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  • Ideas by Jivey

    Jivey shares ideas and lessons to make literacy accessible for all.

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    Close Reading

    What Is Interactive Notetaking?

    August 15, 2015

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    Interactive notetaking is the BEST way to get information to “sink in” for your students. I first learned about it five years ago at a staff development session and never looked back. Give it a try with your students, and I bet you’ll feel the same- especially when you see how much they ENJOY it!

    If you do a search on the internet for this topic, you will find that there are all different types of strategies. I am going to share the one that has worked for me in my classroom. In my room, we use colored pencils to key our paragraphs, then we use those same colors to write phrases and draw pictures that represent the important information learned in a passage. I LOVE using this strategy in science and social studies, but you could use it in any subject! It is really just a fancy way of doing close reading. :o)

    Interactive notetaking is active learning because it helps students understand what is important in a text and allows them to represent what is important in their own way. It also helps students use BOTH parts of their brain!

    Interactive notetaking strategy with Ideas by Jivey.

    The left brain “controls” the right side, and the right brain “controls” the left side. For this reason, anything I give them gets glued on the right side of the notebook- this is the “control.” And anything they write or draw goes on the left side of the notebook- this is their “connection and creativity.”

    Interactive notetaking strategy with Ideas by Jivey.

    Color is VERY important with interactive notetaking. Students will box each paragraph with a different color. As they read, paragraph by paragraph, they should use the color of THAT paragraph to represent what they have learned. I highly recommend colored pencils- markers bleed, and crayons are hard to read when they start getting rounded ends. I have my students keep a handheld pencil sharpener with a shavings catcher at their desk- this keeps them from jamming my nice electric ones, and from getting up and down to sharpen. (They sharpen every five minutes at first, but then once they realize they are “eating” their pencils, the novelty wears off and they only use it when necessary!)


    The first several weeks of school (and even sometimes later in the year when I really want to make sure they understand what they are reading), we do interactive notetaking together. Once I see they have the hang of it, I let them work in partners to read, dissect, and represent their passage. This is one of their favorite activities, and little do they know, they are learning so much by talking about what they are going to write/draw and why!

    Sometimes there are more words and phrases than drawings. It depends on the topic.

    Interactive notetaking strategy with Ideas by Jivey.

    You can find great {free} articles on k12reader.com on several science, social studies, and math topics (the two examples above are from there)- and they are sorted by grade level readability! You could do this with any article, of course.


    **Copy Hack: If the page is too big for the notebook, copy it at 85%, cut off the white edges on the bottom and side, and BOOM. Perfect fit!**


    We sometimes use annotating symbols as we do interactive notetaking, too. You’ll see in the passage below, I had them draw a cloud around tricky words, then we defined them in the margins.

    Using annotating symbols in interactive notetaking with Ideas by Jivey.
    Get this Columbus Passage and Organizer for free!

    You can also see above that this can be done with a graphic organizer! Students are guided to find information in their passage, and they use the color to show where the information came from.

    Once students have finished their notes, they should be able to read back what they have learned. I have them sit with a partner and talk in complete sentences to summarize the notes they have drawn and written on the left side of their notebook.

    This is also a great study tool. When we do interactive notetaking, my students are required to take home their notebook that night… they fold their notebook in half so that they can see their notes and a parent or older sibling can see the article. They should do just as they did in class and summarize their notes- and the person on the other side of the notebook should be able to follow along in the article, so they know if the child is not understanding.

    Need passages? Check out the freebies in my store, as well as the complete sets!

    I’m linking this up with another fabulous blogger and teacher- Joanne at Head Over Heels for Teaching! Interactive notetaking is absolutely a motivator for students… who wants to just “sit and get?” Not me! My students absorb so much using this strategy!

    Do you have any fun notetaking strategies you use? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

     

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    close reading interactive notes
    by Jessica Ivey 

    About Jessica Ivey

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    Welcome!

    Welcome!

    Hi, I'm Jessica, also affectionately known as Jivey! I am passionate about making literacy accessible for all students using research-based strategies. Students learn best through content integration and in-context skills, and my goal is to help you deliver your instruction with these best practices!

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    Ideas By Jivey

    10 hours ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    The TPT sale is ON and now is just as good a time as any to start mentor sentences in your classroom!What are you waiting for?? Select your grade in the custom categories on the lefthand side of my store to get just what you need! www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ideas-By-Jivey ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    2 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on February 11! I've made some units for a few great books that would be perfect to share in celebration while also teaching your ELA skills.The Leaf Detective is the biography of Meg Lowman, a groundbreaking female scientist called a "real life Lorax" by National Geographic, who was determined to investigate the marvelous, undiscovered world of the rainforest treetops.Grab the unit that aligns with this amazing mentor text: www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/the-leaf-detective-mentor-text-digital-print-unit/ ... See MoreSee Less

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    Ideas By Jivey

    3 days ago

    Ideas By Jivey
    The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on February 11! I've made some units for a few great books that would be perfect to share in celebration while also teaching your ELA skills.Dinosaur Lady is a beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Mary Anning that will enlighten children about the discovery of the dinosaurs and the importance of female scientists.Grab the unit that aligns with this amazing mentor text: www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/dinosaur-lady-mentor-text-unit-for-grades-3-5/ ... See MoreSee Less

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    The TPT sale is ON and now is just as good a time The TPT sale is ON and now is just as good a time as any to start #mentorsentences in your classroom!

What are you waiting for?? Select your grade in the custom categories on the lefthand side of my store to get just what you need! 

