I have just created a lens on Squidoo on How to Create Basic Lapbook Templates in MS Word. My brain is now officially fried. However, There is a wonderful new lens including step-by-step screenshots on how to make the basic lapbook templates...Q&A books, Shutter-fold books, (also a Tri-fold as a variation of the shutter-fold), and a Pentagon shape book. I used the 2003 version of MS Word. I imagine Word 2007 is similar if not the same for this particular use. You can use the same directions for Word Perfect and possibly other word processing programs.
And just a side-note...Jimmie...a friend of mine and a lensmaster, who's created some of the most popular lenses on Squidoo including the Lapbooking Lens, just created a tutorial on how to create notebook pages in MS Publisher. (Most of the directions are similar/same as those for MS Word.) It's a really great resource. Take a look at it HERE.
One of the hardest things (~I thought~) to learn to do on notebook pages was Primary lines. Not because it's hard, but because I started out in the wrong direction. :-) Typically, you'd think..."primary lines...I need to use the 'Line' tool." Not so... Once I used the correct tool, they were so much easier. If you're reading this now, I hope to save you all the hours of experimentation I spent figuring it out.
First, you'll insert a table. You can either do this directly onto the page, or you can insert a text box then insert a table into the text box if you'd prefer to be able to move it around on your page more easily. Click on "Table" > "Insert" > "Table" In the box that pops up, choose..."Fit to Window", "1 column". Make sure that you allow 3 rows of the table per primary line that you wish to insert. (i.e. If I wanted 4 primary lines, I'd insert 12 rows). If you'd rather not have the last little "basement line" on your last row, subtract one row from the total number of rows. (The "basement line" is what I call the guide line for how low the letters that hook below the base line go...letters like "g", "y", "j", etc..)
Now that you have your table inserted, you can change the size of the lines by hovering over the table until the "square" appears in the bottom right corner. Click on that and drag it to whatever shape or size that you desire. (down if you need "bigger" primary lines...However if you need smaller primary lines, you'll need to change the font size of the table. Even if you don't type anything into it, the table will automatically "reserve" a space for the "default" font size. ) Remember that 2 rows equals one "line."
Next you want to select/highlight the whole table. One easy way to do this is to hover over the table again. There will be a square that appears in the upper left corner with a "cross-hair" in it. Click on that and the whole table should be highlighted. At this point, as long as you don't click on any individual lines, your rows should be equal height, but if they're not, you can fix this by right-clicking on the table and selecting "Distribute rows evenly." (If it doesn't show up here for some reason, then it should be on the "table" menu.)
To start making your table LOOK like primary lines, right-click on the table (after it's highlighted) and a drop-down menu will appear. Choose "Borders and Shading" from this menu. A window will pop up. Make sure that you are on the "Borders" tab. Then click on the vertical borders until they are "turned off"...they will "disappear" in the window, but not on your page. Click "OK" They should then disappear from the table on your page.
Now, highlight the first TWO rows of your table. Right-click and select "Borders and Shading" again. You can choose whatever colors you like for your solid and dashed line, but for ease, I will explain with the colors that I use. I use Red for the top line, Gray for the dashed line, and Blue for the base line. On the "top" line in your "Borders" window, select the "solid" line (it should be the first choice). Click on the color and select Red from the drop-down box. then click on the top line button twice. (It will disappear on the first click then come back "RED" the second click.) Next click on the dotted line. I like as long dashes big spaces between the dashes as I can get, but you can choose a different dash style if you prefer. Then click on the color box again, and choose Gray (40% or 50% is good). Then click on the horizontal middle line button twice (similar to red). Next, click on the solid line again. Then select Blue from the Color drop-down box. Click on the bottom horizontal line button twice. Now you should have what looks like primary lines in your "Borders and Shading" window. Click "OK".
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT IF YOU WANT TO USE THE "REDO" COMMAND...DO NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE HERE (typing, inserting clip art, etc...)...
Skip the next row under your blue line Highlight the following 2 rows after that (rows 4-5). You can either click on the Edit menu and select "Redo", or if you like shortcuts, like me :-)...you can press "CTRL-Y" at the same time and the borders will automatically change to "primary lines." You can continue to do this for the rest of your table (making sure to skip highlighting every 3rd row). IF YOU USE THE "CTRL-Y" SHORTCUT...be very careful to make sure that you hold the "CTRL" key down BEFORE you press "Y". Too many times I've been in a hurry and hit "Y" too early, then I had to go redo the "Borders and Shading" because "Redo" would type a "Y" instead of do the borders & shading. The "Redo" command will only "Redo" the last thing you did.
There you have it...Primary lines made easy!! :-)
Some fine-tuning tips...
For K- or 1st -Sized Primary Lines, using the Times New Roman font, set the font size to 28-30 points. (It will be "28" or "30" on the drop-down Font Size menu).
For 2nd-grade-sized Primary Lines, set the Font size (same font) to 16-18 points.
My reasoning for the colors I choose...
Red is the typical "warning color" I want to "warn" my kids not to cross the top line.
Gray is a "background" color. It should be noticed but not "glaring" at you, so it's easy to see it for the letters that depend on it, but not so "obvious" that it's a distraction for the letters that don't depend on it.
