How to Use DIY "Doodle Note" Stickers to Let Students Convert Any Notebook Page Into a Memory-Boosting Graphic Note Sheet

If you are hoping to boost your students' understanding and retention of a lesson, you can't beat graphic notes!

Visual note-taking is a surefire way to build connections in your students' brains and increase:

• comprehension
• memory
• problem solving ability
• focus
• engagement
• and much more!

An easy way to maximize these brain benefits without having to do a ton of prep work is to use DIY doodle note stickers.

Grab your free set, then print this list of all of your options.  There are so many ways to use these!

​Distribute stickers to the students, and let them assemble their own pages right inside their notebooks.

To make this easy, two versions are included for many of the larger structural stickers.  You can choose to print a variety pack for each child, or you can print the versions that have 4 of the same sticker on each page.  It's easy to just pass out a single page for a whole table of four students, and it saves paper!

Remember, if you don't want to purchase sticker paper, you can just use regular paper and have kids glue these into their notebooks.  

Here's how a page comes together:

Students will each add their own unique creativity to the page as they work.  The act of hand lettering, color coding, sketching, and doodling will solidify the concepts in their minds.

The connection between the visual, colorful side and the linguistic side maximizes activity along the neural pathways that lead to long-term memory.  Visual note-taking methods have been proven to increase retention.

​Print yourself one full set on sticker paper (or just use regular paper and a glue stick).  Choose a few stickers that best represent the structure of your lesson content.  2-3 per page is usually plenty!

Draft out a page that organizes your particular lesson content clearly.
​  
Quick Tip:  Lay it all out before peeling the backs, so you can re-arrange as needed.  Once you have settled on a layout, peel and stick!  

Then, photocopy your master page as a graphic note to distribute.
Students can fill in the rest and add their input wherever you have left them some space for interaction.

The teacher plans out the structure & makes copies...

...the students add input to complete!

You can choose to add text (either hand-written or typed with a fun "color-able" font & cut out)  or your own graphics before making the photocopies, or you can leave it fairly blank with only the basic structure in place.  Your call!

Group students into small study teams.  Assign them a lesson or Chapter to summarize.  Offer them a variety of pre-printed doodle note sticker sheets, so they can choose the stickers that will best organize the information.  (The rest can be saved for later - see storage envelope tip below.)

They'll have to plan out the best way to visually represent the lesson material.  The process of choosing, laying out, and planning their page with the stickers helps them organize the information mentally.  They can discuss their options.

Then, they'll build a graphic note page that can serve as a study guide.

By embellishing, labeling, and interacting with the note sheet, they'll build mental connections and remember the information.  The activation of both brain hemispheres and the processes behind Dual Coding Theory will offer them the best study experience!

You can even photocopy the finished pages to distribute to the whole class, so they have a reference / study guide from each group.

These also make great classroom posters!

1.  Choose the best sheet option before printing.  Will your students be using a variety of stickers, or do you want to pre-select the few that are best suited to today's lesson organization?

Stickers on the variety sheets are labeled, so kids can pre-cut them as homework before a lesson. 

Give each student a full sheet...

...or save paper by printing selected stickers for a whole group of 4

2.  If students will be saving some stickers for another day, or if you want to hand out multiple pages all at once and have them use a few each day, use storage pockets.  They can stick an envelope or pocket right in their notebooks.  Try a large pocket for full sheets and a smaller envelope for cut-outs.

3.  Be sure to print on matte sticker paper (not glossy) so that kids can write on top of the stickers!  Another option is to print on regular paper and have them use glue sticks.  Here is my favorite sticker paper (affiliate link):

Stickers are a great complement or even replacement for folding style interactive notebooks.  They can be a lot simpler and easier.  (Quicker too!)

The class is able to easily develop a doodle-friendly graphic note that offers all the benefits of an interactive notebook as well as added brain benefits.

With the coloring, doodling, lettering, embellishing, and color coding, students engage the full brain.  They activate the neural pathways that allow them to convert the information to long-term memory.

By blending the text and graphics, the "doodle note" strategy takes full advantage of Dual Coding Theory.  Click the links below to access the notebook stickers.

Because of the combined impact of Dual Coding Theory, the cooperation of brain hemispheres, and Picture Superiority Effect, doodle notes boost focus, learning, and retention of the lesson material.

