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Using Middle School Doodle Notes in the High School Classroom

Doodle notes are super cute, right? They are definitely more fun than outlines. But most of the ready-to-go doodle notes that you can find online are for middle school topics. So, basically, vocabulary sheets. That’s not exactly what we need in a high school classroom. 

I’ll admit, I have still used these types of doodle notes. They give my students a bit of a break while still reviewing basic content. Here’s how I’ve had success incorporating middle school doodle notes in my high school classes:

  1. Don’t require color: Some students will be jazzed to get to color in your class. Others will not care one bit, and may even resent the fact that you’re treating them like little kids. I never require my students to color anything. I tell them the science behind color-coding as well as coloring as stress relief. But the choice to color is theirs. 
  2. Print 2-to-1: Find a practice activity or worksheet that goes along with the material covered in the doodle notes you’re interested in. Then send them through the printer with the 2-to-1 option. It will shrink the pages so that they both appear on one 8.5 by 11 sheet. I usually have doodle notes on the left and the practice on the right. This works well because students can reference their notes as they are practicing their skills.  
  3. After a quiz activity: Give your students the doodle notes sheet to complete, quietly, after a quiz as a review of material they learned in middle school. It will keep them busy while their classmates finish their quizzes as well as prep them for upcoming content. You can post the accompanying PowerPoint and/or Key in your school’s LMS or in a dedicated place in your classroom for students to check their work. 

Redesign Assignment: As a review, ask your students to redesign the doodle notes for high school. They should determine what works and what’s missing. Give them blank printer paper to redesign the doodle notes. Bonus: you could end up with some really cool options to use for notes next year!

  1. Don’t require color: Some students will be jazzed to get to color in your class. Others will not care one bit, and may even resent the fact that you’re treating them like little kids. I never require my students to color anything. I tell them the science behind color-coding as well as coloring as stress relief. But the choice to color is theirs. 
  2. Print 2-to-1: Find a practice activity or worksheet that goes along with the material covered in the doodle notes you’re interested in. Then send them through the printer with the 2-to-1 option. It will shrink the pages so that they both appear on one 8.5 by 11 sheet. I usually have doodle notes on the left and the practice on the right. This works well because students can reference their notes as they are practicing their skills.  
  3. After a quiz activity: Give your students the doodle notes sheet to complete, quietly, after a quiz as a review of material they learned in middle school. It will keep them busy while their classmates finish their quizzes as well as prep them for upcoming content. You can post the accompanying PowerPoint and/or Key in your school’s LMS or in a dedicated place in your classroom for students to check their work. 
  4. Redesign Assignment: As a review, ask your students to redesign the doodle notes for high school. They should determine what works and what’s missing. Give them blank printer paper to redesign the doodle notes. Bonus: you could end up with some really cool options to use for notes next year!

If you aren’t sold on using Middle School doodle notes, that’s ok. That’s why I’m working through my own notes, both “traditional” and “funky”, and redesigning them to be both functional and aesthetic.

Do you use middle school resources in your high school classroom?