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AmandaV
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| Posted: Aug 27 2012 at 4:10pm | IP Logged
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Over in this discussion about copybooks for history, Martha wrote about using a composition book for memory work/copywork from Classically Catholic Memory. Then I started thinking about notebooks. I'll repost my question here so that I don't completely highjack Jenn's thread:
AmandaV wrote:
Not to highjack this thread, but... are there any thoughts on using one journal/composition as a "lesson book"for the year/term/etc? Similar to Martha's idea of having the children copy Classically Catholic Memory selections as copywork, along with any history responses for one's current history period, any written work from Primary Language Lessons/Intermediate Language Lessons if using, dictation responses, say from Spelling Wisdom or other dictation sources, other copywork for younger students, perhaps math- maybe a daily story problem- if using something like Ray's (we don't, so MEP will stay separate, likely), journaling or diagramming of current science or nature study concepts (separate from nature journal), maybe an illustration of a poem one has memorized, etc. So I would imagine if this was done you would end up filling up a composition book rather quickly, probably be the end of a term or semester for a child in the 2nd-4th grade. Then you could start "Grade 3 Volume 2", etc. I find that with multiple books or journals I don't keep track well and one place for all non-ring binder work would be very useful and easier to keep track of, as well as to pick up and go if taking your work outside on a beautiful day or to a field trip to record interesting finds, etc.
I feel like I've seen images of such books from the the early 20th century and before but can't find a link.
Is there a downside to this? Is it better to keep subjects separate?
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Any thoughts? Have any of you done what I describe?
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Martha
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| Posted: Aug 27 2012 at 5:26pm | IP Logged
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That is sorta what I do. Anything additional they want to put in their composition book is fine by me. BUT it has to be done portfolio worthy. I'm trying to instill that they are creating something special. So once maybe twice a day, that's doable without stress or frustration. But for spelling tests, rough drafts of language lessons - those things would upset them in their books.
Now if you presented from the start, that it was simply where everything is done with no pressure to make it extra nice, they'd probably do fine. The biggest issue I see is how to handle editing. Erasing an entire story, scratching out and writing above are messes and unsatisfying. I'd recommend entering final drafts.
I think you would go through 2 per quarter that way though. In a week, we might use 7-10 pages just for CCM. So that's about 1 per qtr right there if it has 100 pages.
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Becky Parker
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I did this for my ds one year, after finding my dad's old "lesson book". He died when I was 7 so the book is very precious to me. I found an old style scrap book, with the pages actually made of paper and my son and I chose various things from all different subjects to put in it. He loves that notebook! He still goes back to reread it. I might have to do that again!
Here's an old blog post about it.
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stellamaris
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| Posted: Aug 27 2012 at 7:54pm | IP Logged
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Amanda, I haven't posted on this yet in my reviews of the Ambleside Institute, but they use several lesson books--one for history, one for science, one for math, and one for final drafts of narrations in other subjects. They also have a sort of "rough draft" copybook that is used for the narration the first time it is done and for first draft compositions. So, I guess that is what we will be doing this year. These books have both lined and blank pages, so they can be used to illustrate as well as to write. The nature journal is a different kind of book. We've just used notebooks and regular paper in the past, although some very special history work went into our family Book of Centuries.
I like the idea of one special book for all subjects, though. It could be a place for final drafts of especially well-done work and even copywork of poems or Scriptures learned. How wonderful this would be to treasure! When I used the Calvert curriculum, they did something akin to this by making monthly booklets of the student's work for each month. The student illustrated the cover on manila drawing paper and then all the work for that month was stapled together in order. This could have been bound together at the end of the year.
It's not as beautiful as a bound copybook would be, but does allow for "goofs" to be weeded out. Just another idea!
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Grace&Chaos
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| Posted: Aug 28 2012 at 9:20am | IP Logged
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I don't do this through out the year, but during our Advent-Winter session we do. The first year I bound notebooking and blank pages together and just seperated the sections with divider tabs. A different year I found really pretty blank page notebooks with Advent artwork on the covers so for those I used our StartWrite program to print lined sections onto Avery label sheets and placed them when they needed to write. For dividers I used the sticky tab dividers. These actually make really nice keepsakes and all the subjects we covered for those five weeks are included (with the exception of math).
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JennGM
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| Posted: Aug 28 2012 at 9:26am | IP Logged
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While I think it would work, of course, I find it confusing for myself to have everything all lumped together. It's kind of like a stream of consciousness and would seem disorganized to me.
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JennGM
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| Posted: Aug 28 2012 at 10:30am | IP Logged
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Sorry, I was replying to the OP, not your idea, Jenny. I would tend to do the same, putting tabs to separate.
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AmandaV
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| Posted: Aug 28 2012 at 10:41am | IP Logged
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Grace&Chaos wrote:
| I don't do this through out the year, but during our Advent-Winter session we do. The first year I bound notebooking and blank pages together and just seperated the sections with divider tabs. A different year I found really pretty blank page notebooks with Advent artwork on the covers so for those I used our StartWrite program to print lined sections onto Avery label sheets and placed them when they needed to write. For dividers I used the sticky tab dividers. These actually make really nice keepsakes and all the subjects we covered for those five weeks are included (with the exception of math). |
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This is helpful, thanks. I think maybe during some parts of the year or some subjects it would be more of a final project notebook. And then other times or for other subjects it could just be daily work. I'm still thinking.
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AmandaV
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JennGM wrote:
| While I think it would work, of course, I find it confusing for myself to have everything all lumped together. It's kind of like a stream of consciousness and would seem disorganized to me. |
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I can see that, Jenn. But I'm already disorganized when there are too many recording places, so one, even if not ideally organized, would probably be organized for me :)
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Grace&Chaos
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| Posted: Aug 28 2012 at 10:48am | IP Logged
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JennGM wrote:
| Sorry, I was replying to the OP, not your idea, Jenny. I would tend to do the same, putting tabs to separate. |
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I agree with you. That's why I wouldn't do this for the 36 week year. I do as Caroline described. We have lesson/notebooks for each subject. For my younger ones they are always blank paper and I put in my Avery labels for the writing. And again, as the kids get older and move into a BOC you start seeing their entries actually include the various subjects.
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CatholicMommy
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Sounds very elementary-age Montessori :)
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AmandaV
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| Posted: Aug 29 2012 at 10:48am | IP Logged
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Well, I was talking with my son about our CCM notebooks yesterday after we copied our first page and he prefers it be separated by subject rather than week. So we are going to get some of the tabs Jenny posted above. My challenge will be estimating and counting the pages accurately enough to leave room for each subject. Then when we have filled in most sections we'll just move to a new notebook and divide that. Not sure yet about our other subjects. I already have a PLL notebook for language arts from 2nd grade, so I think I'll keep that into this year and continue it, along with our Nature notebook, and then (if we do more writing than that) use the hygloss books for certain books or composition books for history and science, individually. I like the idea of an Advent book, Jenny. So we may do that during that season.Thanks for the input!
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Bound Lesson books for all subjects?
