NOTEBOOK PROPER USE 

                                    
                                                  SOCIAL STUDIES NOTEBOOK CHECK RUBRIC

 Importance and significance of the Notebook

The notebook is the most important testimony/evidence of your work and commitment with my subject throughout the year and it is also an important reflection of progression throughout the year. With all the activities, notes, assignments, artwork, pictures and designs created by yourself throughout the year, you will make your notebook unique, significant and meaningful. And by working, setting and organizing all these class materials properly you will gain important life skills like: communication, critical thinking, organizational skills, creativity, persistence, responsibility, decision-making, respect, independence and self-worth by feeling proud.

The notebook does not only comprise all the materials created by yourself but also the notes taken in class and the handouts clearly and orderly displayed constituting the main reference for you to prepare the exams and build content knowledge. At the same time, the notebook shows the evolution and development of your work in Social Studies and provides a good report of your progress.  

For all these reasons the notebook is a valuable tool for both, you and me, but it is your responsibility to follow the main directions and to present them in the dates assigned to be evaluated.

I will check your notebook periodically each term and I will grade it at least once a term (in dates previously fixed). In addition to the term grade, I will check the notebooks the first day of the week to ensure that you are reviewing and studying your notes and completing all of the necessary tasks. I will be looking for well-organized, easy to read and understand, complete notes with drawings, pictures and diagrams, including all the maps and handouts delivered in class and. I will also evaluate the neatness that demonstrates that you care about the quality of your work. I will provide you with a rubric in which you will be clearly aware of those aspects specifically scrutinized in your notebook to understand your final grade each term. If you don´t understand it, come for clarification soon, you shouldn´t wait until grading day.

If at first you do poorly during a notebook check, don´t give up, look for me and we will discuss ways to make it better and then ask for another check after you have fixed your notebook.

The relevance of the notebook is reflected in the percentage of the final grade: 15%.

                                                           MAIN GUIDELINES

The next specifications are not simple suggestions, all of them should be followed by each student given that an important part of the grade depends on them.

OVERALL ORGANIZATION

-      Only a specific type of notebook is permitted: stapled Papyrus or similar but with thick pages to prevent the writing from bleeding through the other side of the page.

-      The notebook must be covered in plastic to protect it.
-      The Notebook must be properly labeled including the front page:

• Subject´s name: Social Studies or Geography and History. This is usually artistically decorated.
• Student´s name and class number
• Course name
•  Teacher´s name
•  School year

 
-     In the last pages of the notebook you will paste:

      o   The grading criteria, common for the department of Social Studies, signed by your parents.
        o   The notebook check rubrics for each term.

 -      The notebook must contain only Social Studies material.

 -      There must be a chronological reference for everyday worked in the notebook (dates at the beginning of the task, right side). It should be easy for me and for you to find a specific day of notes or tasks.

 -      Front or back covers are not badly torn or missing.

 NEATNESS AND READABILITY

-      All the pages must be neat with legible handwriting
-      Only black or blue ink for notes, additional colors are allowed for underlining, titles and decorations. Pencil is not allowed except for drafts or drawings that will be eventually completed.
 -      Every unit must start with a clear title and unit number and they must be located on the right side of the notebook (front page always), even if the back of the previous page is free.
-      All notes are clearly titled, dated and easy to locate.
-      Notes are easy to follow and understand (free of grammar or spelling mistakes and coherent writing).
-      There is little to no “wasted space” in the notebook (leaving free 1 centimeter approximately at the top and bottom of each page).
-      Underlining notes is an important task that enables you to select the information to revise the units to prepare and study for the exam. You can use a different color pen but use a ruler to underline or do it straight.
-      Color is used to aid in understanding.
 -      Shapes, arrows and lines are also used to help in understanding.
-      All handouts are cut and glued straight and proportionally to their sizes and they are not protruding from the notebook
-      Not torn out pages.
-      Use of ruler for every straight line whenever is required.
-      Margins – There should be a 1 centimeter margin at the top and bottom of the page with a 1,5 centimeter margin on the left-hand side of the page

 
COMPLETENESS

-      All class notes are present, including from days of absence. Note: Being absent is not an excuse for not getting notes or the materials from someone else. Create a WhatsApp group (or some other form of communication) with some members of your class and get the notes/ assignments/ handouts before the next class.

There are several types of notes you should include in your notebook:

• Those taken by yourself from the Power Points in class. It is not necessary write absolutely everything but just the main ideas. They can be completed at home with the book or with the help of the summarized Power Point from the Weebly.
• Anything written or illustrated on the boards by the teacher.
•  Notes from other activities presented either by the teacher or by any other classmate.
  

-      There must be an outline or thinking map at the end of every unit that helps you to organize and summarize the notes of that lesson and that with just one quick look tells you about the content of that unit.

 -      All handouts, assignments, handouts for projects, diagrams or any other miscellaneous information must be glued in properly (see above), dated and orderly.

-      All Do Nows, homework and activities must appear clearly identified and completed.

 SELF-PRODUCTION

This section includes all those assignments that are usually graded separately and added and incorporated to the notebook. They also involve a certain grade of creativity and accurateness.

-      All maps must be glued in the front page (right side) and the relevant additional information (either political with names of the countries and their capitals or physical with their physical features) must be glued on the opposite page.

They must be colored properly, with contrasting but soft colors that identify properly either the different countries or the diverse physical features.

-      All mind maps must be glued in properly and orderly with the data that identify them visible. (See rubric for Mind maps).

 -      All timelines must be glued in properly and orderly with the data that visibly identify them. (See rubric for Timelines).

 -      Climographs (only for year 1), they must be glued in once corrected and properly fixed after correction.

 SUPPLEMENTARY OR ADDITIONAL WORK

This part refers to all that material that is not officially demanded (not compulsory) in other sections. It is really varied and contributes to a major comprehension of the processes and facts studied and analyzed. They are completed with drawings, pictures, diagrams, portraits and maps the texts and notes of the content.

 AESTHETICS

This is valued whenever a student introduces creativity and design into her or his notebook. It usually implies the addition of supplemental work and materials.

The result is a unique notebook that exceeds the common frame.