Blue is for "water". All of our letters "walk on water", but some of them "go fishing" (or dip below the water level with their "hooks").
These are a few tips I've learned along the way to create notebook pages in Microsoft Word...
I have made a number of notebooking pages and uploaded them to my group, and wanted to share a few tips/"secrets" on how to create them for yourself. I have only used Microsoft Word (MS Word) up to this point. However, I know that you can do some of them if not all in Power Point and I believe something similar with Acrobat...if you have the really expensive version that allows you to edit a .PDF file. And I'm sure there's countless others I don't know about.
First, one of my greatest tools in MS Word is the Text Box (found on the "Insert" drop-down menu). Click on Insert > then Text Box. Word will automatically put the "default" box on your page and you can either resize it or re-draw it, but I have had problems if I don't use at least one of the "default box's" corners as one of my corners...I don't know why this is, but thought I'd mention it. The Text box can be moved anywhere on the page after you define it's size. The box will have black borders and white "fill" (the background color of the text box...which means that you will not be able to see anything behind it). Right-click on the border of the text box and then a drop down menu will give you a number of options. "Format Text Box" will allow you to get rid of the border around the text box and change the "fill" to any color you want, including removing it completely so that you can see what is behind it. (For example, if you have a picture or graphic that is partially behind the box and it can't be moved, but you still want to see it). Also from the "Format Text Box" option, you can change the color of the border if you want to keep it, but would rather have it, let's say...Red to go with a Christmas, Valentine's Day or Patriotic page.
Another option on the right-clickable drop-down menu is "Order" This will send that box or shape to the front or to the back...or send it back or forward "one layer" as needed.
In a Text Box, you can put both text and graphics. I personally like text boxes for graphics because they are easy to move around on the page without messing up the rest of the page. I use Text Boxes for both writing lines and sometimes I don't put anything in them, leave the border around them and use them as a place for my kids to draw a picture or glue in an item. (One note...If you need to rotate or flip the graphic, my version does not allow me to do that in the Text Box. I have to put it into the document outside the text boxes, manipulate it, then cut and paste it into the Text Box. Not sure why, but again...I just work with it. :-) )
Another tool I like is the AutoShapes tool on the bottom toolbar. This is good if you need a circle, square, rounded rectangle, arrows, etc... I also use these as borders for Title blocks (esp. the rectangle and the rounded rectangle). They have similar fill options as the Text Boxes, Just right-click on the object, then on the drop-down menu select "Format AutoShape." You can also send them to the back or front to suit your purposes. (For example Title Blocks where My kids will hand-write in the Title, they "go to the front", but when I want to enter the title on the computer, they "go to the back" so that I can see the title through/"on top of" them.) You can also send them forward or backward in layers to suit your purposes. (For example, if you want to use a series of circles to make a caterpillar and have them slightly overlap.) Again, right-click on the object and choose "Order" from the drop-down menu to send forward or backward.
I also use Tables if I need a number of different spaces or a grid-like object. At the top toolbar, click "Table" > "Insert" then you can choose the number of columns & rows, format, etc... You can make it larger or smaller by dragging the tiny square in the lower right-hand corner of the table, and each cell should increase or decrease proportionately based on the size of the table.
One last tip...I find a lot of graphics that I use online by doing a Google Image search (Go to www.Google.com and at the upper left is a row of links, one of which is "Images." Click on this then enter what you're looking for. When you find the image you want, right-click on the image (make sure you get the original image from the website, not the one on the google search page), then choose "Save" or "Save As" and you can save it on your computer and enter it into your text box from the "Insert" menu on the top toolbar(from the "Picture > From File"...ONLY do this if you think you might want to use the graphic again. Otherwise, you will want to right-click on the image and choose "Copy" then go to your Notebook page and Right-click where you want it and choose "Paste," and ...Voila! You have the graphic on your page to manipulate anyway you want it. This is quicker and more efficient if you are only planning on using the image in that one document.
You also want to be careful here...a lot of these images are copyrighted, so you will not be able to share them without making sure that they are "public domain" or "royalty free." You can use them for your own personal use, but if you plan on distributing them, you will need to check into that. (For example if you want to upload a file using them to a yahoo group or personal website..."Free" does not always mean "Free to Redistribute." Better to be safe than sorry.)
The Microsoft website has free graphics that you can use with Word and other Microsoft publishing programs (google search for "Microsoft graphics" it should be one of the first hits if not THE first). These graphics you will load into a "shopping cart" (even though you don't pay for them...it's nice though because you can download a large number of them at once rather than right-clicking and saving them individually). And again...you can access these from the "Insert" menu in Microsoft Word (under the "Picture > Clip Art" option).
I hope this has been helpful and not too confusing. To be honest, most everything I've learned, I've learned from trial and error...or as I like to call it "playing around to see 'what this tool does'." :-) The rest I learned from my husband...and there's still plenty more out there I discover on a regular basis. :-)
Welcome to my blog...Why "gidget"? Well...my husband tried to teach me how to surf before we were married. I was lousy at it, but he called me his "gidget" and the name stuck.
Why "Treasure Trove"? I love sharing about my sweet little "treasures"...and God has blessed me beyond measure....and no, I didn't mean that to rhyme.
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