Interview with a Notebook Template Archives

The Interactive Notebook Template Types

By Jolene M|2019-03-12T21:06:05-04:00July 22nd, 2015|Interactive Notebooks, Interview with a Notebook Template|6 Comments

Hi everyone! Today, I am sharing the template types and some inspiring ideas.

The first template type is the accordion. The accordion is a template that folds up like an accordion. It’s unique shape can be used for lots of purposes including connecting ideas and things that go in chronological order. Find out more ideas with the Interview with an Accordion post here.

The second template type is the Book Fold. It folds over, and you can flip the tabs up. It works great for self-quizzing. Questions can be placed on top, and answers can be placed under the tab.

The third template type is the Compressed Shape. They have an origami feel to them, but it is pretty simple to use. Students can compress it, and then they can reopen it. I invented the one using hearts that expands into a flower from my inspiration from the commonly used one that folds into a triangle. As far as the ideal activity goes, these are great for writing activities (and you could even skip the notebook and have students make things like Mother’s Day cards with them). You got four hearts with room to write.

The fourth template type is the double door. Now, there are actually two types of double doors. This one is the more basic double door. It folds in like shutter doors and has room on the inside to store some information.

The other double door type is called the center-cut double door. It opens up like double doors, but students will have to write directly on the notebook page under it or have another sheet of paper placed under it.

The fifth template type is the Flip Flap Book. The flip flap book is probably the most commonly used template type. It is very versatile for a lot of activities, and it is very easy to put together. Just like the book fold, you can store answers under it for some self-quizzing. It works great, but just like worksheets can get boring, it is a good idea to flavor up interactive notebook templates with other types of templates too.

The sixth template type are the Maps. These are graphic organizers that have been made into something that can flip and flap or they can just be added to interactive notebooks as your everyday bubble map.

The seventh template type is the Match Book. This book folds up like the name suggests, a match book. Really, if you think about it, it almost functions like a book fold and flip flap book. However, it has an extra flap that folds over the top. That extra spot can be great for a main idea or topic. It can also work great for simply getting away from the status quo of a flip flap book. 😉

The eighth template type is the Mini-Book. The mini-book is a mini-book. What is nice about the mini-books is it maximizes the space on that interactive notebook page. For example, you can have a six page mini-book fit on half of a notebook page. Think about all the information that can be stored there!

The ninth template type is the Petal Book. A petal book is a fun template! Often, it will look like a flower. The “petals” will flip and flap. You can have a central idea or concept in the middle of the petal book and each petal can hold information that build on that concept. When you think about it, these also function great as a graphic organizer to help students grasp concepts better.

The tenth template type is the Pocket or aka Envelope. These templates are handy for storing parts to an interactive notebook or being used as part of a sorting activity.

You don’t always have to store square or rectangle pieces in these either. Puzzle pieces and other fun shapes can be stored in a pocket.

The eleventh template type is the Shape Flap. Shape flaps almost function like a flip flap book, only they don’t have multiple tabs. I came up with the idea for this template type when I was wanting to create a math interactive notebook for addition facts. I wanted to add pumpkins and other fun components, but it was intended for kindergarten and the pumpkin had things like a stem and other things going on. Therefore, I knew I needed to simplify the cutting some more. Thus, my original shape flap, the globe, solved that problem. I then expanded upon that concept to include some more fun shape flaps that were a little more complex in shape, but not too complicated for cutting.

The twelfth template type is the Spinner. These add a whimsical element to an interactive notebook by storing information under the top part of the spinner. Students can spin and peak into the window. This particular template involves the need for an extra part: a fastener or aka brad. It might not be a template for everyday use, but it is fun to include one here and there for students.

The thirteenth template type is the Stage. I actually came up with this concept for this template type when I was writing my Interactive Reading Notebook for Non-Fiction. I was brain storming ideas for a retelling key ideas in a text, and I thought, why not a stage where students could use “puppets” that work as prompts for them retelling those key ideas. Thus, the stage template was born.

The fourteenth template type is the Staggered Book. The staggered book is very much like a mini-book, but each page is a different size. The biggest page goes on the bottom, and it builds up to the smallest page. This allows room for some information to peek out from each page.

