In your Teacher Edition or in Teacher Resources, you may notice one of the needed materials listed is a “Words to Know” notebook. This is a domain-specific vocabulary notebook we recommend teachers make to help students keep track of new words they learn each week. You can create a class set or have each student create their own.
How to Make “Words to Know” Notebooks
- Purchase a composition notebook or spiral notebook from a discount store.
- Download one of our “Words to Know” vocabulary notebook cover sheets (see below).
- Use glue to stick the cover sheet onto the front of your composition or spiral-bound notebook.
- Write your name (or have each student write their name) in the space provided at the top of the cover sheet.
- For a class set notebook, write the letter A at the top of the first two pages of your notebook (so you’re only writing on the right-side page). On the next two pages, write the letter B. Continue through the alphabet all the way to the letter Z. For student notebooks, have each student do this in their notebook.
- Look for suggested vocabulary words in your Teacher Edition or in Teacher Resources. Write those words in your notebook (or have students write them in theirs).
- At the end of each week, do a shared activity with your class where you go over the vocabulary words for that week.
- Have the words upon the board where students can see them.
- Elicit definitions for each word from your students.
- Have students write their definitions in their notebooks, or write their definitions into the class set notebook.
Have older students site where they found their definitions.
For ESL students, have them write definitions in their home language, draw pictures, or cut out images from their Studies Weekly student edition and glue them into their notebook.
Cover Sheets: