We’re trying commonplace books in class next year. I’ve kept basic forms of commonplace books for years. Before moving in early June, I experimented for a year or two with a commonplace wall, covering the hallway of my apartment with butcher paper and writing down things I wanted to remember and process. You can see pictures of that project on my friend Suzanne’s blog (and you should linger to enjoy her posts–she’s savoring both the simple and complex moments of life).
In the classroom, I think the commonplace book as I’ve envisioned it will serve several purposes:
– Replace the elementary school nature journals that my students have now filled up.
– Take the place of copy work done on individual pieces of sketch paper, which we experimented with last year. (I cannot recommend highly enough the practice of giving students a short time each week to copy any words that have captured their fancy that week, short passages or long, and illustrate them if they choose. It covers all the bases –reinforcement of spelling and grammar, reflection, visualization of reading, engagement with texts. And most of them like doing it.)
– Provide a record of projects and excursions. If we make cookies, the recipe will go in the commonplace book. If we go to an art museum, a copy of a work will go in the commonplace book.
Lately, I’ve been noticing a few articles around the web about commonplace books, at First Things, amongstlovelythings, and Thought Catalog, among others. Everybody seems to have a slightly different take on them, which is cool. For some it’s an aide to scholarship or reflection. For others, it’s a way to aggregate information about about specific topics.
Wanting an example for my students (and needing something to replace the commonplace wall that came down with my move), I’ve been working on my own commonplace book this summer. The people at Jerry’s Artarama directed me to this affordable visual journal (the mixed media one), which has a sturdy cover, spiral binding, and luxurious paper.
Around school, we’ve been discussing the power of quality supplies. I’ve seen students pour themselves into writing letters (a typical fifth grade assignment) because of a promised final draft on Very Nice Paper with a Very Nice Pen and Sealed With Wax. And the success of the copy work experiment last year was largely due to the fact that we tore out the perforated back pages of defunct sketch books to write on. So far, this summer, I can attest to that power as well. Previous commonplace books, kept in any-old extra unlined notebooks, have never been this much fun.
For me, the project has turned into a way to mark time over these less structured months, to record the true commonplaces of life and thought. Some of it may be more like a visual journal than a collection of quotes. Not blessed with a sharp memory, I find that projects like this become as useful as they are artistic or reflective. The amount of information and ideas and images that I can truly interact with in a day is quite small compared with the amount that can pass through my brain or in front of my eyes. With this method, what mattered is saved and what was saved becomes what mattered.
I took the pictures with my computer, and they’re not great, but you can see a little of my book so far.