Link in profile: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Ideas-By-Jivey

#ideasbyjivey #mentortexts #iteachtoo #fabulousfeedback #teacherspayteachers #teacherspayteacherssale #tptsale2023
    The International Day of Women and Girls in Scienc The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on February 11! I've made some units for a few great books that would be perfect to share in celebration while also teaching your ELA skills.

The Leaf Detective is the biography of Meg Lowman, a groundbreaking female scientist called a "real life Lorax" by National Geographic, who was determined to investigate the marvelous, undiscovered world of the rainforest treetops.

Grab the unit that aligns with this amazing #mentortext at the link in my profile!

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/the-leaf-detective-mentor-text-digital-print-unit/

#picturebooks #internationaldayofwomeninscience #internationaldayofgirlsinscience #mentorsentences #teachersfollowteachers #ideasbyjivey #iteach345 #upperelementaryteacher #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th
    The International Day of Women and Girls in Scienc The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is on February 11! I've made some units for a few great books that would be perfect to share in celebration while also teaching your ELA skills.

Dinosaur Lady is a beautifully illustrated picture book biography of Mary Anning that will enlighten children about the discovery of the dinosaurs and the importance of female scientists.

Grab the unit that aligns with this amazing #mentortext at the link in my profile!

https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/the-leaf-detective-mentor-text-digital-print-unit/

#picturebooks #internationaldayofwomeninscience #internationaldayofgirlsinscience #mentorsentences #teachersfollowteachers #ideasbyjivey #iteach345 #upperelementaryteacher #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th
    The latest Primary Mentor Text Club book (voted fo The latest Primary Mentor Text Club book (voted for by the #teachers who own this growing bundle) is Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner, and WOW what a great book to use for a true ELA-Science integration!! 

The unit I created for this one aligns life science (ecosystems, and classifying and describing animals) with shared research, using text and pictures to learn, as well as writing with vivid verbs and prepositions!

Check it out at the link in my profile! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Over-and-Under-the-Pond-Life-Science-Integration-Mentor-Text-Unit-Grades-1-2-9078283

#mentortext #mentorsentence #ideasbyjivey #iteach1 #iteach2 #iteach1st #iteach2nd #2ndgradescience #1stgradescience #teacherspayteachers #teachersofig  #teachersfollowteachers
    Are you reading a fun book for Groundhog Day? 🌞 Are you reading a fun book for Groundhog Day? 🌞 ❄️ 

Check out my February book idea list! Link in profile! Need a unit to go along with one of these? DM me the title for a link! 

#groundhogday #groundhogdayintheclassroom #ideasbyjivey #iteachtoo #mentortexts #mentorsentences 

 https://www.amazon.com/shop/ideasbyjivey/list/30LEKEOLP7026?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_aipsflist_aipsfideasbyjivey_NSV9QRK52KNNAPCEJ5B7
    🌞 Groundhog Gets A Say is a fun book for kids o 🌞 Groundhog Gets A Say is a fun book for kids of any age, but I especially liked to use this #mentortext to tie in some research skills and #opinionwriting!

The book is written as a narrative, but is filled with facts about groundhogs as the main character tries to convince everyone that he deserves more than just ONE day of recognition.

The unit I made for this book includes printables for text features, note-taking from text, fact and opinion, main idea and details, context clues, a writing brainstorm organizer, plus a #mentorsentence lesson for relative pronouns and contextual vocabulary activities! 

I'd love you to check it out on my website at the link in my profile: https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/product/groundhog-gets-a-say-unit/

You can also find it in my TPT store, too! 

#ideasbyjivey #teachersfollowteachers #groundhogdayintheclassroom #upperelementary #mentortextmonday
    😍 The latest seasonal club unit for #uppergrade 😍 The latest seasonal club unit for #uppergrades is completed, and you'll definitely want to grab it before next week! 

Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub is an informative #mentortext about groundhogs, Groundhog Day, and weather, but it's presented in an entertaining way that will keep your students laughing while they learn. πŸ˜‚

βœ… With this unit I created, you'll receive a week of explicit lesson plans to go along with the book. 

πŸ€“ You'll get everything you need to teach about organized notetaking, tier 3 vocabulary, word parts, and types of sentences, plus you'll be able integrate it all with science: weather, seasons, and groundhogs! 

Grab it at the link in my profile: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Groundhog-Weather-School-Mentor-Text-Unit-Grades-3-5-Groundhog-Day-Seasons-9006611 #ideasbyjivey #mentorsentence #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers #groundhogdayintheclassroom #upperelementary #iteach345
    ❄️ There are so many fantastic #picturebooks t ❄️ There are so many fantastic #picturebooks to use in January with a snowy winter theme. 

πŸ“– If you work with early emergent readers, this #mentorsentences mini-unit is perfect for you! 

There are lessons for five snowy winter-themed books to help students grasp language through a balanced literacy approach. 

Check it out at the link in my profile! #ideasbyjivey #iteachk #mentortexts #teacherspayteachers #teachersfollowteachers https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mentor-Sentences-Mini-Unit-Snowy-Winter-Books-for-Early-Emergent-Readers-2293853
    Can students actually think critically about... GR Can students actually think critically about... GRAMMAR?!? πŸ€”

You bet they can! πŸ₯³

Check out how at the link in my profile! https://www.ideasbyjivey.com/higher-order-thinking-questions-for-grammar-and-writing/ 

#ideasbyjivey #mentorsentences #mentorsentence #iteachtoo #teachersfollowteachers #teachgrammar #iteach2nd #iteach3rd #iteach4th #iteach5th
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