What Is notebooking? The 2 key components you need to know

What is notebooking?

What does a notebooking page need?

We are answering these two questions and more in this article, so keep reading!

What is Notebooking?

Notebooking is a method of interacting with and recording the information that students are learning.

It asks the students don’t regurgitate facts, but rather they think about what they have read or heard. Then, the students respond with what they have found to be meaningful.

I have found notebooking to be an effective tool that, over time, teaches students how to process and release information.

At its core, notebooking has two key components:

1. Material Content

2. Visual Content

Both are equally important since they each engage different parts of the students’ brains.

The Material Component of Notebooking

The material component of notebooking contains the information the students have learned. It should contain:

• A record of what the students find to be meaningful,

• Or documentation of what you would like for the students to remember.

You can get this information from the students by asking open-ended questions like:

• What did you find interesting about what we just read?

• What do you remember from what we just studied?

These questions will help the students plan a record of what they found to be meaningful.

If you want the students to document specific information, you can ask them leading questions. These answers will help them plan out the desired response before they write it down on their notebooking page.

Essentially, the material component is a written record of the facts the students have studied.

The Visual Component of Notebooking

The visual component of notebooking displays a picture of the concept the students have studied.

Students can:

• Print out an actual picture;

• Make their own copy of a real-life photo;

• Or draw their own version.

They can look at the internet or in encyclopedias for these images. The key is to have the students use an illustration that relates to the information they have written down.

At its core, the visual component is a visible representation of the information the students have learned.

How to use these two components

However, how you arrange the two components of notebooking is up to you and your students. You have the freedom to display the key elements through:

• Notebooking Pages

• Lapbooks

• Booklets

• Posters

Good news—>notebooking is what we use in all our programs here at Elemental Science! Come check out our award-winning science programs to see which one fits your family best.

However you choose to use notebooking methods in your homeschooling the material and visual components will help to solidify the information in the students’ minds.