This topic is sure to spark a bit of a debate, surely everyone uses math interactive notebooks?! Wrong. I use folders, which I used during my first year of teaching. So I’ve never used math notebooks, and have lived to tell the tale!
When attempting to keep middle school students organized, simple is best. 11 and 12-year-olds are trying to figure out how a locker works, where the cafeteria is, and the newest Tik Tok dance. Trying to keep up with an elaborate organization tool isn’t worth their time. Rather than work against it, I work with it.
The Math Organization Tool
All folders are not created equal. My actual love is for the pronged kind (you know the kind your teachers never wanted you to have as a kid?). The metal prongs in the middle make the folder function more like a slim binder, which is why I use them to also organize my paper units and master copies. The prongs help papers stay in place without littering my floor (and getting thrown in the trash).
I also prefer plastic, a more durable kind of folder. The paper ones will be destroyed in all of 2 seconds. I try to pick up a bunch on clearance to offer students who bring in the paper kind. We use the folders every day, all year so I need them to withstand the test of middle school.
Student math binder organization skills aren’t up to speed so this will be a process to help students use the tool for staying organized. This is true of any organization system you use, whether binders, folders, or math interactive notebooks. The key is to pick a system and be consistent. If you find you hate notebooks, try another system the following year.
Reason #1: Papers Stay Organized in Math Folders than in Math Interactive Notebooks
Like I mentioned above, I use pronged folders, so these folders become mini binders if you will. They aren’t bulky and are pretty cheap to provide if need be. Papers don’t fall out of the prongs. And they don’t make that loud snapping noise in the middle of class. While it is a bit tricky to get them open at first, they loosen up a little over time and kids will get the hang of it.
I teach students how to open them and close them back up. We only open our prongs at the start of a new unit to 1, recycle the old unit and 2, put in the new unit notes. Everything else we do gets stored in the folder pockets. This also helps pages stay organized because the notes packet copies are in order. There isn’t as much flipping around or trying to find the next empty page in the math notebook.
I prefer folders to a student math binder organization system because binders take up a lot of space both in their lockers and backpacks or in my classroom. Folders are easy to carry and don’t take up as much space. Folders also don’t burst open and cause pages to fall out. They also don’t make the loud snapping sound in the middle of class. Folders are a quiet, cheaper, lightweight alternative to their binder cousins.
Reason #2: Glue is my Interactive Notebook Nightmare
This is the reason that sold me on folders over math interactive notebooks. Papers still stay organized, without the need for glue. I also don’t have to battle over the scented glue phase or the kids who smear glue all over their hands like soap. Letting middle schoolers use glue can be a nightmare. Skip the glue and try 3 hole punching instead. Even better is if your copy machine will punch for you.
If your copy machine doesn’t punch automatically, student aid or homeroom class could easily punch pages. Or you can have a 3-hole-punch at each table to speed the process along.
In the folder option, pages don’t fall out as easily as they can in math interactive notebooks. Glue won’t stick forever, even the name-brand kind. Tape might fix this problem but then you have to stock up on rolls of tape which might not stick either. Hole punching and prongs are the way to go!
Reason #3: Double-Sided Copies Fail in Math Interactive Notebooks
When using a notebook, papers typically can only be printed on 1 side (unless you are fancy and remember to leave a lot of space for gluing). This is a bit of a waste of paper, but folders solve that problem. You can print on both sides of the paper without having to worry about where/how kids will glue it in. This also provides space for kiddos to have some notes and practice all in one!
I typically print my notes or anchor charts on the front of a page while the practice goes on the back. This is a nice repetitive routine for students to follow. They know that the notes will be more teacher-directed on the front while the back is practice for them to try on their new learning.
Reason #4: Folders Force Me to Be Prepared
This reason was born of the fact that I do batch unit planning (check it out here). Because I print nearly everything for the entire unit before it starts, I have a lot of copies. The best way for me to organize all those copies was to hand out what kids could hold on to it. I prep kiddos’ notes packets so that they have all of the days of notes in one place, their folders. Each day we take notes, we just open to the next page in our packet.
I am also able to pre-print our bellwork pages for the unit. I include those in the notes packet at the front so that students can get started right away with their bellwork. This was especially helpful when I was a cart teacher and students often beat me to the classroom.
Since I plan by unit, creating a unit packet makes the most sense. However, even if you are more of a day-to-day planner, students can insert pages pretty quickly once they get the hang of it.
Reason #5: Math Organization and Easy Access
Up to this point, I’ve been focused on the pronged part of the folder, but did you know that folders also have pockets?! That’s right, pockets work great for keeping track of practice pages, activities we didn’t quite finish, or Plicker cards. This is another reason why notebooks don’t always cut it. I’d have to hang on to the papers, collect the activities or just trust that kiddos would put them in a folder. Folders provide a great catch-all for those loose items, meaning everything has a place (and nothing ends up all over the floor).
Bonus Reason: Full-Size Copies
Printing math notes and activities at full 8.5×11 sheets are so much easier. And unless you require a 9×11 size notebook (which is nice!) pages will stick out of a notebook. This means that the edges of the paper are crumbled up, making it more difficult for students to flip through the notebooks. If you print at a reduced size (like 80% for composition notebooks) this makes the writing smaller which can be difficult for students. It also requires cutting which is a whole other school supply I’d like to avoid, see glue above for more reasons!
A folder solves this problem by using the full page size. If you can have your copy machine also punch holes, it makes putting into folder prongs so much easier.
But What About Scratch Paper?!
That is one of the plus sides for math interactive notebooks, however, I stock up on the loose-leaf and use that for scratch paper. I also use a lot of whiteboards for practice so the scratch paper isn’t always needed!
Students usually need scratch paper the most during practice so, in our weekly math learning centers, I provide space for students to show their work. This is usually on paper that students have to turn in any way for credit so it works out nicely.
But What About Homework?!
If you assign homework out of the textbook, you might want to suggest students have a math interactive notebook to use. I don’t typically assign homework. However, in the past, I have assigned homework online or used the occasional worksheet so this wasn’t an issue. The folders stay in my classroom. So my students would have to have a different place for homework anyway.
To summarize the debate of Math Interactive Notebooks or Math Folders
I prefer math folders because they are space-saving, don’t require glue and you can print double-sided copies. Folders are also a nice alternative to math interactive notebooks because they can help you prepare in advance, provide easy access to multi-day assignments and you can print full-size copies with ease.
If you are looking to learn more about math interactive notebooks or just more student organization tips and tricks, be sure to check out these posts from other educators too. Remember there’s no right or wrong way to organize so choose what works best for you!
- Student Organization in Middle School (math organization for grades 6-8)
- Printable Student Binder (student math binder organization tips for any grade)
- Getting Started with Interactive Math Notebooks (a great resource for upper elementary interactive notebooks)
- Setting Up an Interactive Notebook- Middle School Math (interactive math notebooks middle school edition)
[…] notebooks or folders. If you want to know more about how I ditched math interactive notebooks then click on this blog post. I share all the pros and cons of using math folders […]