Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Tidying Up The ISN

There are some other pieces to keeping a nice neat & organized ISN which I didn't address before.

BOOKMARKING

I don't usually have trouble finding where I am in the ISN as with the foldables in the notebook make it pretty clear what's been filled up and what has not. But bookmarks are fun!  My students used yarn this past year which was okay (and was free as I had leftover yarn at home) but this coming year I'll use ribbons. You can tape the ribbon inside the backcover as shown or some sites recommended hot glue gunning them in (the teacher would have to do this though - no hot glue guns in student hands please!). It's also a good idea to put a knot in the end of the ribbon to prevent excess fraying. 


And it might be cool to glue a envelope onto the back cover for any loose pieces that students don't get inserted in their notebook during class (and that you'll be getting to the next class).



KEEPING YOUR ISN CLOSED

This I found earlier in the year last year and then LOST (!) and couldn't find it when I needed it. But I found a great example of it this summer and will use it this coming school year with my students. Thank you JournalWizard for Keeping the Journals Closed.  Here are some images from her blog entry - it's simply using a metal brad and a rubber band. Genius. 


WHAT ABOUT GLUE?

My students were very particular about what they used to adhere their pieces to their ISNs. I thought glue sticks would be the best thing in terms of mess and with high school students thought they would be pretty good about keeping track of the covers. And they were. But man oh man - those glues sticks run out soooo fast!  I also would have some bottles of white glue but those would clog up and be very messy. And I had some students who always wanted to use tape. That can get very expensive. Next year I won't have my tape in the group baskets, I'll have the dispensers separate for the times that we must use tape. I'm thinking this year I will try "glue sponges". Check out this tutorial here, it sounds like an excellent idea!



You might find some other good organizing tips here at All Students Can Shine.



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