The fifteenth page is the Tri-Fold. There are actually two types of tri-folds. There is the basic tri-fold that has three distant sections that can also be broken down into many tabs. There is also the interlock that has an extra part that locks the tri-fold. These template types come in handy for a lot of educational activities.

I don’t really count the Venn Diagram as a template type, but I did not want to leave it out.

Venn Diagrams can easily be added to flip flap books and tri-folds, but I also did that work for you in my Interactive Notebook Templates 1000+. This resource includes all fifteen of the template types mentioned above. With many of the template types, I got creative with the designs and included an assortment of options. In fact, I included over 1,000 templates! I created these in Adobe Illustrator and exported them as png images. They are crisp and clean to keep those interactive notebooks looking sharp. I also inserted these into editable PowerPoints. Add your text boxes and images and you are ready to go! For those who are asking what a text box is, I got you covered because I even included visual directions on how to insert text boxes, images, and some other handy PowerPoint tips to make it easy for you to add educational content to the templates. Additionally, these templates come with photographed directions that cover all the template types! There is also a reference guide with an organized name and file system in place to help you locate those templates easily. You can find the templates located here or click on the image.

Thanks for stopping by The Candy Class! Don’t be a stranger!

Jolene 🙂

Interview with an Accordion

By Jolene M|2019-03-12T21:06:07-04:00December 3rd, 2014|Interactive Notebooks, Interview with a Notebook Template|1 Comment

Today, I am “interviewing” the accordion template.

1. What is an accordion template? An accordion template is a unique type of interactive notebook template. It consists of a paper that is folded just like an accordion. Now sometimes that paper can be shaped like a rectangle or it can even be shaped like a bunch of bears. The folds in the accordion leave separate spaces for adding educational content. These are great for students because they become a very unique graphic organizer that literally pops off the page.

2. How can they be used? Since the accordion functions like a graphic organizer, think about using these for lessons that need to be filled with connecting information such as processes, chronological order, order of events, and steps.

Here are Some Ideas:

They are good for phonics activities.

Patters- Accordions are great for teaching color and number patterns.

Number Patterns- Students can add missing numbers and/or do some skip counting.

Science- Learning the names of planets, parts of the body, or steps to the scientific process are all ideas that fit great with accordions.

Spelling Lists- Why not have students write their spelling list on an accordion to keep handy in their notebook for reference?

More Ideas:

•Order of events such as story sequencing or historical time lines.

•The steps to the writing process can be recorded on an accordion.

•Math Facts- You can write math facts on these, and students can put them out to practice memorizing their addition or multiplication facts.

3. How else are these handy? Accordions are also handy because you can get a lot of information on them without taking up a gigantic amount of notebook real estate. If you look at this entry, you realize you can not only squeeze counting by 2s on the page, but you can include other types of skip counting on the same page! The same can go for adding spelling list. You can fit multiple spelling lists all on the same page. These accordions have lots of potential to maximize space in a notebook.

4. These seem complicated to make. How can I make these and get everything else done? True, creating accordions take some design skill because essentially they need to flow. Now you could just place a bunch of squares together in PowerPoint. However, if you are telling students to cut on the solid lines. That is going to get confusing when you have solid lines running in the middle for folding. Good news, I create interactive notebook templates that are quality made in Adobe Illustrator at 300 ppi. The outer solid lines are for cutting, and the inner dotted lines are for folding. Less confusion, more productivity in the classroom. And these templates save you a TON of time because they are already made for you. All you need to do is add text boxes and images, and you are set to go. I even include a tutorial on how to do that!

This set includes all my accordion templates in one set. They come in png images and editable PowerPoints, include visual directions for the different types of templates, and a reference guide with a name system to help you find just the right template easily. Click on the image to link.

Many, but not all, of the accordions from the set above can also be found in my Interactive Notebook Templates 1000+ set. This set includes over 1,000 templates from many different template types. Click on the image to link.

Also, these template sets can be used for commercial use on sites like Teachers Pay Teachers as long as you follow my terms of use.

You can email me questions about interactive notebook templates at teachcandyclass@gmail.com. Make sure to stop back by. I will be offering tips on a bunch more template types in the future.

Thanks for visiting!