I am definitely going to use ISNs again this year, but there will be some slight changes. I'm kinda one of those gals who finds something and tends to follow the rules. I mean, I'm creative, but when I'm unsure of something, I find comfort in just doing it the way I'm instructed to do it. At least until I get comfortable . . . So that's what I did with the ISNs; I found a product on TpT that really spelled everything out, as far as rules, and it worked out great.
But . . . now that I'm reflecting on last year, I realize that some things need tweaking. For example, the left side/right side rule of output/input was a bit restrictive for me. I think instead of setting such a stringent rule, I'm going to let our ISN be more organic . . . just let it flow. I see the book being as a manual, a resource, a handbook for ELA. One of the things I want is for my kiddos to be able to take their ISNs with them to high school to use as a resource.
I also found two other products (from the same seller) on TpT: a Literature ISN and an Informational Text ISN. How cool is that? After buying it and reviewing it, I see some changes I'm going to make, but for the most part, it's a valuable time saver for me. Yay!
After much consideration, I've decided to have two ISNs this year: one that will be a Literature ISN on one side and when flipped over, an IT ISN. The second one will be my language ISN. On one side, it will be a vocabulary prefix/suffix/root word ISN and on the flipside, it will be a Sentence Composing ISN. I'll also have the traditional binder with five dividers and a spiral notebook for their Giggles in the Middle grammar bell work.
So much to do! Hope everyone out there in Teacher Land is feeling as productive and excited!
Jenn
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