Click the image above to download a free set of notebook stickers to try out!
A larger set is available for purchase here as well: DIY Doodle Note Stickers

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​I like to take time to do this (sometimes in homeroom, sometimes in math class, and sometimes in advisory groups) before leaving for winter break.  You can also do it when you get back in January, but the first semester sometimes feels like old news at that point.  It’s best to do this while the past quarter and its struggles are fresh in their minds.

​Start with a Self- Evaluation
 
Before you have your students set goals for the future, they must first assess their work from the previous semester.  First, have your students write down their grades, comments, etc. from the past semester.    Some other important areas to reflect on are effort and work ethic and their behavior in class.
 
Next, have your students identify their strengths; they should think about what they are proud of.  This is so essential for determining goals.  Not only does identifying strengths boost self-confidence, but also it can encourage reflection on why these are strengths.
 
After students identify their strengths, they should determine areas that need some improvement.  It is important to keep things positive when going over this; remind students that although theses areas need attention, they possess the power to make improvements.
 
For an efficient, engaging self-assessment, you can download and print copies of this Goal Setting Doodle Note Sheet; it includes many beneficial goal-setting techniques.  This sheet can be a great introduction to Doodle Notes too, if you haven’t tried them yet!
 
 
Teach SMART Goals
 
Once students identify strengths and areas to improve, they are ready to begin setting goals! Make sure they have an understanding of how to compose a good goal. 
An easy acronym to teach is SMART.  This means that all of their goals should have the following criteria:
 
               -Specific
               -Measurable
               -Attainable
               -Reasonable and Relevant
               -Timely and Trackable
 
Create an Action Plan
 
Arguably, the most important step of goal setting is creating a step-by-step plan of how to reach your goal!  If your goal is to get from point A to point B, then you need to know how you’re going to get to point B.
 
Creating small steps to achieve a larger goal makes it all seem a lot more attainable, and less overwhelming.
 
It may be helpful to come up with a hypothetical goal and an example action plan as a class.
 
You can use this as an example:
               Goal:  Raise test scores from B’s to A’s
               Step 1:  Complete all homework on time
               Step 2:  Ask for help and clarification as needed
               Step 3:  Study uninterrupted for 45 minutes each school night
               GOAL: Get an A on the test
 
Be sure to tell your students that SMART goals are not easy to write and will take some time.  A SMART goal is not just a goal they want to achieve; it includes an specific action plan.

Identify Any Potential Obstacles
 
Sometimes setting and achieving goals can be easier said than done.  We all have roadblocks that can keep us from achieving our goals, and it’s important to help your students recognize their roadblocks so they can overcome them.  Maybe they continually miss a connection in the lesson?  Maybe they have too many distractions at home, like social media, friends, or video games?
 
Once they recognize their obstacles and consider how to overcome them, your students can push through their action plans and achieve their goals. 
 
Reflect
 
Schedule time every week or two weeks for you students to reflect and evaluate how they are doing on their action plans.  Which strategies are working and which ones are not?  Are there any new obstacles to overcome in order to follow your action plan?
 
Be sure to remind your students that they are aiming for progress, not perfection.  After all, achieving goals takes time, and progress lets you know you are heading in the right direction. 
 
Accountability
 
A great strategy to teach your students is accountability; teach them ways to hold themselves accountable.
 
For example, a little peer pressure doesn’t hurt.  Pair or group students with accountability partners, or “accountabili-buddies.”  Every few weeks, have the students meet for a few minutes to discuss how their plans are coming along.
 
Another way to help students be accountable is to include parents.  You can send a paper home to parents, explaining the class’ goal setting and asking for their support.  Parents can support you by questioning their child about his/her goals and plans, or give advice to help.
 
Celebrate Reaching Goals
 
Finally, after your set time to achieve goals you can hold a small celebration for all of the hard work your students have done.
 
Maybe that means bringing in a treat for the class or allowing them to bring in a snack, and giving them the opportunity to tell their class about their goals and their plans of action.
 
 
 
Do you have any foolproof strategies for setting goals? Please let us know in the comments below.  Don’t forget to enter your email to subscribe to Math Giraffe!

