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Argh.....Where to Start?!?!


Want to try notebooking but are completely overwhelmed and don't know where to start? Here is what I do it....

Start with the standards and the title page. Move on to the vocabulary for the unit (for me it is the Bingo board). Those two either take up the first day or the first couple of days in a new unit for me.

Look over your standards and see what logically makes sense to you to teach next. Our inquiry standards end with safety but I bump it up to being the first thing I address, because it makes sense to me. Our weather unit starts with the water cycle as the first indicator but I bump the one up about weather tools, again because it makes sense to introduce the tools first.

I look at the resources I have for what I am going to teach - textbook, science kits, videos, etc. and decide what I can use to go on the LH (learning/lesson side). Then I decide what the student is going to do on the RH (reinforcing/reflection) page (foldable, notes, acrostic, illustrated outline, poster, etc.).

The first year is overwhelming no matter what but if you can break it up into manageable chunks instead of getting bogged down in "the big picture" you will do much better.
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