Monday, October 19, 2015

Logistics for Notebooks


Notebooks
 It's best to just buy them for students. There are too many options/numbers of pages available/spiral etc.  for you to control without supplying them yourself.

I use the 200 page wide-ruled composition books.  Spiral notebooks make it harder to store, and 200 pages seem just about right.

Cutting and Gluing
It seems so silly.  After all, I'm teaching middle school kids.  Cutting and gluing is first grade stuff, right?  WRONG.  It turns out that cutting and gluing is a lot harder than I thought.  For me, that meant reframing my expectations, explicitly teaching why and how to do it, and giving time to practice was important. (Hmmm- sounds like any procedure, right?)

Elmers vs. Glues sticks- Elmers or white glue all the way!  Glue stick glue, while easier and less messy to use, will not last a school year.  Sometime in January or February, everything will start falling out.

Dots vs. Xs or lines of glue- 4 dots, 5 if it's a larger document.  This is not a joke!  This year, I took more time to model the dots and explain it.  I also let the students know that improper use of glue (say, fingers or desk gluing) would result in the loss of privilege, and the overuse of glue in the notebook would result in a loss of the "Visual Appearance and Organization" grade.  This year, it's working out much better.

Real Scissors- I invested in real scissors.  It was worth every penny.  Having the kids label them ESPAÑOL means that several pairs have found their way back.

In Class-Not everyone has scissors and glue at their homes, so I try to keep activities in class.  Students who need glue are welcome to come in at any time to borrow supplies, and several take advantage of this when they need to.

Teaching the Set-up
I use a slideshow at the beginning of the year for set-up.
I also use a document that the students cut and glue in, for practice.  Sorry that the rubric is on a second page- googledocs did not want it on one.


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