1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Today you'll build a reusable placement diary: landscape pages, a multi-column table, and one fresh page per day.
You will:
- Set landscape and a full-width shaded table
- Insert page breaks and short cell prompts
Warm-up
Name one skill for day one. Hold it for your Placement line. No placement? Pick vet clinic, café, garage, or GAA office.
2 - Key Concepts ~5 mins
Four ideas shape a diary you can reuse every day.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape: page sits sideways | Wide columns need width; portrait cramps the grid | Tasks, skills, and a question side by side |
| Full-width table: grid across the page | Same layout every day makes later reading fast | Focus, Tasks, Skills, Learned, Question |
| Page break: next content on a new page | One day per page prints cleanly and stays tidy on a phone | Day 2 starts at the top of page 2 |
| Cell prompts: short hints in empty cells | On placement you are tired; prompts stop blank freeze | "List three tasks you were given" |
3 - Step-by-step Task: Landscape Diary Page ~22 mins
Build the first two pages of a sample placement diary for a student at a local vet clinic. Finish Day 1 fully, then copy that table onto Day 2 so the repeat pattern is clear.
Sample to type (Aoife, Greenfield Vets):
Under each day heading: Date: ________ | Placement: Greenfield Vets
Header row (1–5, left to right): 1 Focus for today | 2 Tasks I did | 3 Skills I used | 4 What I learned | 5 A question to ask tomorrow
Prompt row (1–5): 1 One word on how the day felt | 2 List three tasks you were given | 3 Name one skill you used and how | 4 One sentence on what surprised you | 5 One question for your supervisor tomorrow
Before Independent Practice: Check landscape, shaded header, page break, and Day 2 paste intact.
4 - Common Issues ~3 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Page still tall, not wide | Open orientation or page setup again; choose Landscape |
| Table squeezed on one side | Set full page width, then even the five columns |
| Next day halfway down the page | Click below the table, then insert a page break |
| Day 2 missing shading or prompts | Copy the whole Day 1 table; paste under Day 2 |
5 - Portfolio Build: 07_placement_diary ~20 mins
Independent Practice
- {{code:07_placement_diary}} is in {{code:Digital_Documents}} and the whole file is landscape
- Portfolio target: five pages, each with a date line and a Placement line (class minimum: Days 1 to 3)
- Days 2 to 5 match Day 1's table, shaded header, and short prompts
- Self-check page 1: would someone new know what to write in each cell?
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