So, I am sharing some of my favorite holiday math activities your class is sure to love!  With these easy, creative activities, you can still bring in the holiday cheer and have fun, while maintaining rigorous learning and hitting your math objectives.  If you’re a Catholic school teacher, be sure to check out my ideas at the bottom that specifically follow your school’s beliefs and teachings!

For Everyone
 
Congruent Triangles: Winter Snowflake
 
Level: 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th
 
One of the easiest ways to bring holiday cheer into your classroom is through decorations. This FREE activity incorporates challenging problem solving and provides pretty student-made winter decorations for your walls.  It’s a worksheet style set of practice problems including:
 

• Writing congruency statements
• Using Triangle Sum Theorem
• Identifying corresponding parts of triangles
• Using base angles of isosceles triangles
• Setting up and solving linear equations to find missing angle measures

​Trapezoid and Triangle Trees: A Holiday Math Activity
 
Level: 6th, 7th, 8th,
 
This hands-on activity puts your students’ math skills to work! In groups, your students will work together to measure all sides, heights, and angles, classify polygons, find the area and perimeter of each piece, identify two separate pairs of similar figures, and cut to construct trees. By the end, you will have a whole winter forest of trees you can post on the bulletin board or wall!
 
This activity covers the following concepts:

• Measuring with a ruler
• Measuring with a protractor
• Finding the perimeter
• Finding the area of triangles and trapezoids
• Identifying similar figures
• Classifying triangles
• Classifying trapezoids

​Christmas Price Index
 
Level: 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
 
This awesome and fun activity created by PNC, helps you introduce basic economics to your class by pricing out each gift from “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.   Your students will work in groups to search on the internet and through ads to calculate the total cost of the twelve gifts mentioned in the song.
 
There are more activities in the free downloadable lesson plan to guide you if you are looking to extend the lesson!

​Equation Ornaments           
 
               Level: 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th
 
In this activity you can have your students work to solve equations to color in beautiful ornaments, like a color by number.
 
The awesome thing about this activity is how easily you are able to differentiate learning for your different learners.  There are three different sets of equations. Set A is the easiest and contains a variable only on one side of the equation. Set B has a medium difficulty level with variables on both sides of the equation. Set C is the most challenging.   You can choose one set, or choose to use any combination!

Printable 3-D Ornaments
 
Level: 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
 
File Folder Fun provides an awesome free downloadable resource! Download and print these 3-D shapes for your students to cut out and glue together, allowing them to have some hands-on experience with shapes.  Then, let them decorate their creations like holiday ornaments to hang around the classroom!  You can even make a tree on your bulletin board (or a full, live tree if you have a spare corner in your room)!  If possible, have students use tape instead of glue for easier assembly of the flaps.

For Catholic Schools
 
Christmas equations
 
Level: 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th
 
This activity includes a set of challenge equations, providing a fun approach to algebra and building problem-solving skills.

Three levels are included:
- 4 basic (easy) cards that can be used before or during middle school grades for critical thinking
- 4 medium level cards that are perfect for middle school or high school students
- 4 difficult cards that offer a challenge, even for high schoolers

You can also use these when teaching substitution or the transitive property!

Nativity Math Advent Calendar
              
Level: 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th
 
Advent is a very special time for the Church; you want your students to be thinking about it throughout the day.  In this bulletin board sized Advent calendar, you get 24 flaps that each have a problem of the day based on the nativity. 
 
Your students will love entering the room each day knowing they are getting an exciting new problem.  The best part is how it perfectly integrates math and religion!
 
With this product you get many choices, so you can choose what’s best for you and your students.  You have a choice of three designs (options for color printers as well as black and white on colored paper).

There are three sets of problems included, one for grades 3-4, one for grades 5-6, and one for grades 7-8.  Mix and match questions from each set of questions to perfectly fit what your students are covering, or simply print the set that best fits the grade(s) you teach. You will have plenty of options!

Mathematical Christmas Cards
 
Level: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
 
 
An article on The Guardian shares an idea that includes making beautiful Christmas cards with the use of math through stitching geometrical designs on cards.  Essentially, you draw two straight lines that intersect, and then draw points along those lines at equal distances.  When you join dots from one line to the other, you get a perfect parabola.   The article also shares how to achieve other intricate designs, and tips to make the project run smoothly!
 
Do you have any ideas to bring the holiday cheer to your classroom? We would love to hear more!