This is the powerpoint we used at a Striving Readers Conference in Lexington, KY.

1. ISN Math Title
Belfry Middle School
Dianne Harris
Megan Smith

2. What is an
Interactive Student Notebook?
• ISN strategy originated from Addison Winston’s
program, History ALIVE!
• ISN have been adopted into many different
classrooms and modified to fit that individual
teacher’s needs
• ISN offers students the opportunity to be creative,
independent thinkers and writers
• ISN becomes a portfolio of a student’s work and
thinking process

3. What does our ISN look like?
Left Page: INPUT Right Page: OUTPUT
1 2 • Modification
Bell Ringer
• Organization
• Procedure
Content
Student
Reflection

4. What material do you need for
Interactive Student Notebooks?
• Spiral Bound Notebook
• Scissors
• Glue
• Highlighters
• Crayons/Colored Pencils (no markers)
• Pencils
Suggestion: Create a class set of “ISN Kits”

5. Why use an ISN in your class?
• Actively Engaged
• Organization
• Individual Student Portfolios
• Provides students time to process information
• Changes the appearance of a Math Classroom
• Establish connections between Math and Literacy

6. How to incorporate an ISN
in math class
• Get students on board
• Set aside a class period to “set up” notebooks as a
class (PowerPoint including pictures)
• Make ISN a daily classroom procedure
• Emphasize the importance of keeping an organized
and orderly ISN
• Use the ISN daily

7. What does it take to make an
ISN successful?
• Teacher keeps an ISN
• Make it fun and interesting
• Keep extra blank notebooks (lost or new students)
• Provide all materials in classroom
• ISN never leaves the classroom

8. Interactive Student Notebooks
Set-Up PowerPoint
• Give students time to bring in their own notebook
• Provide notebooks if needed (Wal-Mart Back-to-School Special: 1 subject
spiral bound 70 page notebooks for $0.05 each )
• PowerPoint includes slides to walk student through the
following: (always include pictures)
- Cover (provide sticker with name)
- Title Page (name, class, period, teacher)
- Table of Contents (4 pages)
- Insert first assignment (What is a mathematician?)

9. Benefits to Using
Interactive Student Notebooks
• Hands-On/Heads-On
• Organization for all students
• Uses different learning styles
• Every student can be successful
• Every student is actively engaged
• Changes personal opinion of math
• Eliminates “I can’t find it” excuses
• Provides opportunities for daily literacy exercises
in math classrooms

10. What can be included on Left Side
of Interactive Student Notebooks
• Striving Readers Strategies (Frayer Models, KWL, Double Entry
Journals, Anticipation Guides, etc.)
• Foldables (Books by Dinah Zike http://www.dinah.com/index.php)
• Note Taking Strategies (Cornell Notes, Guided Notes, etc.)

11. What can be included on Right Side
of Interactive Student Notebooks
• Brainstorming • Songs
• Venn Diagrams • Magazine Covers
• Reflections • Riddles
• Flow Charts • Illustrated Dictionary
• Concept Maps • Media Clippings
• Illustrations
• Writing Prompts
• Cartoons
• Data/Graphs
• Quick Writes
• Graphic Organizers
• Poems Cinquain, Haiku, etc.

12. Helpful Websites for
Interactive Student Notebooks
• http://www.mrgreer.net/interactivenotebook.html