Are you using interactive notebooks in science?
I used interactive notebooks in science for a number of years in my classroom. Were they fun? Absolutely! Did my students enjoy them? They sure did! Did my students learn? Of course they did.
So, why would I change things up?
Well, here is the backstory. During my 3rd year of teaching, I actually taught math and science. In science, I used interactive notebooks, and in math, I used a flipped classroom approach. It was kind of new then, and I had the perfect math class to try it out.
At the end of the year, in my math class, each and every one of my students PASSED and SHOWED GROWTH.
I knew there was something to this approach, so I tried a version of it in my science classes the following year and fell in love!

Why You Should Move Beyond Using Interactive Notebooks in Science
As I mentioned, there wasn’t really a problem with interactive notebooks in science. Using interactive notebooks in the classroom was neat. I liked how they were fun to put together and, when done correctly, students were able to process the information through the activity portion of the notebooks (drawing pictures, answering questions, creating graphic organizers, etc.).
However, there were two things that I did not like about interactive notebooks in science.
- I did not like the time it took to complete the lessons. It felt like so much wasted time. I just felt like I spent a whole bunch of lost time showing students how to cut the foldables, glue, decorate, complete the reflection activities, and so much more. I just felt that the actually “learning” time was taken away. Some students finished quickly as we had to wait on the other students to catch up. I started to wonder: are interactive notebooks effective? Is it really the most productive way to teach the content and engage students in science?
- I also felt like I was completely worn out at the end of the day. Teaching the same thing six times a day is exhausting. That was SIX times a day that I was teaching students how to cut, fold, and more in addition to teaching the content.
There was SO much wasted time, and I was SO tired!
Since I had such a successful flipped classroom in my math class, I wanted to try something similar in my science classes!
What is the In-Class Flipped Model?
So, the math class that I had gave me the ability to do the traditional flipped model. The students were responsible, took control of their learning, and they all had internet access at home.
This was not the case for my science classes. I taught at a Title I school. All of my students did not have internet access at home, and even if they did, honestly, they would probably not do the work at home.
I knew that all of the learning needed to take place in the classroom during school hours, and I had to figure out the best way to accomplish this!
So, I began the in-class flipped classroom approach! It has also been called “spinning the classroom”. So, what did I do?
- I created a lesson slideshow.
- I recorded the lessons and posted them on the YouTube (DISCLAIMER: THIS IS ANCIENT!!). I believe in a new approach now, so read more to find out)!
- I received a Donor’s Choose grant to get a class set of headphones. Students could also bring in their own. They listened to the video and recorded their notes in a notebook. This notebook had a table of contents just like an interactive notebook would.
- If some students finished early, I had assignments for them to work on until we were finished as a class. The activities would vary based on the topic they were working on.
So, now, instead of videos, I highly recommend interactive lessons! This is a digital lesson where students can read through the content on their own, and instead of trying to soak in all of the information at once, there are questions embedded to help students process the lesson content!
You can choose for students to keep their digital notes inside whatever learning platform you have or you can print out the guided notes for students to keep in a binder!
There are SO many options with this approach!

Advantages of In-Class Flipping Your Classroom
I love this approach for SO many reasons!
Here are just a few:
- It maximizes class time. Instead of cutting, gluing, explaining, etc. Students are using that time to learn, and the interactive lessons are still very engaging.
- Students can work at their own pace. You always have students who work faster than others. This allows the early finishers to get what they need, but don’t feel like they are wasting their time waiting on their classmates. Instead, they can work ahead and study vocabulary, explore a PhET simulation, watch a video on the subject, and more! It’s a great way to differentiate and those students can get a head start on widening their knowledge on the subject.
- It’s great for all types of learners. Those that are more of a visual learner, this is perfect! They can read through the content, explore the pictures, and more. What about those students that are more auditory? Well, there are also videos embedded in the interactive lesson that they can listen to. So, what about those students that are more hands-on? Don’t worry…the in-class flipped approach leaves SO much more time for those hands-on activities!
- It allows the TEACHER, YOU, more time to be free to do what’s needed. You can walk around the classroom to meet students as they need your help. You can also catch any misconceptions right on the spot. As you walk around, you will notice students working through the embedded questions in the interactive lessons. This is where you can address any needs you may see. This is valuable time. You also have time for other things while students are working at their own pace. Need to pull out small groups? Need to read that email? Need to grade a stack of quick papers? It’s a great time for multitasking. It frees the teacher up, and the students are actually learning better than they would with direct instruction!
- It increases student engagement. Each student is reading the material, and each student is answering the questions.
I could go on and on!

Making the Transition
So, is this something that you are interested in?
- First, you have to decide how you want to present the notes. Do you want to record videos or use interactive lessons?
- Once you decide, create a letter to share with parents about the changes you’ll be making and the benefits of this approach.
- You can always start small. You could try it out a few times to see how it works in your classroom.
- Have patience. It will work out, and it’s totally worth it.
If you have any questions at all about this approach, feel free to email me at kayla@brightinthemiddle.com!
Will you make the switch from using interactive notebooks in science to an in-class flipped approach?
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[…] used to teach using interactive notebooks, but then I quit and moved on to a different approach. If you want to use interactive lessons for independent note-taking for your students, you can […]