for reference and parent access.

Thus, my "Not-so-interactive Notebook" was born!

I think you will find that this notebook is a much simpler way of keeping track of standards taught. Here is how it works: I have turned EVERY Louisiana State Math Standard (updated 2016) for 3rd Grade into an "I can" statement. Each standard has its own title section for a page in the notebook. Every notebook item is one large rectangle shape (easy to cut and glue). These title sections have simple designs that can easily be colored, if desired. Each title has the standard number on it for your reference as you teach through the year. After the title section is glued into the notebook, the rest of the page is up to you.

In my classroom, we record in the notebooks when mastery is accomplished, as a sort of review/informal assessment of knowledge. I usually give the students an example problem that they copy down and discuss. Then, I give them about 3-5 practice problems to complete on the rest of the page. This is a great time for me to walk around, check understanding and assist struggling students. I can quickly identify who hasn't mastered the topic, and if all goes well, all students will have a simple page of examples for future reference.

I have also included a "Table of Contents" page. This is a great tool! In three weeks, when your student has no recollection of a lesson you taught, you can simply direct them to their notebook's table of contents to find a quick review.

I feel that this notebook will make math instruction easier for you, because each standard is already spelled out, and that will make referencing prior knowledge easier for your students and parents.
WIN,WIN!

THIS LOUISIANA VERSION OF THE MATH NOTEBOOK IS ONLY SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM MY ORIGINAL COMMON CORE STANDARDS NOTEBOOK. TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEW LOUISIANA STANDARDS I MADE THE FOLLOWING CHANGES:
- deleted 3.MD.7d (about adding areas together to find total area)
- added 3.MD.9 (money word problems)
EVERYTHING ELSE IS COMPLETELY THE SAME.