How will the use of interactive notebooks impact learning and literacy in my kindergarten classroom?

Christine Manthe


Seminar Title


How will the use of interactive notebooks impact learning and literacy in my kindergarten classroom?


Concept/Strategy

Focus of the Research


Increasing literacy of alphabet letters/sounds through the use of interactive notebooks.


Grade Level

Research Was Applied


Kindergarten


Relevant Grade Level

Connections


Kindergarten


Discipline

Where Research Was Applied


Language Arts


Additional Discipline Areas

I see Application to


Reading


Invitation/Commercial


“Here today, gone tomorrow.” Does this describe your students’ grasp of material you’ve just taught them that they seemed to understand yesterday but have totally forgotten today? Are you seeking a way to create opportunities for your students to be playful and creative in their responses to learning their letters and sounds or other material? If so, then this is the session for you. I am really excited to share what I’ve learned about interactive notebooks and the impact they’ve had on my students’ learning and growth. Although my use of interactive notebooks in my kindergarten classroom was on learning letters and sounds, interactive notebooks lend themselves to all grades and all subjects. My research shows how interactive notebooks can provide activities for all the different Learning Styles and for Multiple Intelligences. It also shows how important it is to give students the opportunity to engage in active learning by allowing them time to absorb ideas/concepts and to actively process the information through a variety of activities. When students are creative and truly experience the material being taught, they remember more and learn more. So if you want to help your students develop their critical thinking and organizational skills while strengthening concepts in a creative manner, join me for a fun, enlightening session.


Abstract


The question guiding my research was as follows: “How will the use of interactive notebooks impact learning and literacy in my kindergarten classroom?” My goal was to increase student achievement in the area of alphabet letters and sounds in a fun and relevant manner. Upon reviewing literature about interactive notebooks, I found them to be based on sound theory-based instructional strategies. It is well known in educational research that instructional activities that call on learners to recall prior knowledge and link it to new information in an active and creative manner, fosters and encourages greater higher-order thinking and long lasting learning. These were the things I was hoping to incorporate into my classroom this year as I sought to push my students towards higher achievement and meaningful learning. As a result of my literature review, I introduced and used interactive notebooks in my guided reading lessons. I chose many activities that focused on reinforcing and applying letter and sound recognition. I used pre and post testing to track growth which showed increased academic achievement. I also used each of the student’s notebooks as a personal portfolio which showed their individual cognitive abilities, as well as, their small motor, auditory, and organizational skills. Through observation, I was able to gauge student interest and involvement in the lessons and activities - both remained high. I also used the knowledge I gained through formal and informal assessments to guide my teaching and to discern students who might be struggling with certain letters, sounds, or concepts. Through my research I have learned how to choose activities to incorporate into my interactive notebook to enhance instruction and comprehension of letters and sounds. I am discovering the importance of predictable activities and modeling in developing lessons to make the interactive notebook a meaningful and valuable learning tool and resource. I have learned how interactive notebooks can foster creative and independent thinking where students can process information presented in class to help them learn in an active manner. They are also a great way to teach organizational techniques. I have also discovered, however, that interactive notebooks require planning, extensive preparation of materials, and a lot of time to implement. Despite these negative aspects, I still believe interactive notebooks to be a valuable educational tool that become a portfolio of students’ work; and an outlet of student expression and a way to incorporate learning styles and multiple intelligences. As a result of my research, interest and use of interactive notebooks in my classroom this year, I will be continuing them next year with some modifications. In addition, I will be eliminating excess activities and materials while adding in some more independent and artistic projects and other more valuable academic activities. I will also need to plan for some added time as the process took longer than predicted, and the students seemed to want and need more time to process concepts and to use their notebooks.