Notebook Requirements

· Notes must be kept in a dedicated three-ring binder.

· Each section should be labeled and should begin at the top the paper.

· Contents of the notebook must be handwritten.

· Please use both sides of the paper. Keep all materials for the chapter or unit together in the notebook. Do NOT organize the contents by requirement (in other words, do not keep all of the Prior Knowledge reflections together). Your notebooks should be cumulative……..if you have a question about a concept from an earlier chapter, you should be able to find the answer by flipping back a few pages in your notebook.

· Notebooks will be collected on the day of the reading quiz, and graded based on the “Notebook #1” requirements below.

· Notebooks will again be collected on the day of the exam, and graded based on the “Notebook #2” requirements below.

· Each notebook assignment is worth 10 points (1-5 points for each section, as described below). To get credit for a section, you must completely fulfill the requirements listed below.

· These assignments are useless and really annoying if you wait until the last minute to do it. Do a little every day.

Notebook #1 Sections:

Previous Entries in the Notebook: You should keep adding pages to your notebook, and keep material from previous chapters.

If you don’t, you lose 3 points.

1) Prior Knowledge: Read the first page of the chapter, and then look over the rest. Glance at the pictures. What do you already know about the topic? What have you heard about it? Where did you hear about it before? You should write one paragraph, approximately half a page. One point.

2) Preliminary Notes: As you read the chapter the first time, use the Cornell Notes format to jot down your notes. Identify the big ideas, and try to restate them in your own words. Look carefully at the illustrations in the book, and copy the useful ones into your notes. When you finish a section, see if you can answer the section review questions. You should have at least two pages of notes (both sides of a piece of binder paper) when you are done. Do not use mathematical expressions. Two points.

3) Preliminary Notes Reflection: Summarize the most important thing(s) you got out of the reading. Identify topics that you do not fully understand. List things that you believe you need to read over again or to ask about in class. You should write one paragraph, approximately half a page. One point.

4) Focus Questions: Write at least three questions about what you read. Ask about concepts you don’t understand fully or don’t understand at all. Try not to copy questions out of the book. If you are confident that you understand what you read, ask questions about how this fits into the “big picture” of physics or science. Leave space for the answers! One point.

5) Lab Notes: Summarize the results of your lab or activity. Identify key relationships and/or equations that were illustrated or supported by the experiment or activity. Clearly identify and explain relationships NOT covered in the reading. You should write one paragraph, approximately half a page. One point.

6) Second Reading Notes: Reread the chapter and take a second set of notes, again using the Cornell Notes format. Concentrate on understanding the concepts in terms of mathematics and/or graphs. Note important equations and graphs, and interpret their meanings. For example, an important equation in kinematics is x = vt. Graphically, this relationship is shown as:

Both the equation and the graph could be interpreted as “distance is proportional to time” or “doubling the time of travel doubles the distance traveled”.

Also, aggressively look for the answers to your focus questions. You should have at least a page of notes (one side of a piece of binder paper) when you are done. Two points.

7) Answers to Focus Questions: In the space you provided, write your best answer to each of the focus questions. One point.

8) Review: Show examples of the review you did to prepare for the quiz. This could include conceptual questions from a physics textbook, online quiz questions from the internet, or the like. Identify the source of the problem, including title and page number. Include the questions and the answers. This should completely fill one page of notebook paper. One point.

Notebook #2 Sections:

Previous Entries in the Notebook: You should keep adding pages to your notebook, and keep material from previous chapters.

If you don’t, you lose 3 points.

1) Lecture Notes: Write down at least five pages of notes (using Cornell Notes format) on the concepts discussed or explained during lecture. You are responsible for all that is written on the board and all that is said. All relevant comments by the instructor or students should be addressed. Emphasize putting the ideas into your own words. In addition, include your notes on the lecture problems that we solve “together” during class. Include the mathematical steps as well as any explanations that were given. Three points.

2) Sample Problems: Copy at least three sample problems from a physics text. Include the problem statement and the complete solution presented in the text. Two points.

3) Quiz Corrections: Go over your reading quiz. Completely copy each question you missed, including all of the answer choices. Circle the correct answers. One point.

4) Practice Problems: Solve section review problems and practice problems from textbooks and/or review worksheets and include your work in the notebook. Also include the work you did in solving practice problems written on the board. Include EVERY problem that you attempt as you study for the exam. Clearly identify each with page number, problem number, and/or date. Two points.