Algebra Interactive Notebook Ideas & FREE Foldables

IN 64 watermelons

This quote makes me laugh. I’ve never bought 64 watermelons and wondered how much it cost if I gave the farmer $200 and had $7 left. In fact, I don’t like watermelons, so I would never even buy one. (What in the world would I do with 64 of them???)

As I search for ways to engage students in secondary math and to make the concepts meaningful, I continue to add ideas to their interactive notebooks. The students like them, they use them, and they interest them. However, every time I use a search engine to find a foldable for a secondary concept it sends me to a E-Commerce website and they want $3-5 for the idea.

This blog is about giving you access to the Secondary Interactive Notebook Ideas and the foldables incredible teachers share with everyone—absolutely free!

IN notebook cover

I keep my Interactive Notebook with me at the Teacher Time Station. This is the station where I teach the most difficult concepts to no more than ¼ of my class at a time. If you’re just beginning to use Interactive Notebooks, here are pictures of the items I keep in interactive notebook tool bag. I also keep a box of these supplies at the Teacher Time table for my students to use.

IN bag

A pencil bag holds all your Interactive Notebook supplies.

IN markers

A variety of fine-line markers, a few gel pens, and a couple of thicker markers help your students see the components more easily.

IN pencils

Colored pencils are a must. These twistable ones are the bomb!

IN scissors and glue

No INB supply bag is complete without scissors (I like to have pinking shear, too), a glue stick, liquid glue (because some items just won’t hold using a glue stick), and a really good polymer eraser.

IN paper

A supply of colorful paper in pastels and brights will “catch” your students’ attention

I am a teacher’s teacher and work with all levels K-12. This means my Teacher Time Station Interactive Notebook is at a variety of levels. One student recently commented that I had order of operations on one page and the next page I was finding the greatest common factor in really long polynomials. He told me, “That’s a pretty big jump!”  When I used algebra tiles to help him understand polynomials and then showed him the foldable, he got it. Not such a big jump from PEMDAS to factoring polynomials if you have the right tools to help you understand!

Here are some recent additions to my Interactive Notebook and the links to them.

Exponent Rule Poof Book

IN exponents

http://mathequalslove.blogspot.com/2013/10/ms-hagans-book-of-exponent-rules.html

If you’ve never made a Poof Book, this video is short, sweet, and simple to follow.

http://www.vickiblackwell.com/makingbooks/poofbook.htm

Solving Equations Foldable

IN solving equations flip book

https://instillnessthedancing.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/solving-equation-foldable.pdf

Slope Foldable

IN slope foldable

http://ispeakmath.org/2012/03/07/all-about-slope-foldable/

Factoring the GCF of a Polynomial Notes Page

IN GCF of poly cover IN factoring equation open

https://app.box.com/s/s4wzrfun2x6cx15umf00mdar7zkswdbi/1/4814662213/39086233709/1

Treasure Chest of Middle School Foldables

http://www.aldenschools.org/webpages/hstotz/resources.cfm

Vocabulary of Expressions Foldables

IN expression vocab flip

http://a-sea-of-math.blogspot.com/2013/07/variable-facotrs-terms-oh-my.html

Algebra Expressions Foldable

IN expressions foldable blue

http://equationfreak.blogspot.com/2014/08/algebraic-expression-foldable.html

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5rxphkk54m00qwz/Algebraic%20Expression%20foldable.pdf

Algebraic Expressions Practice

IN expressions covers

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y7xjlimvexyl9qcIN writing expressions practice open/Writing%20algebraic%20expressions%20practice.pdf

Notes on Quadratics

IN quadratic notes

http://www.jamestanton.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/pamphlet-on-quadratics_july2010.pdf

Solving Equations/EOC Review

IN quadratic foldable cover IN quadratic foldable open

https://app.box.com/s/mqixo92a8p4tdomrj2hr

Solving Equations Flipbook Foldable

IN solving equations flip book

http://fromamathclass.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-isns-part-2-foldables-i-hope-to.html

How to Make a Flipbook Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-2onu8GUjI

Thank you to the following bloggers and teachers who are sharing such incredible ideas:

Sarah Hagan: Math Equals Love; Beth Ferguson: In Stillness the Dancing; Vicki Blackwell: Making Books; Chris: A Sea of Math; Jan Lichtenberger: Equation Freak; James Tanton: Quadratic Pamphlet.

IN x not coming back

One of my students wore this shirt to Algebra class. Thanks to the teachers featured in this blog and the teachers who will take their ideas and use them, students may really want to find x!