Tapestry of Grace Student Notebooks

I can't begin without a big Thank You to Karen at Rivendell Press for this great idea and to all the folks at the Well-Trained Mind Forums who have been sharing ideas and resources for the past few weeks.

I have been putting together TOG Notebooks for Clemmie and Spencer this weekend and all I can say is WOW! Although there is a huge up front investment of time, we will be able to be on track for ten weeks at a time! No more waiting on the office staff to copy every thing at the last minute!

We are currently in Year 2, Clemmie and Spencer are working on history together despite the age differences. This means we use both Upper Grammar and Dialectic work (and read a few Lower Grammar books for fun). This allows us to cater to both of their strengths and weaknesses as well as get in some activities just for fun. I should add that these two are history junkies and love to study history and geography so what we do may be a bit overboard for some folks.

For Year Two I am including the following items in their student notebooks:

• General Information for All Grades
• Reading Assignments
• Weekly Overview
• Writing Assignment Charts as appropriate
• Writing Assignment Worksheets/Graphic Organizers
• Any needed charts or supplements (such as the page 3 maps in some units)
  
• Student Activity Pages as needed
• Maps (I also print out the teacher's copy and add it to the big unit binder)
• Coloring Pages (they still love this activity)
• Evaluations (I add the answer sheets to the big unit binder)
• I also scanned and printed the unit cover art for each binder and added a text box with each child's name-this I printed on cardstock and added a plain cardstock back cover
  
• I lined up all 4 Year Two binder spine labels from TOG, copied them on cardstock and laminated (then cut apart) to help C & S mark their place in the notebook, punched for the Circa system we just inserted it higher on the rings to allow part to sick out above, be sure to leave margins for punching (I copied all four together to not waste paper or laminating material; I did think of trying something fancier with scanning and adding a text box at the top with names or a label like "This Week" but I just got lazy) Update: I just finished the bookmarks and you need to separate them (I use a paper trimmer) before laminating, the laminating sheets I use are long enough to stick up about 1/2 inch above the paper so I didn't need to adjust the punch or in-book placement, just trim them apart being sure not to cut the paper
  

I have been running our all-in-one printer through its paces for this project. It will probably ask for medical leave or comp time when I finish. Not being cleaver enough to figure out how to put everything into one big electronic document (and having a so-so scanner function), I have been copying those items that are not included in the Loom and printing everything else from the Loom, Map Aids and Writing Aids CDs; evaluations still come from the online eProducts at the TOG website. Don't forget to check in the online Loom or the CD for book updates before printing- there may be new reading schedules and/or worksheets. I have also been printing everything double, no differences for Clemmie and Spencer. Sure, each might not use every document but this amounts to only a dozen or so pages at most and it is a huge time saver to just make 2 copies of everything. I should add that I am not reformatting any of the pages to add space or more convenient positioning. I have also added in some Levenger Circa lined paper where I think more room is needed for answers.

A few tips as you copy and print: be sure to test the printable area of your copy function, I have to cheat some pages to get all the border labels to show. Also, get used to how to run paper through for a side 2 print ( this is very dependent on how you are able to orient an item on the copier), when printing from the Loom be sure to select an option on your printer menu to "shrink to printable area" (I had been loosing graphics and information before using this feature), when printing from the Map Aids CD be sure to check which layout to select for your printer (some maps need portrait, some landscape and they do not necessarily set this automatically), you also need to select shrink to fit printable area for the evaluations. I have been printing on both sides of the paper with no difficulties (I am currently using Epson 24lb 4.3mil bright white).

We don't really have any copy shops near us, so Karen's Circa punch idea was perfect! I have found that three ring binders are great for storing work but not for current work. Too much tearing. Now, I was already a longtime Levenger addict but this was one item I was hoping to get a field test report on before using. So far it is great-the kids love the compact size of the notebook, their lives are easier since they are not tearing out pages (mine is easier because I am not filing pages), they are enjoying having their own reading lists to check off; this is a win-win project.

At first I found this project a bit intimidating but the benefits were to great to be deterred. The first two weeks (preparing the notebook for-not teaching) went slowly but once I understood the process and worked out the technology kinks everything has run smoothly. One great side benefit is that I now feel like I am much more familiar with TOG and how it works. While I haven't read all of the abundant Teacher's Notes, I understand how the program functions, how the components interact and support each other and where to find answers to many of my questions. Making these notebooks is a great introduction to the program.

Thanks again Karen and WTMF participants-you've been a huge help and inspiration to this TOG rookie!