- in How-tos , Tips by Jimmie Quick
Using Word Banks for Notebooking
If you use notebooking for narration, you realize that the assignment you are giving your children is quite complex. It’s really a writing assignment in which they have to consider organization, spelling and mechanics, and capitalization as well as the facts they are narrating.
One of the things you can do to help your child write good summaries on his notebooking pages is to discuss what the main ideas are before he even starts writing. As you talk it over, write down some key words to serve as a word bank.
For maximum benefit, have the child write the word bank. (But be sure to check it for spelling and capitalization.) However, writing the word bank for the child is also acceptable and can quicken the process to get on to the notebooking page.
As the student writes his notebooking page, the word bank serves as a reminder and helps him focus on the key ideas so nothing is left out. Word banks are also helpful with reinforcing new vocabulary. Another perk is for the weak speller; a word bank gives an easy place to check the spelling of new words and unfamiliar names.
Try a word bank this week when you implement notebooking in your homeschool and let me know how it goes for you. If you already use word banks, please share your experiences in a comment.