"The Wipebook Flipcharts have given the students the freedom to get up, get moving, and actively engage in math and science. My students are so excited when they get to show their work on the wall and I’m excited to have a way to keep them engaged!"

Introduction to Vertical Non-Permanent Surface

Over the summer I was introduced to the importance of incorporating vertical non-permanent surfaces into your classroom by Dr. Bonnie Bolado at North Carolina State University's Math Summit. Dr. Bolado shared Peter Liljedahl's knowledge from his book Building Thinking Classrooms about the many benefits of mobilizing learning. VNPS plays an important role in mobilizing learning by being used in enriching and challenging tasks in order to engage the class. We are 3 weeks into our 2022-2023 school year and the Wipebook Flipchart's have been used daily in our 5th grade math and science class. Flipchart's large size makes it easy for students to have space for all their work and its reusable surface erase easily. I love that the Flipchart comes with 10 pages so I can adjust my groupings based on our assignments and the gridded side has helped with coordinate planes.

Using Groups and VNPS

For our first adventure with the Wipebook Flipcharts, students were tasked with creating two survey questions. One question had to result in categorical data and the other had to result in numerical data. From there, students had to determine what graph would best represent their data. The students were put into randomized groups of 4. Students started by collecting data from their peers using the survey questions they created. Each group then produced a bar graph and line plot from the data they had collected. The Wipebook Flipcharts allowed students to easily see other group’s work and gather ideas from them. Also, students were able to display their graphs with pride on a larger scale rather than just on a piece of paper. Lastly, it allowed our class to walk around and have great discussions about the data the groups created. 

Solving Challenges with VNPS

In science, our Wipebook Flipcharts have been used for drawing animal and plant cell models, labeling them, and then defining the vocabulary that goes with each model. They have also been used for creating venn diagrams to show the similarities and differences between unicellular and multicellular organisms. Students are far too often stuck staring down at their paper assignments in front of them. It is hard to collaborate when you’re all looking down at a small paper assignment and not looking at each other. The Wipebook Flipchart Surfaces have given the students the freedom to get up, get moving, and actively engage in math and science. My students are so excited when they get to show their work on the wall and I’m excited to have a way to keep them engaged!

Rebecca Nicholson, 5th Grade Math and Science teacher, Patriots STEM Elementary

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