Notebook Writing in Three Fifth-Grade Science Classrooms

In this study we examined the ways in which 3 fifth-grade teachers facilitated notebook writing as a part of an inquiry of electric circuits. Analysis of videotapes of a sample of science lessons showed that teachers promoted notebook writing through explicit instructions and prompts, provided frequent opportunities for students to write, and checked to see that students had documented procedural aspects of investigations. Consistent with these observations, students' science notebooks contained records of teacher-dictated purposes and procedures and student-generated observations for each investigation. Discussions of task-related concepts and references to variations in problem-solving strategies and solutions across student groups were observed in these classrooms but were not documented in student science notebooks. Implications for using notebooks as a tool for monitoring science instruction and assessing student learning are discussed.