Using Science Notebooks

A Vision for District-wide Science Notebook Use

Science Notebooks are included in the new Arizona Science Standard and are to be used in all classes. The notebooks support conceptual development in science and provide ‘Writing to Learn’ opportunities for all our students.

Across the country teachers and students are benefiting from the use of student science notebooks used in conjunction with inquiry-based science. Research shows that student understanding and literacy skills improve when students use their notebooks to make sense of their science investigations. The TUSD Science Resource Center supports using notebooks as a tool for learning, in essence, mirroring the way scientists in the field use their notebooks. Although there is no one right way to use a notebook, several factors should be kept in mind:

• the developmental level of your students (i.e., beginning vs. fluent readers and writers, observational vs. scientifically annotated drawings)
• the nature and purpose of the science investigation (i.e., ascertaining prior knowledge, collecting and organizing data, taking notes for comparison, etc.)
• the purpose of the notebook entry (i.e., analyzing and synthesizing information, tool for science conference among peers, procedures for later replication of investigation, etc.)