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I remember when my daughter was just a toddler that she could already identify some literary elements such as character. She knew who the “bad guy” was even at age three. Now that she’s in middle school, we are leaving behind oversimplified terms like “bad guy” or even “villain” to talk about protagonists and antagonists.
Character Notebooking Page
We are working through the book Figuratively Speaking by Learning Works, and came across all the different types of characters.
- antagonist and protagonist
- flat and round
- static and dynamic
- major and minor
This free printable notebooking page is a way to take notes about the different types of characters or to list the characters you identify from a work of literature. (Or you can do a little of both as my daughter did.) I hope these pages are helpful for your homeschool language arts and literature studies.
As always, I love to hear when you use the free printables from The Notebooking Fairy in your homeschool. If you send me photos, I will feature you in a Show Off post.
Notebooking is a flexible method for homeschooling your children. And to prove it, this weekly series demonstrates 50 Things to Put in a Notebook.
Fifty Things to Put into a Notebook: #8 Minibooks
Minibooks are the main component of lapbooks. But they can be used for notebooks as well. In fact, some moms prefer to create notebooks full of minibooks instead of using the traditional file folder base. Notebooks are generally easier to store and more durable than lapbooks.
If you want to add a minibook to your notebook, simple affix it to a sturdy paper such as cardstock. Hole punch the cardstock, and slip it into your notebook.
Bible Timelines
This three square unfolding book makes a big impression when opened up. It takes up just a tiny space when folded, but allows for plenty of room inside for homeschool lessons.
To some children, minibooks are less threatening than a blank notebooking page. So use that to your advantage. Have your child create a minibook each day after his homeschool lessons. At the end of the week, you will have a set of minibooks to assemble onto notebooking pages. Let your child plan the layout and write titles as needed.
US Government Minibooks
Other options are to slip minibooks into an envelope pocket or a clear page protector.
Science Minibooks in Page Protector
Minibooks can add interest onto a page of written narration and provide more room for details. Consider a matchbook with information inside instead of a flat image to illustrate a page. The possibilities are endless.
I recommend cutting and folding a batch of minibooks in all styles, sizes, and colors. Then keep those blank books handy at your notebooking station along with the blank notebooking pages you have printed out. Giving your child many options will make her notebooking pages more varied and more interesting. And variety is what this series is all about.
A blog reader and online friend Amy Uptain sent me a request for a notebooking page by email. She said
I have a suggestion for a notebooking page. My 2nd grader read Mary Poppins, and instead of having her do a more traditional book report, I had her contrast the book with the movie. I actually just had her list some things that occur only in the book and only in the movie. I couldn’t find a specific page for her to use, so I just used a columned sheet from Donna Young. You can read about it on my blog Hope is the Word.
What do you think? Do you think a book vs. movie page might be useful?
I love this idea, Amy. And your daughter’s notebooking page turned out great! But instead of limiting my printable to book versus movie, I made a more general page that can be used for comparing and contrasting any two things.
Comparison and Contrast Notebooking Pages
These pages could be used as graphic organizers for prewriting a comparison/contrast paragarph or essay. Or they can stand alone as a daily narration page. The pages have both college ruled and manuscript lines.
Comparison and Contrast Notebooking Pages
I love it when my readers make suggestions of printable notebooking pages because first of all I sometimes run out of ideas. Secondly I like creating pages that I know you will use. So feel free to make suggestions. I can’t promise to make them all, but I really do take them into consideration.
