Magnet Foundations

WheelerHigh School

Mr. Walstead

Instructions for Maintaing your

Abstraction Notebook

The Abstraction Notebook is our answer to hands-on, unpluggedengagement, retention of content concepts, reflective writing, vocabulary development, and, in short, a course interactive notebook specifically designed for Foundations. Keeping a notebook is also a habit that many scientists, engineers, doctors and researchers use throughout their professional careers. It must be a composition book or single-subject spiral notebook. 3-ring binders and multi-subject notebooks are not acceptable. It will be collected (usually unannounced) periodically throughout the semester and be graded on format, completeness, and content of certain assignments. – 10 points per entry (2 points from format)

Rules:

Each day in class should have an entry which includes: /
  • Warm-up question or activity labeled: Warm-up.
  • Daily activity/Notes labeled: Daily Activity/Notes(this may not be present everyday)
  • Reflection on the skills learned that day, labeled: Reflection

/ Leaveseveral pagesblankatthebeginningfor a Tableof Contentsandupdateitwhenyou starteach newentry
/ Alwaysuse black or blue penandwriteneatlyandclearly
/ -Dateeverypageon thetopoutsidecorners and
-Page numbers should be placed on the bottom outside corners
/ Starteach newtopic(experiment,notes, calculation, etc.)on a right-side(oddnumbered) page
/ Ifyou makea mistake,don’t obliterateit and never use white-out
Usea singlecross out
/ Datafromthecomputermustbeprintedandtapedintoyourlabnotebook.Your initials should be written partially on the printout and partially on the notebook page below. (This ensures that missing printouts will be noticed)

Adapted from:MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Instructions for Using Your Laboratory Notebook

What is a Reflection?

Reflective writing is:

  • your response toexperiences, opinions, eventsornew information
  • your response tothoughtsandfeelings
  • a way of thinking toexplore your learning
  • an opportunity togain self-knowledge
  • a way to achieveclarityand betterunderstandingof what you are learning
  • a chance to develop and reinforcewriting skills
  • a way ofmaking meaning out of what you study

Reflective writing is not:

  • justconveying information, instruction or argument
  • puredescription, though there may be descriptive elements
  • straightforwarddecision or judgement(e.g. about whether something is right or wrong, good or bad)
  • simpleproblem-solving
  • asummaryof course notes
  • a standard essay