During the first week or two of school, one activity I like to do is decorate science notebooks. It’s an easy way to start the year, and a lot of students have fun with this first assignment.
It’s a lot of fun to design notebook covers. It’s creative and engaging. The pictures are conversation starters at the beginning of the year.
When students decorate their notebooks, they feel a sense of ownership. They take more care about what goes inside the notebook and how it looks. Not only is it an enjoyable experience decorating them, but students make something that they treasure.
Keep reading to learn about this lesson where we decorate the covers of our science notebooks:
- What You Will Need
- Science Notebooks
- 10 Images
- Make a Collage
- Name and Period Number
- Waterproof the Front
- More Decorating Ideas
- Why Decorate Science Notebooks
What You Will Need
The materials for this activity are:
- Images (hand drawn or cut out)
- Spiral Notebook (I prefer college ruled, 2 or 3 Subject)
- Scissors
- Tape
- Heavy Duty clear packing tape to waterproof the cover (~3 rolls for 5 classes)
- Plain white copy paper or drawing paper
- Coloring supplies (colored pencils, markers, crayons)
- Ruler (there will always be at least 1 student who asks for a ruler!)
- Internet and Chromebook to use Google Image Search (if drawing by hand)
Science Notebooks
On the first day of school we discuss supplies when we go over the syllabus. It’s also a good time to point out the homework board which says, “Bring Science Notebook Monday.” I give them the weekend to go and get supplies.
Check out my blog post How to Set-up a Science Notebook. Read about my favorite spiral notebook. Discover other tips for using notebooks in the beginning of the school year.
They may not have their notebook until the second week of school. That doesn’t mean we can’t start decorating notebooks in the first week of school. Even on the first day!
It’s never too early to start cutting and drawing pictures. You can always set them aside for the student in a baggie or an envelope. Wait until they have their notebook in class.
10 Images
It’s pretty easy to facilitate! I ask students to include 10 images on their cover. The images can be hand drawn or cut out. Students can print images at home and bring them next class. They can also use photographs they bring from home.
Some students prefer to draw the images by hand. They will need paper, coloring supplies, and their Chromebook to look up images.
I like to use magazines for the images on the notebook covers. Each table can have a few magazines to look through and cut pictures. The only supplies they need are scissors, and some scotch tape to keep their pictures in place.
5 images are science related. These can be animals, nature, mountains, volcanoes, the ocean, clouds, a sunrise, a microscope, atoms, technology.
The 5 other images are personal to them. This can be their favorite foods, hobbies, books, movies, sports, quotes, inspirational figures. Students sometimes bring in printed photos of their family, friends, pets, and hobbies.
Make a Collage
Once they have all 10 images, they arrange them on their notebooks how they like. It doesn’t matter if they overlap. They secure each image by putting some scotch tape on the back side.
One year I tried without using the tape and it didn’t work out well. Images flew off notebooks. They even got mixed up and ended up on the wrong notebook!
Name and Period Number
They also need their Name and Period Number on the front. They write their name and period on a small piece of paper and add it to their collage.
I can grade something inside the notebook. Then, I can quickly check the front of the notebook for their name. This way, I know who it belongs to.
If a notebook is left out, I will check the Period Number on the front. Then, I will put it away in the right place.
With everyone’s name and period number in the same place, it saves me time and energy.
Waterproof the Front
Lastly, I cover each notebook with clear heavy duty packing tape. It keeps all of the images in place. It also gives the notebook a water proofing effect. It is easy to wipe clean and is great for labs!
I use about 3 rolls of packing tape for 5 classes.
It’s great if I can get some of them done in class instead of doing it after school. I can get through about half. For the rest, students leave their notebook out in a designated place. I finish taping after school.
This step is a lot of work. By the end, my hand is cramped and sore. I love how it turns out though!
More Decorating Ideas
Another idea is have students design the notebook cover. Give them a list of topics that you will learn about during the year. Students research the topics online or in the textbook. They fill the page with a Title (the subject of the course), Vocabulary, and Images. It is similar to a Dividing Page, which generates interest and excitement for what is to come. Read more about Dividing Pages in my blog post 9 Routine Assignments that are Easy to Prep and Make Great Sub Plans.
Another way to decorate the notebook covers is to use permanent markers. A teacher friend of mine has his students design their notebook covers with permanent markers every year. They bring a notebook to class in the solid color they like. Then, they spend a class period adding words and images with black sharpie. It looks great, and I think it requires less materials and cleaning up. It is a good alternative.
You can also use stickers instead of magazine clippings, images, or sharpie. I decorated some of my teacher notebooks using stickers. Target usually has a nice selection of stickers.
Why Decorate Science Notebooks?
If you have never decorated science notebooks with your students before, I highly recommend it. If you’re on the fence, let me see if I can convince you to give it a try!
This assignment is fun and easy. It’s just what I need at the beginning of the year. It’s a segue to talk about supplies, the importance of our science notebooks, and how we use them daily.
I get to know my students when I see a visual representation of their favorite things, passions, and interests. Sometimes I do this assignment on the first day of school. It is like an icebreaker.
I enjoy seeing students search. They find inspiration and read. They share pictures and start to open up in a natural way early in the school year. I notice how conversation flows naturally when the students are immersed in their work. The pictures help stimulate conversation. The pictures are conversation starters at the beginning of the year as well as each time they change seats and get to know new people.
Most important, when students decorate their notebooks, they feel a sense of ownership. The images, and the work inside, represents them and shows time and effort. They take more care about what goes inside the notebook and how it looks. Not only is it an enjoyable experience decorating them, but students make something that they treasure.
How do you decorate your binders or notebooks in the classroom? Let me know by leaving a comment, I would love to hear from you!
If you’re interested, check out these blog posts for more tips on using science notebooks in the classroom:
How to Set-up a Science Notebook
Science Notebooks! Or Binders! Which One?
More Tips for Using Science Notebooks as an Organization System
My Go-To Lesson Structure and 8 Classroom Routines for Better Classroom Management
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