Interactive Notebooks

I've heard of interactive notebooks but didn't know anything about them.  This year I'm doing inclusion in an English Language Arts class that uses interactive notebooks on an almost daily basis.  Most of the pages are already cut out for the students.  Sometimes students have to cut out a little bit.

What I've noticed is not only does the interactive notebooks teach content, they also teach students other skills.

• following directions given orally (I give accomodations to my students who cannot follow multi-step directions - restating the directions, breaking them into one step at a time, and cueing.)
• Note taking - Lots of time they have to take notes.
• Coloring - That might seem silly in the fifth grade but it relaxes some students.  We don't have art so this allows them to be creative.
• Glueing - Some want to put lots of glue over the entire piece of paper they are putting in their notebook.  They have to learn that a little goes a long way.

I'm now thinking about diving into the world of interactive notebooks especially dealing with my students who continue to need phonemic awareness.  However, I don't really know where to start.  I am also thinking about doing a part interactive notebook/writer's notebook for my writing intervention.

I think my students will enjoy it!  An interactive notebook will allow them to see the connection between their classroom and my room.  I'm trying to give them interventions that are similar to the curriculum they are learning in the general education classroom.  In fact, the other day, we talked about theme in my room and then they learned about it later in their classroom.

If anyone has any suggestions please share them.

Teaching Websites that I Absolutely Love Using - The Reading ELA Version Part 1

As an Intervention Specialist, I have to find my own resources to make sure I'm working on their Individualized Educational Plans' goals and objectives.  Over the years, I've found many different websites that I use to get those resources.  I told someone today that I needed to make a list of those websites so here we go.

Reading/Language Arts - Free

1.  Newsela - This is a fairly new website to me.  I found it at Christmas time but quickly fell in love with it.  We are constantly told to differentiate and to integrate science and social studies with our reading instruction.  Newsela allows to do that because it takes current events and focuses on one of ELA Common Core standard.  Each article is written at different lexiles and the majority of them have a 4 question quiz.  I love the fact that some of the questions ask the students where they found their answers in the article.  I have a few students that are afraid to look back in the text to find their answer.

2.  Readworks - This is another website that allows me to focus on science and social studies while teaching them reading strategies.  There are also literary text so it's not all informational text.
I like how there is also units to teach specific reading skills such as cause and effect, main idea and details, and making inferences.  
I like the depth of knowledge of the questions.
 
3.  Carl's Corner - I use this one for phonological awareness and phonemic awareness worksheets for the students.  I really like her word family packets.  
She also has words of the week using the Dolch high frequency list.  There are fluency drill sheets, mini books, a comprehension packet, word cards for the dolch words, handwriting practice for the list, and a working with the words packet.  Each words of the week list contain five Dolch words.

4.  K-12 reader - This site has one page reading comprehension sheets - 36 per grade from first through fifth grade.  They are on a variety of science, reading/ELA, mathematics, and social studies/history topics.  There are other reading/ELA worksheets on this site.

5.  Mrs. Perkins' Dolch Sight Words - This site gives you a complete list of Dolch sight words in a variety of lists.   It also has some worksheets you can use with the students.

6.  Cando's Helper Page - This site gives you the Fry high frequency words in a variety of lists.  There are are worksheets.  This site also has different writing conventions and ELA topics also.