Ok... but what about the notes?

In my adventures with Ambitious Science Teaching, one of my ongoing concerns has been the notes. Notes don’t always mesh well with inquiry-based learning… or at least, not the way I was doing them. Here’s my issue with traditional notes: I don’t love having students just sitting there copying. Sure, there’s a time and place for that. But when a third of the class period is spent with me writing and them copying, I have to wonder—what kind of thinking is actually happening here?

So I figured out a way to do notes differently. A way that makes them engaging and useful. These are structured notes that require interaction—highlighting, drawing, and adding responses to graphic organizers. They’re not just passive—they’re active.

The general term for these would be interactive notes, and so far, I’m really happy with the results.

In my latest version of this system, I came up with a fun acronym that captures what these notes are really doing. I call it the LEARNING A.L.O.T. approach, in which students do something to Actively Learn, and Organize their Thinking —on paper, in real time. It gives me a nice blend of learning-focused activities while still providing students with the kind of structured, return-to-it-later notes they actually need.

So how do I actually do this (so that YOU can do this if this is up your ally)? I keep a few things in mind every time I design notes. First, I think about the content and literacy skills I want my students to practice. Then I ask myself: what absolutely has to go on paper so they can use it later to study? From there, I look for places where students can draw something—because a quick sketch often makes an abstract idea way more concrete. I also try to find ways for them to make connections visually (think lines, arrows and symbols), not just in words. Here’s the thing: research shows that just recording or copying notes doesn’t cut it. It’s not engaging enough for their brains. So if I’m asking them to write or draw, it has to involve some thinking, not just filling in blanks.

When I pull it all together, I use Canva (their graphics make it look polished without extra work). I always make a one-pager for the front— this allows us to summarize the material together before we leave it for the next thing. This gives students a built-in review activity, and they also have a quick reference page instead of flipping through everything. The best part? If these are designed well, students can hang on to them and use them as simple, organized review sheets for a midterm or test.

It’s a note-taking system that supports inquiry instead of shutting it down.

Curious to see it in action? Grab your free copy here and try it out with your students!

If this sounds like your kind of thing, I’ll be creating more LEARNING A.L.O.T. notes aligned with NGSS Earth and Space Science standards—so stay tuned. And don’t forget to follow me here on the blog or over on social media for more creative, inquiry-friendly science ideas coming your way!!