This week I introduced commonplacing to my high school students at our local homeschool community. In preparation, I was deeply inspired and instructed by Jenny Rallens’ series of posts on commonplacing, which, unfortunately, are no longer online.
In this post, I am sharing why I decided to use commonplacing with my children and students, how I prepared for and implemented the introductory lesson, according to Jenny Rallens’ method, and how I made use of atmosphere and circumstances to make this first encounter memorable and beautiful.
I knew I wanted to teach commonplacing to my students for several reasons. First, in the course of teaching literature, I have noticed varying levels of difficulty among students in learning to think deeply and in a focused manner as we read. We live in a culture where everything is demanding our attention and where restful attention to any one thing is counter-cultural and out of sync with most of our habits.
As I read through Jenny’s posts, I realized that commonplacing is one of the solutions to this problem, in addition to all the other many benefits of commonplacing.
To begin, I did my research, created my commonplace book, and put in some time preparing to teach the introductory lesson.
For the research, I have used Jenny Rallens’ series almost entirely. I read through post one of her series and made my notes accordingly. Since I am just learning, I decided just to follow her example throughout this first encounter with commonplacing. We learn by imitation, right?
As I read, I made notes for what my students would need to do first, second, and third. This became a guide I handed out to each student. I also processed through what I would need to share and made note of that.
I typed out a guide for my students so instructions would be clear and so that if they did not finish getting their commonplace books set up in the class. They would have fitting instructions to complete it at home. I followed the pattern and suggestions that Jenny Rallens lays out. I simply wrote it out, so it speaks directly to the students. Jenny’s posts are speaking directly to the teacher or parent.
We began our discussion talking about what a commonplace book was and what its relationship was to reading and writing. We talked about how commonplacing and writing are essential components of reading closely and deeply. We also talked about the history of the commonplace notebook.
I used the following headings to discuss commonplacing.
Commonplacing is about reading
Commonplacing is about writing
Commonplacing is about remembering
Commonplacing is about relationships
We talked about each one and showed the relationship between commonplacing and these items.
Next, we went into how to set up the commonplace notebook and talked through several grammatical and formatting particulars. Since everyone in my class comes from different homes who use a variety of things, I wanted to make sure I did not assume what they knew. Furthermore, I wanted to make sure everyone had what they needed for success. Jenny mentions some of these items in her post. I added a couple things I thought my students may still be in need of knowing. Including Ibid, abbreviations for pages, page, and verses, and rules for ellipsis and square brackets. In the guide, I gave them typed out definitions for the grammatical and formatting specifics and gave examples of how to use them. Finally, the guide was completed with two examples from the literature we had already been reading.
Finally, I wanted to make sure the experience of commonplace was beautiful and almost sacred. I wanted to hold it up as a worthy endeavor we could all look forward to for the year to come.
I began with setting the table a simple runner and candles. I also made sure to play beautiful music in the background. We had been studying Handel in composer study, so I choose Handel’s Water Music for our soundtrack.
Next, I made the most of the opportunity our literature discussion had provided us. We had just finished reading Gullivers Travels, and the main question we were asking is ‘what makes us human.’ There was one particular quote that spoke not only to this theme but also to commonplacing. Therefore, I transitioned from our literature discussion to our commonplace introduction using the following quote.
“I began to think that this house must belong to someone of great note among them, because there appeared so much ceremony before I could gain admittance.” – Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, pp. 201-202
We discussed ceremony and how part of what makes us human is that we participate in ceremony. In response to our discussion and reading, we had a ceremony of our own. It was a sort of invitation ceremony to the world of commonplacing. I passed around a box and told each student to choose two pens, a black and a blue one. I told them these were their special pens to use as they too entered into the world of commonplacing. We then transitioned to our introductory discussion as outlined above. It wasn’t an elaborate ceremony, but it was just right for our purposes.
If I had it to do over again, I would probably add more symbolism to choosing their pens but I’ll put that in my notes for next time. I encourage you to be creative in coming up with some way to invite students to commonplacing. The invitation is one the most important stages in the teaching process.
One of the things Mrs. Rallens suggested was to use beautiful handwriting to embellish the name page and the title page. I took it upon myself to print out several lettering styles. I chose handful of beautiful fonts that were fairly simple to imitate and printed out the alphabet large enough so students could see them and imitate them. I spread them on the table so students could choose and imitate their favorite.
