How to Save Ink!

If only there was an "ink" genie! You know, someone who would supply us with an endless set of ink cartridges. Since most of us don't have that....this post shares how I print full color pages and save ink at the same time.
Here was our problem….we wanted a way to teach the same non-fiction features and science or social studies concepts to ALL of our kids while still being able to provide them with text that was “close” to their  “just right” level.
So here’s what we did:

• We looked at each month to see what we were teaching.
• We picked 5 topics to fit our standards for science or social studies.
• We wrote a non-fiction text at three different levels-intervention, on target and challenge- to fit each those standards.
• We used the same pictures, the same non-fiction features, and the same science or social studies concepts in all three levels.

• We created printables for practicing the non-fiction feature, word recognition, and phonics/phonemic awareness skills.
• We created pages that provide our kids with the opportunity to practice the non-fiction feature in their own writing.

So….now the problem of printing….they are full color! Here are a few suggestions to help with that:

• You can always print in black and white. There are many photography books that are specifically in black and white!
• You can print the books in various sizes to fit your needs and ink restrictions.

I posted this some time ago to show how you can print pages in various sizes. Here is a review.

• Pull down your print menu and select the page numbers you want to print. Then, click on multiple.

• Then, adjust the numbers to print the number of game boards you want on each page. You can print 2 per page, 4 per page, etc.

• The picture at the top of the post shows what it looks like when we printed the same book in all three sizes.
• I print one copy of the challenge level large.
• I can use the large version with my shared reading and as a way to guide discussion for the other two levels.
• My friend Bert started printing her books on the 1/4 page. I was using the 1/2 page. So I tried her way! And…..it is plenty big enough! More ink, cardstock and laminating….saved!

We did bundle all the guided reading units it that is easier for you.