What needs to be in my notebook?
Students are required to keep a notebook. This notebook will contain all bellringers, notes, papers, paragraphs, study guides, etc. that we have throughout the semester. Students may organize their notebook in the manner which is most effective for them.
Notebook Quizzes
Notebooks will be assessed through the use of notebook quizzes. These quizzes will be given every week or so, and collectively form 15% of a student's overall grade. Notebook quizzes typically consist of about five questions. Students will have five minutes to answer all five questions and turn their paper in. The short time limit makes organization essential! Below is an example of a typical notebook quiz:
- Look at your bellringer from Tuesday, 3/14. How many questions were on that exercise?
- Look at your notes from 3/12 ("Seeds of Conflict"). How did you explain the role of Alliances in making WWI a World War?
- Look at your vocabulary for World War I. Which term refers to the desire of powerful nations to take over other countries?
- Look at your Note-Taking Guide from our Industrial Revolution project. How did canals effect industrialization?Look at your Industrial Revolution Study Guide. What was Karl Marx's slogan?
Caution!
Students are responsible for making up all material from days they have missed as soon as they get back! Ask classmates about bellringers, get assignments out of the make-up book, etc. Assignments and notes may appear on Notebook quizzes two days after they are due.
Organization Hints
Once again, students may organize their notebooks in the manner that suits them best. However, here are a few suggestions for possible organization schemes. Hopefully, use of one of these will help make finding the information for a Notebook Quiz easier:
- Organize your notebook by date. Put the date on every paper. Keep everything in your notebook in order by date.
- Organize your notebook by topic. Separate units (Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, etc.) with tabbed dividers. Place all papers that relate to a particular unit in the appropriate section.
- Organize your notebook by type. Create sections in your notebook for bellringers, notes, assignments, etc. Organize your papers within each of the section either by date or by topic.
Hat Tip
This idea is not mine, originally. I got the idea from this article, by Dana Huff.