Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Science Journals

We use Apologia's science texts for junior high and high school. Instead of following the traditional approach of memorizing bits of information for a test (and consequently forgetting it later most of the time), the kids make notebook pages. I feel like this encourages better retention and every time they sit down with their notebook they invariably flip through previous work, naturally reviewing what has been covered before.
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Many times when I have displayed these notebooks parents react with a sense of awe and become overwhelmed with the idea that their children could never produce something so artistic and neat. It really is not that complicated. If you study these pages, you will see that stencils and colored paper are really the key. They sketch the diagrams in the book and occasionally, when a diagram is complex, just make copies. Then they cut it out and mount it on a piece of colored paper, give it a title with the stencils, and maybe add a written narration or some sentences copied directly from the text and Voila! they have a completed page.
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I buy hardcover sketch books from Hobby Lobby or Michael's but a three ring binder with page protectors works nicely too. Even a sewn composition book can be used.
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These first three pages are from General Science:
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your children's notebooks! We *used* to make notebook pages like these, somehow we forgot about them. :-(
We started again today!
Thanks again for sharing with the Ambleside Online e-loop.

tootlepip said...

These are wonderful. Thanks for sharing. I have been rethinking what I have been having my 15 yos do for science. I am not sure, but this might fit the bill. He loves to draw.

Anonymous said...

I have a question. I was just wondering if you make one page per week, per day, per module or how do you do it?
We're doing biology and there is too much good stuff to just make one page, but I don't want to go overboard either.
What's your "rule"?

Anonymous said...

I have a question. How do you decide how many pages to do per module? We're doing biology and there seems like too much good stuff to do only a page per week, but I don't want it to go overboard either. Just wondering how y'all do it.

Lisa said...

Angel, I will email you through your link on your blog.