If students have received training in calligraphy or lettering, they could use those skills as well. It is important to remember that lettering is a separate skill. If students have not received any instruction in this skill, it could potentially be a stress point. Make sure to be aware of their abilities in this area before assigning what kind lettering they must do. I like Jenny’s suggestion, keep things classy, beautiful, and neat.
All in all, I think our introduction to commonplacing was a wonderful experience, and I’m looking forward to next week where I follow Jenny’s advice and teach them how to choose appropriate commonplace entries. I will be sure to keep you updated.
Regardless of whether it’s just you and your child, a group at homeschool co-op, or a more formal classroom setting this is a great way to think about and introduce commonplacing.
Are you already using commonplaces in some way? I’d love to hear how in the comments.
Expanding wisdom, extending grace,
Jennifer
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Wish I had this before school started. My high schoolers are really struggling with Commonplacing. I didn’t have any instruction so they are floundering. I wonder if I ought to ask them to set it aside for now as we finish lit analysis and pick it back up in January when we begin reading literature. I may be able to set aside a week of class time to do this. It sounds lovely. Off to read Jenny’s blog.
Will you have your instructor notes written to the students available…or I guess I should make my own! ?
Hi Amy! I felt the same way as I reflected on last year. I think your idea is a great one. Set it aside and revisit it with fresh purpose and form.
I would definitely encourage you to make your own instructors notes. Reading and processing through the material will give you a personal relationship with what you are teaching. You will be able to move with greater mastery and confidence when you present the lesson. With that said, definitely reach out if you have any questions. We can always wrestle through questions together! 🙂
i love my commonplace book. i love knowing that if i come across a beutiful or useful quote i can make it my own posession nd carry it with me, so to speak.
Wonderful! You named it perfectly. “make it my own possession” Beautiful!
Thank you for this detailed post! Can I ask where you got the notebook you have pictured here? It’s so beautiful.
Thank you! I got it from Barnes & Nobles. They have several beautiful selections. Homeschool parents and teachers can sign up for their educator discount program!
Thank you! I’ll be sure to look there.
Do you have an ISBN or publisher or some other information that would help us locate the book? If not, did you find it in the journals section at Barnes and Noble? It is a beautiful book. Perfect for a commonplace book! Thanks!
Here it is! http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/home-gift-antique-tree-of-life-printed-italian-lined-leather-journal/26258879?ean=9781615583614
Awesome! Thanks so much!
Jennifer, if you are willing to share your notes, it would be most appreciated. Jenny’s blog is under construction and inaccessible.
Hi Jess. You are not the first person to reach out with this same question. I am thinking I need to do a mini class or webinar for moms to teach these things. Would you be interested in attending something like that?
Yes. 🙂
It’s here! A mini course all about teaching the humanities through practices like commonplacing. http://expandingwisdom.com/product/classicalmomshumanities/
Help! None of your pictures are showing for me. What am I doing wrong?
Allison, you are not doing anything wrong. Something is wrong with my images and I am beside my self, trying to fix it and cannot. As soon as it is fixed I will let you know. Thank you so much for reading and bear with me. Thank you.
Yay! The pictures are fixed!
All the links in this article are broken for me – I’d love to see the items referenced above…
Hi David, Thank you so much for reading. I am so sorry. Something is wrong with my images and I am beside my self, trying to fix it and cannot. As soon as it is fixed I will let you know.
The pictures are fixed! However, jenny’s Blog is undergoing a major revision. Therefore, we can not visit her site tight now. Hopefully, she will be able to get those things fixed soon. I know many of us are missing her site.
I can’t see any of the photos anymore (I used to be able to). Any chance that can be fixed? I’d like to print this out for future reference, and will go ahead with that even if the photos aren’t there, but thought I’d ask first. Thanks for the wonderful tutorial!
Hi Erika. Thank you so much for reading. I am so sorry. Something is wrong with my images and I am beside my self, trying to fix it and cannot. As soon as it is fixed I will let you know.
Yay! The pictures are fixed!
Wonderful! Many thanks!
The photos don’t seem to be working on this page anymore? I tried two different browsers.
