How Interactive Notebooks Saved My Sanity (and my Planning Time!)
Why Every Teacher Needs a Digital Command Center—Especially for High Schoolers
Let me take you back to my first few years of teaching.
I had papers everywhere.
Students asking the same questions every day.
Late work coming in with no context.
I was constantly playing catch-up—on grading, on planning, on everything.
Fast forward to now: I leave school knowing exactly what we did, what students understood, and what I need to reteach. And it’s not because I finally found the “perfect planner.”
It’s because I created something that finally worked with my classroom instead of against it:
👉 Digital Interactive Notebooks.
And y’all… they changed everything.
So What Is an Interactive Notebook? 💻
If you’re imagining a stack of composition books or bulky binders—think again.
The kind of Interactive Notebook I’m talking about lives in Google Slides. It's digital, editable, linked, and totally student-friendly. Once it's set up, it's the only thing I use all year to anchor my daily lessons.
It’s how I:
Keep my high schoolers organized
Grade less, but know more
Never hear “What did I miss?” again
Sound dreamy? It is. And I’m going to walk you through exactly how I use it.
A Day in My Classroom Using Interactive Notebooks
1. We Start with a Bellringer – Every. Single. Day.
My students know the second they sit down, it’s time to open their INB (Interactive Notebook) and get going. No waiting. No “what are we doing today?”
There’s a tab just for bellringers, and it’s the same spot every time.
These quick prompts get their brains going and give me a moment to take attendance, check in with kids, or prepare materials for the next part of class.
✏️ Bonus: I can even link in a video, image, or graph right into the bellringer slide for analysis questions!
2. Notes Go Straight into the Notebook
We do 10–20 minutes of direct instruction most days. Whether it’s a PowerPoint, a source analysis, or a short lecture, the INB has a dedicated space for it.
I lock the slide design by setting the background as an image (so nothing gets moved around!), then students type their notes right into text boxes.
It’s consistent, clean, and fully digital.
No lost papers. No “I was absent, can I borrow someone’s notes?”
3. Assignments Are Linked Directly Inside
After the notes, we move into small group or independent work.
Some assignments take one day. Others might stretch into the whole week.
But everything they need—the directions, resources, rubrics—is already linked in their notebook.
✅ PDF worksheets
✅ Google Docs
✅ Primary source readings
✅ Activities or slideshows
✅ My class calendar for pacing
This system lets students work at their own pace without ever asking me for a paper copy. It’s all one click away.
Why It’s a Game-Changer for Grading & Feedback
Now here’s where it gets even better…
At the end of each lesson or unit, I include a Review Slide packed with the essential guiding questions for that topic.
This helps me figure out:
Who actually understood the content
What needs to be re-taught
What misconceptions are still floating around
And guess what?
I also include a Student Reflection Slide where they:
Reflect on what they learned
Share what they’re still confused about
AND (this is big)... reflect on my teaching
🎤 Yep. I ask my students for feedback.
And I read every word. Because how else can I grow if I don’t hear their voices?
Formative Assessment Without the Stress
This can be graded or not graded—it’s really up to you.
For me, it functions as an ongoing formative check-in.
Because the notebooks live in Google Slides, I can:
Monitor their edits in real time
See who’s falling behind
Check for copy/paste shortcuts
Spot gaps in understanding early
I get more feedback from these notebooks than any multiple choice quiz could ever give me.
No More “What Did We Do Today?”
If you’re a high school teacher, you know that one question that drives us all wild:
“Did we do anything yesterday?”
“What do I need to make up?”
“Was that for a grade?”
And my answer is always:
“It’s in your notebook.” 😌
That’s the beauty of this system. Students take ownership because it’s all there—linked, organized, and in their hands 24/7.
Want to Try It Yourself? I Got You.
This summer, I’m giving away my Editable Interactive Notebook Bundle for FREE (yes, free!). But only through July.
Here’s what you get:
✔️ Fully editable Google Slides™ templates
✔️ High-quality JPG/PNG designs
✔️ Student examples so you can see it in action
✔️ Bonus: Bellringer, Reflection, and Review slides pre-loaded
And because I want to make sure you feel confident using it, I’m also offering two live sessions where I’ll walk you through:
How to set up and customize your notebook
How to assign it in Google Classroom (yes, I’ll remind you to click “make a copy for each student!”)
How to use it as a grading tool and data collector
PLUS a Live Q&A with me to ask all the things
Live Workshop Dates:🗓️
Session 1: End of June
Session 2: Mid-July
💰 Only $5 to attend — just enough to hold your spot, but affordable for every teacher budget!
👉 Download your FREE Interactive Notebook Templates now
🎟️ Grab your $5 seat for the live session here
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to run a high-functioning classroom—just make the notebook your wheelhouse 💛
Let’s simplify your school year before it starts.
Let me know if you want this as a PDF handout, a carousel for Instagram, or an email sequence to go with it!
