Implementing interactive science notebooks with English language learners

Abstract

The primary focus of this study was to answer the question, what are the effects of using interactive science notebooks with English Language Learners? There were 52 students from two sections of biology involved in this study, enrolled at San Ysidro High School, San Diego, California. Students used scientific notebooks throughout the treatment unit and participated in formative assessments that gauged content knowledge. Pre- and Post-tests were given for both non-treatment and treatment units and scores from the treatment tests were compared to notebook rubric scores. There was a positive correlation between notebook rubric scores and test scores. In most cases, students who did well on formative assessments within the notebook performed better on unit tests.