"All of my faculty enjoyed the workshop and feel we now have a good direction to move in regarding a formal school-wide skills program."
—Headmaster, South Kent School, NY
The Key Notebook Routine: Organization Skills
Purpose:
Professional development to improve organization skills by implementing a systematic notebook organization routine in grades 4 through 10.
Description:
The Key Notebook Routine is an ongoing system for organizing materials, papers, and assignments. It includes the use of an assignment book and monthly calendars to help students, teachers and parents plan for test-study, homework assignments, and long-term projects.
Students need direct, systematic instruction to learn good organization skills. When teachers model and provide guided practice to use The Key Notebook Routine, students develop better organization skills and are able to independently apply these skills as they move into the upper grades.
The ideal time to implement The Key Notebook Routine is in middle school grades, but it can be taught to students in grades 4 through 10. All students benefit from a structured system and instruction in organization skills, which is why the routine is best implemented across a grade or on a school-wide basis. This provides consistency and reinforcement in all classes.
The Key Notebook Routine can also be used with individual students. Struggling learners and students with organization weaknesses benefit significantly from the The Key Notebook Routine. As a result, many special education and Title I programs adopt it for students in these programs.
Keys to Literacy offers a professional development program that instructs teachers of students in grades 4 through 10 how to teach organization skills to their students. Professional development for The Key Notebook Routine consists of the following:
- Initial half-day training: Onsite professional development workshop delivered to all teachers participating in the program. Includes the components of the notebook system (working notebook, reserve files, assignment books, calendars) and how to implement the routine.
- Initial consultation to building administrator: How to develop and support school-wide implementation, including scheduled school-wide notebook checks, ordering materials, and communication with parents.
- Training and consultation for a building-based facilitator. Support provided for a building-based facilitator who will coordinate the school-wide implementation of the program.
- Follow-up support for teachers. Follow-up visits (approximately every four to six weeks) by the trainer with teachers in small groups.