Picture #2: For the Left page you need to set it up with 3 sections- Vocabulary, Maps/Charts/Graphs and Important people/Events. Just have it set up about equal distance down the page.  You will add a column down the left edge that says page. (please note: Mine says section. The reason for this is that my daughter is using the dvd version of the Apologia General Science Course therefore no page numbers, but it does have sections. If she had the text book I would use page # instead of section)  Here is a direct link to the PDF that you can download if visibility isn't too good. (Left Notes Page)




So as your child reads and makes entries on the right page for each paragraph, you will have them write down any vocabulary words, any charts, and any important people (or events) that are mentioned. So in this example 6 words are mentioned in bold print, there is 1 chart and 1 person is named in the first section of the chapter. (Stopping at the review question was a natural stopping point in the reading and a good place as the page was filling up!) Please note that I did add the section # that will correspond with the reading section or link to the proper page to find this information again. Also note--I didn't define the vocabulary. there are two reasons for this. First I was lazy! LOL, honest and true!   Second--you may have your child write the vocabulary on index cards or on flip cards or not at all. You could have your child write it in (which is why I put the section column on the left edge). I personally will have DD write in short definitions as reminders.

I  hope this helps everyone!!

T8ermomma

QUICK UPDATE!!

I am using this concept for her Math as well. I added a Table of contents to the inside of her composition notebook. It is a simple grid that lets her put a quick entry (like ratios) and a page number. The page number would be the page in her notebook--not the text book. I don't have a download, lol, because I lost it when my computer crashed. But I just used excel to create a grid that is 6 columns wide with as many rows as wold fit in a full page with 1" margins all the way around.  The titles in the first row were: Topic, page, Topic, Page Topic Page. I gave topic columns more room than page columns. She is only on chapter 1, but she uses her notebook quite often to remind her of different concepts. So I think this is worth it.