We’re back at it! Isn’t it great to start a new week with a fresh slate? We wake up on Monday morning, energized and ready to go…sometimes. And then there are those other Mondays when no one wants to wake up, last week’s work didn’t *quite* get finished, everything seems chaotic, and we feel left behind with a thousand things still to do. It’s ok! When we are homeschooling, sometimes life just gets in the way, and I am here to tell you that it is all ok. From time to time, school papers and assignments can begin to feel overwhelming. It’s also ok to take a step back, re-evaluate, and reorganize. Let’s take a deep breath while I show you how I guide my kids to further organize their school stuff, so that we can feel more relaxed in the process. (If you haven’t yet read Papers, Papers Everywhere, But Not the One You Need, it will help you get started.) Using this technique can also help the traditionally schooled learner be more organized and orderly, too! It’s an all-around win.
What you will need:
- 1 individual spiral bound notebook PER SUBJECT (I don’t usually recommend the multiple subject kind…it gets confusing when one subject inevitably overflows into another’s section.)
- sharpie for clearly labeling each spiral notebook
- colored pencils for sketches and drawings
- tape to secure charts, graphs, and other printables in to the spiral notebook, as needed
The technique I am about to show you is meant to compliment the 3-ring binder use I taught in the above-reference post, not take its place. By utilizing both techniques together, your students will feel more in control and able to handle working in multiple subjects in a single day much more smoothly and neatly. Say goodbye to lost notes and pages, and hello to structure and order. Did I just hear a collective sigh of relief?
Like many of the techniques I share, this one is very simple, but quite effective! I have been utilizing it for nearly 20 years, both in my classroom and with our own homeschooled kids. The purpose of the spiral notebook technique is to make sure that one subject’s notes can stay organized by date and in the same place. This makes referencing previous notes and studying for tests and quizzes so much easier. It also cuts down on loose papers for the 3-ring binder. In a nutshell, the spiral notebooks are for notes, and the 3-ring binder is for handouts and photocopies. Still with me? Great!
What to do:
- Use a sharpie to label each spiral notebook with the subject name in the middle. Also write the student’s name and school year in the corner (top or bottom, whichever you like).
- Instruct the students to use the very next clean page every time they open the notebook, avoiding skipping pages. Writing on the back side of the pages is optional/personal preference.
- Each day, at the start of every new subject, have students write the date in the top right corner.
- If taking notes from a textbook, make sure students write the page numbers of the text on the top (Listing it as the title works well), so that they can easily find their place again. This is also helpful when going back to review and study.
- Teach proper note-taking technique…writing important key phrases and new terms with definitions, not copying full sentences, etc.
- Have students use colored pencils to draw/sketch in charts, graphs, labelled diagrams and pictures to remember. They may copy or even trace these from the textbook if that works better.
Mistakes to avoid:
- tearing out pages when a piece of paper is needed…It’s better to use loose-leaf paper.
- skipping pages unnecessarily…It uses up too much valuable space.
- using one spiral notebook for more than one subject…That gets really confusing!
- having multiple current-use spiral notebooks for one subject…Only begin a new notebook once the previous one is completely full.
- using the notebook pages as scratch paper…Interrupts the flow of notes when the scratch page must be skipped to continue note taking.
And there you have it! My simple solution to disorganized notes and study habits. I actually use spiral notebooks in my non-school life too, do you? Or do you plan to start? I think I’ll head into the kitchen, fill up my coffee cup once more, and go get mine. After all, today is going to be a great day…blessings to you as you raise up your children today. I’ll be back soon with more teaching techniques and tips for you, but until then, never stop looking for the joy in your homeschool…it makes all the difference.