In the days and weeks leading up to my unit on Tuesdays with Morrie, I did a lot of instructional planning. One of my favorite ways to organize myself and get prepared to read and discuss the book with my students was to make a Novel-in-a-Notebook, which (literally) is a novel inside of a notebook—each of the pages scanned and entered into their own notebook-sized pages.
This allows me to write in the margins around the text: thoughts, reminders of things to say, questions for my students, ideas for projects, homework, etc. I have plenty of space and I can get creative, too! If I want, I can put each page in a plastic sleeve to protect it and add comments/notes with dry erase marker. This way I can always erase and save myself room. Or, if I’m feeling like I have a great idea, I can just write it directly on the pages to save for the next time. And the best part, I can always build off of lessons or ideas—continual planning!
This is so simple (well, it does take time and a lot of copying or taking apart a book and cutting/gluing) but it’s definitely worth it! Now I have a copy of the book that will be transportable, durable, and efficient! Personally, I think the Novel-in-a-Notebook is a must-have for any longer text!