Learnatic® Text Files

• What Are Learnatic® Text Files?
• What Are the Benefits of Using Learnatic® Text Files?
• Who Will Benefit from Using Learnatic® Text Files?
• How to Use Learnatic® Text Files?
• Learnatic® Text File Refills
• Products Available
• How to Purchase Learnatic® Text Files

What Are Learnatic® Text Files?

No more rummaging through pages and pages of books, half-written or photocopied notes, trying to make sense of school texts!

The Learnatic® Text File is the ultimate organisational tool to ensure you have all the information and notes you need to answer questions or write essays on your school texts – whether they be novels, plays, films etc.

After filling in all the required content, clearly labelled in six tabbed sections, students will have a comprehensive file of categorised notes that can be quickly and easily referred to for all analysis tasks on a specific text. The portable file can then be conveniently transferred to a study folder or desk-top organiser ready to be reviewed at exam time or it can be kept neatly and compactly in a student's school folder.

Unlike a published study guide or printed notes from the internet, the text file contains notes entirely written, researched and collated by the student. In this way, the file is not just a study guide but an on-going, individualised learning tool, requiring students to read, review, summarise, analyse and collate information on a text, giving them a greater and more thorough understanding and appreciation of the text they are studying at school. The file is designed so that information can be easily added throughout the process of studying the text at school while also incorporating additional information from other sources. Extra refill inserts are available in the Learnatic® range to allow for expansion of the file under each tabbed section.

Setting up a Learnatic® Text File each time a new prescribed text is introduced at school will help students to stay focussed on the key elements of the text while also reinforcing the higher order skills of organisation, consolidation and simplification (in line with Learnatic®'s Four Keys to Success). The structured arrangement of the text file, not only encourages students to work independently on their notes but also helps them to place the knowledge they absorb in the classroom into a meaningful context, where all aspects of the text are seen to contribute to the overall meaning of a text. When exam time comes around, a full set of comprehensive, summarised notes on each text is ready to be revised, saving valuable time which otherwise may have been spent re-reading and compiling notes.

What Are the Benefits of Using Learnatic Text Files?

Using Learnatic® Text Files helps students to:

• Stay focussed on the key elements, forms and structures that create meaning (plot, characters, themes, language and techniques, context, setting, tone, structure etc.)
• Incorporate various resources throughout the process of studying a text (in order to synthesise their own ideas) – rather than relying on a single textbook or set of notes
• Stay organised and up-to-date by transferring key points from lessons into the text file as a form of daily study
• Separate important, relevant information from irrelevant information when collecting notes
• Consolidate, simplify and summarise notes from various sources into one comprehensive document
• Gather important evidence and quotes to illustrate points or back up arguments
• Study independently by using the prompts in each tabbed section to gradually develop their own complete set of notes
• Study efficiently from pre-prepared, personalised notes
• Develop a greater understanding of similarities and differences between texts in order to appreciate how the process of text analysis can actually develop broader analytical skills that can be useful in many other aspects of life

Who Will Benefit from Using Learnatic® Text Files?

Learnatic® Text Files will benefit any students who are required to analyse literary (and some non-literary) texts for academic purposes. While the text files were designed with secondary school learners in mind, upper primary students can also benefit from the tabbed filing system as they begin to learn about all the features of texts that contribute to purpose and meaning.

Because the text files also promote organisation and other higher order learning skills, the benefits go way beyond just learning the specifics of texts (See Learnatic®'s Four Keys to Success). All English students are sure to benefit from the processes of summarising and consolidating notes into the file's easy-to-use format.

(Check with your school to see whether Learnatic® Text Files are available from your internal textbook shop or school provider.)

How to Use Learnatic® Text Files

Learnatic® Text Files can be used effectively both in the classroom as a guided activity and as a home study tool. To maximise the benefits, we recommend that students keep their current text file in their school folder at all times so that they can add notes both in the classroom and at home, whenever they encounter points of interest. Learnatic® Text Files are designed to expand to whatever size a student requires and yet still be compact enough to fit in a school folder. Each time a student begins studying a new text at school, they should set up a text file for that text.

1. Write the name of the text and the author/composer in the white space on the front cover of the text file.
2. Write the name of the text on the tab on the right hand side of the file – so that the specific text can be quickly and easily identified amongst other text files in your folder. (Select which tab to use depending on how many other text files are in your folder - make sure each tab is visible when placed behind other text files. Cut along the dotted line to remove all other tabs apart from the tab you have written on.) The text files have been designed to sit neatly behind foolscap and A4 tabs in study folders without blocking other subject tabs.

3. Thread the enclosed black cord 'loosely' through the punched holes and tie a bow, allowing enough room to turn the pages while you are working on the text file. When storing in a folder you may choose to tighten the bow slightly to secure the text file more firmly.
4. Begin by completing the top section of the 'Summary and Key Facts' page. This can usually be done even before beginning your study of the text. (The lower part of the 'Summary and Key Facts' page will need to be completed once you are more familiar with the text.)

5. As you begin studying the text at school, start to make notes under the relevant tabbed sections (either in the classroom or as part of your home study routine). Research and collect notes from as many sources as possible. Each time you encounter an important point that you feel you would like to remember for future writing or analysis tasks, decide which section to record it in and use brief note form to record your entries in the columns provided. Each tabbed section includes 'Prompts' and reminders to help you determine the type of information to record under each tab. Be careful to include only points that you feel are important and exclude irrelevant details that you are not likely to include in your own writing tasks.
6. If you require more writing space under any of the tabbed sections, Learnatic® Text File Refill Inserts provide extra cover pages for each section as well as 12 double-sided blank pages designed to be inserted into any tabbed section where you require additional writing space. These refill packs are inexpensive and allow for maximum individualisation and expansion of text files.
7. We recommend that you use pencil or an erasable pen to complete your text file as it allows for changes to be made or irrelevant information to be erased later. This will keep your text file neat and easy to read.
8. For the tabbed sections that are likely to contain the most content, for example, characters and themes, we recommend allowing one whole page (front and back) for each major character or each major theme. This way, additional pages can be added to the file without disturbing the order of information.

Learnatic® Text File Refills

These refill packs contain additional pages that can be easily added to your Learnatic® Text File to allow more space for compiling important notes on texts. The Learnatic® Text Files are designed to continually expand as students progress through their text studies; adding new information as the need arises. This allows for maximum individualisation of notes while maintaining an organised and structured document.

Each refill pack contains:

• 7 double-sided cover pages
• 12 double-sided lined pages

Products Available

Currently there are two text file products available.

• Learnatic® Text File
• Learnatic® Text File Refill Inserts

How to Purchase Learnatic® Text Files

Click the Buy Now button to purchase Learnatic® Text Files and other Learnatic® products and packages online. Alternatively, please leave us a message on our Contact Us page if you have further questions regarding purchasing our products in larger quantities for schools or other educational organisations.

We will be in contact within 3 working days and will happily arrange our best pricing on products and delivery for our loyal and valued customers.