Booklets are on my brain today! Joan’s comment on “First Day Faves” jump-started my thinking. She begins the year knowing she’ll have a class-made book for each child to take home at the end of the year. Isn’t that a great strategy? If I were teaching, I’d make that my class book strategy for sure.
This got me wondering about individual student booklets. Do your students enjoy making these as well? I could always count on plenty of enthusiasm when I introduced any type of booklet project to my third graders. Our projects varied in complexity and content, though most often our booklets were science-related. It was such fun seeing my kiddos get excited over booklets that I was always on the lookout for new projects. After all, learning is supposed to be fun, right?
So are you getting jazzed about booklets?
Smiles,
Diane
PS: For quick and easy booklets like the one shown—and other reproducible science activities—check out Everything Science from The Mailbox Books!
Teaching preschool I often find booklets are to much for the children. I love making class books though where each child makes one page. We read them as a group over and over and send the books home so each parent can read them.
I agree with Darlene. In pre-k, booklets can be too much for children. I, too, have children each make a page, and then we put the book together.
When I taught primary grades, we made class books frequently. I always made sure we made enough of them throughout the year so that each student could pick 2 to take home at the end of the year.
I haven’t done this at all while teaching fifth grade, but I may need to think about how I could incorporate it this year. I’m sure the kids would love it!
I have a “page a month” in my writing center for students to work on creative writing. Sometimes it’s a poem or a short story or sometimes just lists of words about a topic. Each month they put their writing in a folder to save and in May we learn about bookbinding and each student uses their writing center pages to create a book.
I love booklets and so do my students! One that I am hoping to try this year is a “scrapbook” style booklet made by folding brown lunch bags in half and stapling them together….then have students make additions to the pockets/back/fronts….the possibilites are endless!!
I teach PreK and do many booklet projects throughout the school year. The kiddos in my class always are very excited to dive right into a new booklet that is presented to them. I also tend to lean more towards science based booklet activities but, have done others, as well. These have proved to be a great and successful teaching tool within my classroom and the kiddos love taking them home to share with their families. I also keep supplies on hand in my Science Center and Literacy Center for my students to create booklets on their own, as well. I have found this to be a great self-esteem booster for them.
I like several of these ideas and I too love booklets. Kathy’s paperbag booklet reminded me of a paperbag alphabet book I made one year and that the children love. I put alphabet letters on 26 paperbags. I laminated the paperbags and then slit the tops. I punched holes in the left side of the bags and ran rings through the holes. I laminated several pictures for each letter. The children put the pictures in the correct bag. I call it The Alphabet Bag Book.