Let's Make a Book!

This year, I have been posting some of my more "crafty" (and I use the term loosely) ideas on Classroom DIY.  Have you visited?  It really is a great blog full of LOTS of fun do-it-yourself ideas.  Well, anyway, I wanted to bring you one of the ideas I posted over there to my blog too.  A Hardcover book!    This book can be used for SO many different things, from an end of the year memory book to a way to publish student writing, to a journal.  I love it, and so do the students!

 

So here is how you make it.....step by step.

 Gather the following materials

• construction paper, 2 pieces, any color
• cardboard or tagboard
• white 8.5 x 11 paper
• stapler
• scissors
• glue (I prefer Elmer's® Rubber Cement ) 

 First, using the white 8.5 x 11 paper (standard copy paper works best), create a little booklet where the student's story will be written.  You can put as many pages as you would like, however include at least one extra sheet of paper as this will be used to bind the book together in later steps.

At this point, I have the students write their final draft of the story.  That way, they don't have to keep opening and shutting the book once it is bound.  This just keeps the final product a bit neater.

 Cut the paper.  You will need two cut pieces of each color section.  The tag board (orange in the picture) is 9" x 6".  The green paper is 24" x 6".  The red paper is 18" x 9".  Again, be sure to cut TWO of each sized paper.

The TAG will make this the hardcover book.  So if you don't have tag, cardboard will work.  Something heavier than normal construction paper.

 Place the tag board in the center of the long green paper.  Fold the bottom up and then the top down, so as to create a little covering around the tag board.  This must be TIGHT!  Repeat with the second piece of tag board and green paper.  The tighter the better.

From experience, the kids don't like to do this very tightly.  Just go slow with them.  They do eventually get it!

 Place the green "package" that you just created FACE DOWN onto the middle of the red paper.  Fold the red paper over by tucking it into the sleeve between the green paper and the orange tagboard.  Be sure that this is TIGHT!  Then do the other side.  Repeat with the other green package/red combo.

Once this step is completed, the "package" should hold together on its own.  You shouldn't have to be holding it.

 You now will have two "packages" that will become the hard covers of your book.  Using the white insert you created in Step 1, slip the first page into the opening on one of the "packages".

 Repeat the above step with the other "package". Now your book is almost complete.

 Glue the white part into the "package".  This will give the book some stability and staying power.  You can use white glue, however I like rubber cement myself.  Glue sticks just won't work very well on this (as they can't get in there very easily without ripping the package.)

This is something I have used with my students to have them publish their writing.  These can made as big or as little as you want/need and are really a fun way to make your students feel like authors.  So break out that writing you have been working on all year (or those Paragraphs of the Week ;) ) and get publishing!