======Five Good Reasons to use Science Notebooks: In-Class Collaborations======

Gilbert, J. & Kotelman, M. (2005). Five good reasons to use science notebooks. //Science & Children, 43//(3), 28-32.
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After reading the Gilbert and Kotelman (2005) article above, students were asked to work with their peers to generate ideas about the importance of using science notebooks in a classroom. As a small group (about 3-4 students), the students rendered a main idea and several personal thoughts about each of the five reasons for using science notebooks.


=====1. Science Notebooks Are Thinking Tools=====

^ {{:strategies:literacy:writing:writingstrategies:sciencenotebookpages:s6300304.jpg?490x300}}  ^                 {{:strategies:literacy:writing:writingstrategies:sciencenotebookpages:notebooks_1.jpg?390x300}} ^

|**Personal Thoughts:**| **Main Ideas:**|
|Students can construct their own understandings| Notebooks served as tools for the students to construct conceptual understandings|
|Teachers can use them to enhance learning| Wondering|
|You can see the growth and learning processes| Students were interacting more deeply with the subject|
| Promotes individual thinking and questioning| **Personal Thoughts:**| 
|Encourages students to talk with each other| We believe that using science notebooks would be beneficial to students' learning|
|Allows for follow up|
|Use writing for thinking and active learning|\\
|Puts their thoughts into their own words by allowing them to form their own ideas- freedom of expression|
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=====2. Notebooks Guide Teacher Instruction=====

^ {{:strategies:literacy:writing:writingstrategies:sciencenotebookpages:notebooks_2.jpg?400x300}} ^
|**Main Idea:**|
|Notebooks allow teachers to have insight into their students thoughts. It provides teachers with a direction of where to go next with the lesson.| 
|**Personal Thoughts:** We like it because...|
|Student directed learning|
|Teachers have a clear understanding of where their students are at|

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=====3. Notebooks Enhance Literacy Skills=====

^ {{:strategies:literacy:writing:writingstrategies:sciencenotebookpages:notebooks_3.jpg?400x300}} ^
|**Main Idea:** Notebooks offer numerous opportunities to develop and enhance students' communication skills, written, visual, and oral.|
|**Personal Thoughts:**|
|Notebooks are a good idea that help with creating a more comprehensive curriculum. It allows teachers to observe students' thinking and ideas in a tangible way.|
|Notebooks also help students organize their ideas in a systematic way.|
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=====4. Notebooks Support Differentiated Learning=====

^ {{:strategies:literacy:writing:writingstrategies:sciencenotebookpages:s6300168.jpg?490x300}} ^ {{:strategies:literacy:writing:writingstrategies:sciencenotebookpages:notebooks_4.jpg?490x300}} ^
|**Main Idea:**| **Notebooks Include:**|
|Notebooks help students write their ideas in ways that they will be able to understand.| Observational Drawings, Graphs, Tables, Charts, Questions, Key Learnings|
|**Personal Thoughts:**| **Personal Thoughts:**|
|They provide an easy way to organize one's thoughts and findings.|All children can be successful/not compared to others.|
|They allow students to work at their own pace.|Teachers can give written feedback to each individual and assess their skills/abilities and progress.|
|A great way to assess students progress by comparing their own work instead of comparing to other students' work.| Students can write in their primary language so it makes the most sense to the individual.|
|Notebooks help all students at different levels to communicate what they are learning.| We like this because students are able to write in their primary language.|
|Notebooks provide a space where children who may not be strong writers to illustrate what they are learning.|
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=====5. Notebooks Foster Teacher Collaboration=====

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|**Personal Thoughts:**|
|More than one way to organize and express ideas|
|Build off of what others think|
|Allows teachers to try new ideas|
|**Teachers could have notebooks:**|
|Keep notes about what works/fails|
|Allow teachers to see how students learn|

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Adam Devitt designed this in-class activity and related assignment as part of his Master's project.  See:
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Devitt, A. (2010). Science notebook explorations: Week 4. In //Implementing science notebooks and reading strategies in a physics course for prospective elementary and middle school teachers.// (Master's Project). Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University.  Retrieved from http://contentbuilder.merlot.org/toolkit/html/stitch.php?s=68418716982397&id=912672175944477