Science Notebooks: An Instructional/ Assessment Tool

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Science Notebooks An Instructional/ Assessment
Tool

• NHCS

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What should a science notebook contain?
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Title Page
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Table of Contents

• Make columns for
• Date
• Entry
• Page

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Table of Contents for Younger Students
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Organizational Features

• These features also assist teachers in assessing
  student understanding. Common organizational
  features include
• Page numbers
• Date
• Activity title
• Headings
• Time
• Appendix

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Components of Notebook

• Question/Problem
• Prediction
• Planning/Procedures (WID)
• Data/Observation
• What have you learned? (LOL)
• Next steps/Next Questions

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1. Question/Problem

• Student generated
• Relates to the purpose (Big Idea)
• Clear and concise
• Investigable

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Possible Questions

• How many?
• How long?
• How often?
• How are ___and ___ the same (different)?
• Which object is ____?
• What would happen if?
• What happens to ___ if we change __?
• How can we ___?

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2. Prediction/Hypothesis

• Connects to prior experiences
• Is clear and reasonable
• Relates to the question
• Gives an explanation/reason

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3. Planning

• Relates to investigable question
• Has a clear sequence (Verbal or nonlinguistic)
• Identifies variables and control (3-5)
• Includes a data organizer
• States materials needed

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4. Data/Observations

• Relates to the question and plan
• Includes student generated narrative, drawings,
  charts, and graphs
• Organized
• Accurate

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5. What have you learned? (Line of Learning)

• Student generated, in own words
• Clear statement of what was learned
• Based upon question/planning/evidence
• Reflective
• Revised based on group discussions and/or
  additional content blasts.
• Shows rigor in thinking

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6. Next Steps/Next Questions

• Student generated
• Extensions of original question or new
  application of question
• Researchable or investigable
• WOW factor
• Can be recorded throughout notebook

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Sentence Stems

• My question _________________ (Question)
• Today I (or we) want to find out_______ (Problem)
• I think ________will happen because (Prediction)
• I noticed (or observed) ___________ (Observation)
• Today I learned ____________ (Conclusion)
• I wonder ________________ (Reflection)
• Questions I have now are _______________ (Next
  Steps/New Questions)

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Process
Q
P
WID
LOL
Materials, Procedure, Data
Conclusion New Questions
Question
Prediction
Line of Learning