Middle School Math Interactive Notebooks

What are interactive notebooks?

Interactive notebooks are a space for students to collect their thoughts and practice new skills. This resource combines classroom notes and practical applications of math concepts — all in one, easy-to-access place. 

Interactive notebooks are a great tool in the middle school math classroom. They provide students with a resource that has information they need right in front of them. The notes are helpful when there are pictures, images, graphs, or tables to demonstrate math concepts. An interactive notebook also helps students to build organization and note-taking skills. 

How to start an interactive notebook

There is no wrong way to start an interactive notebook. The best method depends on the plan to collect information and use the resource.  

Some educators start with a table of contents because it helps both students and teachers know how to label each page. A table of contents in an interactive notebook also serves as a place of reference when looking for information. 

Another way to start an interactive notebook is to separate the notebook into sections. The sections depend on the unit topics. Each unit can be color-coded or marked with tabs for easy reference in an interactive notebook. 

What should be in an interactive notebook?

When thinking about what to include in interactive notebooks for middle school math, you should consider how you want students to engage with the resource. 

Interactive notebooks should include:

• A clearly defined way to locate information
• Notes for students about math concepts
• Opportunities to practice new skills and learning
• Engaging visuals for reference

My method for using math notebooks includes super quick, easy foldables. I used this method because it saves time in the classroom. Foldables have a few cuts and a few simple folds. The goal is not to spend a ton of time manipulating the interactive notebook. The goal is to jump right into the math.

Interactive notebook foldables

Foldables help address the various ‘what-ifs’ that happen every day in school. When students are absent, it is easy for them to catch up with a foldable. They don’t have to worry about recreating diagrams and notes. Students can take the foldable page home to complete, which eliminates the possibility of a lost interactive notebook. Could you imagine losing all of that information? 

This interactive notebook method also helps students who need more time for note-taking stay on track. Notes are transferred easily from the board to the paper. Students that need more time can reference a master sheet if necessary, which helps them keep up with the movement of the class. 

Using foldables has saved time overall in our math class. I print them on white paper and students who like to color them in can do so; making it their own. Also, a foldable provides more space for students to take notes and complete independent practice problems. 

How to use interactive notebooks in the math classroom

Interactive notebooks are a great tool to use in the math classroom because they provide students with a resource that has essential math information all in one place. 

Teachers can use interactive notebooks as a learning skills teaching tool. Students will learn organization, note-taking, and categorizing skills. Through the teacher’s modeling of their process for adding and organizing information, students will be able to become better note-takers and critical thinkers. 

I project a foldable onto the smartboard. The foldable is an outline of the lesson I am teaching in my classroom. The students fill it in along with me as I teach the class. We work through a variety of guided questions. Then students complete an independent practice section of the foldable on their own. 

Interactive notebooks can also be a companion to textbooks and unit plans, which is helpful in the math classroom because concepts build on one another. As the school year progresses, notebooks become a collection of the information students need to master new skills. 

Resources for middle school math interactive notebooks

The best thing about the way I use interactive notebooks is that we don’t use many supplies. We use composition notebooks, scissors, colored pencils/crayons/highlighters (optional) and glue in our classroom. Go with the glue bottles over glue sticks to save cost.

Using this foldable resource for interactive notebooks works well for our middle school math classroom. It saves time and provides tons of opportunities for practice. Consistency with interactive notebooks is important, and if you keep it simple, you can keep it consistent. 

I open up Flip4Math University a few times a year for the middle school math teacher community. I provide math concept-focused videos, easy-to-implement activities, and resources like the Foldables Bundle to help math teachers feel prepared, energized, and confident math leaders. Join the waitlist here.