One of the required materials for this course is a 3-ring binder,
which you need to bring to class each day. You're probably better off using a separate binder just for this course, but depending on your schedule, you may use the same
binder for this course as you use for your other courses, but you'll
need to set aside a portion of it for this class, and organize it
accordingly.
To begin, you'll want to use tabbed dividers to stake-out a
section of the binder for World History activities. Use the five
tabbed dividers to create labeled sections for:
- Course Handouts
- Current Unit
- Research/Writing
- Class Notes
- Journal
From time to time, you will be evaluated
on how well you are keeping your binder organized. Be ready at any
time to have your binder checked for organization, completeness, and
your ability to find material quickly.
Course Handouts
Course handouts are those materials you receive which
you'll refer to throughout the semester. These include materials
you receive the first day, such as class rules, policies on
grading, attendance and tardies, and other general information. It
also includes materials you'll get later on that you'll need to
use throughout the course, such as your Timeline Log and Word
Roots vocabulary list, and instructions on how to complete regular assignments such as Timelines and Homework Assignments.
Current Unit
Most of the time you'll be working on assignments,
readings, research, and activities centered around a unit of
study. You'll want to keep all the elements related to that unit
in one segment of your binder, so you can find them easily, and
you can study them before tests. When you've completed a unit, you
may want to remove the material from your binder so you don't have
to carry it around everyday, but be sure to keep the material you
remove in a safe place; you'll want to use it to study for the
final test.
Research/Writing
Written projects -- in the form of essays, research
reports, and other academic writings -- occupy a large part of our
time in and out of class. As the semester progresses, you'll be
receiving materials to help you do your best work on these
assignments, and it makes sense to keep notes, ideas, assignment
descriptions, and evaluations in one location as you work on them.
You'll also be receiving an extensive Writer's Guide which can
help answer many of the questions you'll have about formatting
issues, organization, and the overall process of completing a
research project or extensive essay.
Class Notes
When you take notes in class, you do so in order to access the information later on. It makes sense, then, to have some way to find the paper you took notes on. Keeping all your notes together, in chronological order, is one way to get the most out of your note-taking activities.
Journal
Class will often begin with a journal writing session,
or you'll have a journal assignment to complete as homework. You'll receive a sprial notebook to use as your journal, and you should keep it, along with any materials dealing with keeping it, in your binder.
Sometimes you'll be asked to look back at particular journal
entries to write a more careful reflective piece about them.
Sometimes you'll be asked to turn in the journal for
grading. Either way, you need to keep your journal handy and ready to use in the final section of your binder.
Evaluation
From time to time, binders will be evaluated according to
the guidelines above. Most evaluations will be unannounced
(surprise) checks, so it pays to be ready to go at any time.
Evaluations will be based on the following criteria:
- Dividers: Are your pages divided into labeled sections?
(0-5 points)
- Filing: Are your papers located in the correct secions? (0-5
points)
- Access: Can you find a specific page in 1 minute or less?
(0 or 5 points)
- Neatness: Can you survive the shake test? (0 - 5
points)
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