Danielle, Thank you so much for reading. I am so sorry. Something is wrong with my images and I am beside my self, trying to fix it and cannot. As soon as it is fixed I will let you know.
Thank you! I wish Jenny Rallens’s blog was up too. I’m getting ready to do a little session about this with my schole group and am soaking up everything I can get my hands on. 😉
Same here!
Yay! The pictures are fixed!
Would you be willing to share the document you gave to your students? Thanks!
I am going to go through in my upcoming mini-course. But let me think about simply sharing it. There really needs to be some context to it. The details are coming out next Friday about the minicourse. 🙂 I will keep you updated if you are interested?
It’s here! A mini course all about teaching the humanities through practices like commonplacing. In case you are interested. http://expandingwisdom.com/product/classicalmomshumanities/
I just found out about this course, and obviously missed the dates. Do you have the classes archived somewhere available for purchase?
I will soon. We are getting our homeschool year started and should be able to upload all the recordings sometime in September. Thank you so much for reaching out! I will comment here when it goes live.
Thanks! Looking forward to it!
I’ll be teaching on this soon (and so excited!). Is there any chance the recordings will be available in October? Also, I was wondering if the Ten Thousand Places blog is no longer operating? When I went to check the posts you mentioned above, there was only a front page and no content.
That is my hope! I am faced with having to rerecord them. 🙁 Technical difficulties. However, I am working hard to get them available to you all as soon as possible. Thank you for reaching out.
Hi Jennifer ! I am a student myself and my literature teacher asked us to start a commonplace book this summer while we’ll be reading two books which we’ll be studying next year. She explained what it consisted of but concretely I am a bit lost on how to start and how to hold one. I am currently doing some research to have a better understanding of what it is and to find some recommandations on how to hold one and your article helped me, I would like to know if you would be willing to share the instructions you gave to your students . I saw you did a mini-course for moms and that you most likely explain how to teach it in there but as a student I can’t afford it. I am very exited to start my own commonplace book, it genuinely seems like a great experience and it would be very kind of you if you could share your tips ! Thank you very much,
Abela
Hi Abela,
Thank you for reaching out. The best way to start commonplacing is to simply find the quote from a book that you are reading. Try to find metaphors and similes. Also, when you find a quote that resonates with you, ask yourself, what common human experience do you see embodied in that quote or passage. Common-human experiences are things we all experience, even if the particulars of the situation are different. Things like forgiveness, love, home, etc. If you have trouble seeing the common human experience in a quote, then first look for them in the scene, then a longer passage, and then smaller quotes. Let me know if that helps and if you have any follow-up questions.
I work at a public school and have several students who would be interested in commonplacing. . Is there any way to read Jenny’s posts about commonplace books? I know you said they are no longer online, yet I feel so much in this post references them that I would like to read them.
Unfourtunately they are not online anymore. We are however in process of creating some guides to help with commonplacing. If you sign up for our mailing list you will be notified when they release.
Thank you Jennifer for answering my inquiry, and I just signed up for your mailing list so I will be able to access the guides to commonplacing. I homeschooled three children for sixteen years, and now work in a public school. I would love to introduce this in some capacity for these students.
So interesting. Would love to read more about commonplacing.
Thank you.
Magda
Thank you! I am planning a follow-up article about commonplacing! I have learned so much since then. Make sure to sign-up on our mailing list and/or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/paideiafellowship/) so you are notified when it goes live. Do you have any specific questions about commonplacing you would like to see answered?
I would love to hear about commo placing in small groups of readers.
Thanks.
Ok! Thank you for the question! Make sure to follow Paideia Fellowship on Facebook and through our email list to be notified when the new post goes live! Happy New Year.
I am on my second volume of Commonplaces, mine are called ‘Anthology, vols 1 and 2. Subtitles Assorted quips, quotes, prose and poetry.’ It isn’t a regular thing but there are some writings that grab me. It is easier to copy them into my books than try and find them later.
I find it therapeutic to read through them and they function as a diary almost, just less intense. Good for you teacher! I hope your students have years of happy commonplacing ahead.
Thank you for doing this! I am new to commonplace books. I will use your instruction to draw in my 15-year old daughter.
My pleasure!
I love this! Is there any way you’d be willing to share your notes via email?
Thank you!