Interactive Notebook, Meet Math Folder

All during this summer I have been researching the idea of using an Interactive Notebook for my math classes, or at least for my honors classes.  Pinterest is full of ideas for using the interactive notebooks, but none of them really seem to fit for me.  I want something like an interactive notebook, but more conducive to my own classroom needs.  I finally settled on a compromise: this year I am going to use Math Folders in each of my classes.  This idea is a blend between the writing notebooks of my ELA friends and the interactive notebooks on my favorite math blogs.

I put a lot of thought into how to pull this off, and the first thing I decided was to provide the folders for each of my students.  Since I work in a lower income school I was worried that my students would not all have the ability to provide their own, so I did it for them.  Staples had folders on sale last week for $0.15 each, so I bought 25 purple, 25 blue, 25 yellow, and 25 green.  I thought it best to have one color per class in order to keep it more organized.

This is the cover of my folder.  I plan to let my students personalize their own at some point during the first week of school.  I'll be providing magazines from which to cut letters, as well as basic art supplies like markers and glue.

This first page in each folder will be the instructions and requirements for using the math folder.  Click on each image below to download the file for free from my TeachersPayTeachers store.

After this I'll have a page titled "How to Justify Your Answer."  I know that being able to write in math is becoming increasingly important, especially with Common Core just around the corner, so I wanted to give my students the tools they need to write well from the very beginning.  

The last pre-made item in each folder will be a Table of Contents.  This will be followed by blank notebook paper.  

I have high hopes that this will be a great start to using math folders in my classroom.  I have about two weeks to work out the kinks and get it ready for the kids, but I'm feeling confident that this will be a great addition to my classroom!