Integrating Math Notebooks in Eureka Math

There's a sense of relief when you reach the halfway point of a module -for many reasons. One of them always being is that your closer to the end of it, regardless if it's module 1 or module 7. However, along with that relief comes a wave of reluctance. As teachers, we have this weight of making sure that not only do our students understand the objective for the current lesson, but also all the previous lessons leading up to it! So as I go up to teach Module 4 Lesson ___ I need to keep in mind that I am also teaching Lesson eleven, and ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one. Oh, and a skill that they learned at the end of Module 1. The lesson seems to be going great, that is until I make them recall that one skill from module 1. Cue the following actions "You know remember when we did this activity- one day we spent on LCM and the other GCF" - A sea of confused faces staring back at me. "Okay, remember you find the factor pairs of both numbers and see which is the greatest"- A few light bulbs start to go off. Then you begin thinking I have that one anchor chart, but it's in the cabinet somewhere, and it would take me a few minutes to find it.  We have all been there! More than likely, you did a mini-lesson of that skill and felt rushed the rest of the time. So how do math notebooks reduce this? It allows students to become resourceful based on their own notes/work and internalize when they do and do not need to use it as a resource.

All The Magic In One Place

There are countless times when I sit at my desk and rack my brain wondering, "What more could I have done to make this skill stick better?". Between the exposure of math songs, notes, additional practice, real-world applications, color-coded anchor charts combined with hands-on experience, what more can be done? That's when I took a step back and realized that forgetting is a normal part of life. We all do it; it's part of being human, so why do we expect our students who are still mentally developing not to be forgetful? That is when I realized the genuine fear and frustration we experience as educators when students forget something isn't because our students forgot a skill, but partially because they have become reliant on us providing the answer. It's time for us to do the most challenging part of our job and release complete control to our students. Now instead of approaching those blank stares with answers, let's approach it with questions. Okay, so it seems that we may have forgotten how to determine the GCF of two numbers. Is there a resource that you have that you could use to find out? With this simple change, we have done two things. 1. Feel comfortable with not knowing the answer and 2.Allow students to embody problem solvers and plant the seed of the needing to be inquisitive for their own benefit. So now we arrive at the most important part- everything they need is all in one place, their math notebook. 

The Hardest Part is Starting... The Rest Will Come Naturally 

So when people think notebooks, the first thought that comes to mind is the amount of paper and copies they will have to make; Paper we do not have and copies we do not have time to prepare. The thought of this is when teachers usually cross out the idea of notebooks altogether. I am here to tell you that it is possible to achieve a great resource without all these pages. There isn't a right or wrong way to approach compiling these notebooks. First things first, you need to get your students on board, so I always let them know two essential elements. 

1. Your math notebook is yours-so make it unique, add a few pictures, color pages in, create mnemonic devices or tricks to help you remember a skill. Allowing students to internalize the notebook as their own and not just something by teacher makes me do will create a sense of proud ownership. 
2.  It is a resource- it is meant to be used. Explain to students that this notebook will be of little value if it never is opened when they genuinely need it. Allow them to use it during math assignments or questions, homework, classwork, and even some quizzes. My philosophy on this is if a student wants to better understand a skill by going above and beyond, then let them. This is what we want from our students, so why stop them? 

Now lets get to the creativity part. Like I said there is no one approach to creating a valueable resource so here are a few that I have tried within my classroom. I like to use a variety to keep things fresh and also 

1. Create an anchor chart of the lesson or a skill and have students color code it in to model the connection between visual and algebraic representation. On the other side have students complete a few problems and solve them on the side. When they revisit the skill they will be more likely to recall the problems because they completed them. 

2. Take notes on one side and have students create their own problems and complete them. Taking notes can be daunting but is also a valueable skill for them to understand how to do. On the other side you can also have them do a fun project to connect to real world application. 

3. Use those Eureka Materials you have. An easy tool to utilize is "The Homework Helper". By pasting/gluing this into your notebook as your notes and add notes to it or use completed "Exit Tickets". The exit tickets usually mirror the take away from the lesson so when you collect the tickets and give them feedback it not only allows students to revisit if they understood the concept, but possible misconceptions or errors they make along the way so they don't make them again. 

These are a few ways notebooks are used within my classroom. I often find my students going back into them to revisit a skill and that is perfectly okay because if they are willing to take an extra step to solve a problem instead of giving up then isn't that really the goal?  

Lively Learning 

Jessica Magana