Let’s Talk About the Creation of the Apologia Student Notebooks
Have you ever wondered how the creation of the Apologia student notebooks came to be? Have you ever asked yourself whether or not you really needed the student notebooks? Have you thought to yourself, “I wonder if these can be used in a homeschool co-op setting”?
Listen in as Davis Carman talks with Vicki Dincher, creator of the Apologia Student Notebooks. In this episode, Vicki will answer these questions and more. Vicki tells us how the idea for the Student Notebooks came to be, the features and benefits of this resource, and some subtle but important differences between the 7th and 8th grade Student Notebooks and the ones for high school students.
Whether you are brand new to Apologia or a long-term user, you will learn something new in this episode about the creation of the Apologia Student Notebooks.
Feature #1–The student notebooks were created by a homeschool mom to be used in a co-op setting
The Apologia Student Notebooks started off being used in a co-op setting by author Vicki Dincher. The notebooking pages were printed and used in a 3-ring binder. They were created due to a need Vicki recognized that homeschoolers struggled with learning how to take notes. After creating the notebooking pages for her co-op she was invited to meet with Davis Carman and the rest is history. Vicki is now the author of several student notebooks for Apologia’s junior high and high school science courses and has graduated her four children from homeschooling.
Feature #2–The features of notebooking journals were created with the homeschool family in mind.
The daily schedule in the front of the notebooking journal was created to help parents break up the work in the curriculum into smaller chunks. This is done easily by both the parent and the student using the schedule. It is also meant to be “checked off” by the student each day as they complete the work meaning the parent can open the journal, check the grid, and see at a glance whether or not the work has been completed. The On Your Own review pages were created after students in Vicki’s co-op complained about having to rewrite questions when taking notes. There is no need for separate lab books or note-taking pages. Everything is together in one place making the life of a homeschool parent, and student easier.
Feature #3–The student notebooks from Apologia were created to make the transition from middle school to high school easier.
The middle school schedule is created for four days a week allowing time for co-op or a flex day, the high school notebooks do allow for some flexibility but are designed for five days a week. The middle school notebooks have guided pages with targeted work, while the high school pages require more from the student and teaches the Cornell system for note-taking. This prepares the high school student for college-level work.
Want to learn more about our student notebooks and hear the full episode with Davis Carman and Vicki Dincher? Listen to the episode below. You can shop Apologia student notebooks here, read a full review and see some of our student notebooks in this blog review.
