George Washington's Rules of Civility Booklet

Copy work Booklet for Rules of Decent Behavior

The PDF files linked here can be used to print a half-sized copy work notebook. When I made the file, I added all of the rules that I have regardless of content. I fixed a few spelling errors, a couple of glaring grammar errors, but essentially the rules are here in the language of the past.

Please know that this notebook does not use a handwriting font.

Linked below are the files that make the booklet. I will also explain how to put the booklet together.

Files and Instructions for DY's GW's Rules Booklet

Print on nice paper. Thirty-Two weight is nice for notebooks.

The Cover Sheet: GW-Rules Cover
Print on one sheet of paper. Lay the cover sheet face down on your table.

The Back Page: GW-Rules Back Page
Print on one sheet of paper. Lay the back page face up (ruled lines are face up and on your right) on top of the cover sheet.

The Booklet: GW-Rules Notebook
Print pages 1-8. Reload the printed paper into printer and print pages 9-16 on the other side. Lay the booklet pages on top of the back page.

At this point you have the entire booklet printed. Make sure all of the pages are oriented correctly (upright). The pages need to be in the order that is stated above. Do not fold the pages in half yet.

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May 13, 2021

Bind the Notebook

Bind the notebook in any way that you can using staples, binder machine, or thread. If you have a binding machine, that is great, otherwise, you will need to use another way. I do not have a binding machine. My stapler is too short to staple the pages without bending them. In the case of most half-sized booklets, sewing the pages is my preferred method of binding them.

Binding by Staples or Sewing

Fold the cover sheet in half just enough so that you will have a nice crease to go by. Open the cover page and replace it in the stack. Straighten up page edges in the stack.

If you decide to staple, staple in at least 3 places along the crease.

If you decide to sew, sew along the crease. When I sew, I use a heavy duty needle and ordinary thread. I do not sew off the edges. After sewing, I pull the end strings to the inside of the book, tie them in a square knot, and then cut them.

Image of Sewn Booklet

Page Edges

Once the booklet is secured and folded, you will noticed the the page edges are skewed uphill then downhill making thumbing the pages next to impossible. The edges can be trimmed and how well you do this task depends on the tools that you have on hand. A very sharp paper trimmer might work, I can't say because I do not have one. I used a cutting mat, a large clear ruler, and an exacto knife. Anyway, use what you have to trim the edges flush. [Scissors do a poor job.]

Trimmed edges

Now you have a copy work book to hand to your child. Use it for either cursive or small printing.

I recommend this copy work exercise for children who know how to write well enough to concentrate on what is being written.

Photograph of a Finished GW Copy work Booklet

How I Made the Booklet in Microsoft Word

1. I made the notebook paper image in a drawing program. No details on that.
2. I opened my word processor (Microsoft Word).
3. At Page Properties, I set the page orientation to landscape and the margins to 0.5 all around.
4. From View or by double-clicking the header area, I opened the header and footer. In the header, I inserted the notebook paper image.
5. In Format Image, I set text wrapping on the image to Behind Text. I moved the image to its right-side location.
6. Closed header.
7. I placed a one-cell table in the page. I resized the table's width and height to a narrow width and left side location. I used: 6.9" height and 3.64" width. I set the table's border and shading to have no borders [none].
8. I filled the table with text. When the text spills into a new page, the notebook image will repeat on all pages.

Notes:

Be aware of the amount of text that is added on each page. If you place too many words per page, the student will not have enough room on the notebook paper to copy it. This is a your-best-guess decision.

Use a handwriting font if you have one.

Resource:

 Rules of Civility -txt
A text file containing the Rules of Civility. (save file to computer or copy and paste into Word)

Updated July 14, 2011, Donna Young