Title – Kid’s Books

By – Liz Simmons

Primary Subject – Language Arts
Grade Level – 4-12

Duration – five 50 minute class periods.

General Goal(s): Students will use their creativity and artistic talents to create a child’s book.

Specific Objectives: Students will create a book meant to be given to a younger sibling, cousin, etc.

Required Materials: lined paper for drafts, plain white paper for final book, colored paper for covers, crayons, colored pencils, stapler.

Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): Teacher reads a child’s book made by him/her to the students.

Step-By-Step Procedures:

#1 Teacher shows and explains to students the process he/she went through to create the book about a child. – rough draft, mock-up, and final book. Students are shown several more examples of books.

#2 Students are given assessment criteria (below)

#3 Students begin brainstorming for a real child to write about and the plot.

#4 Students write a rough draft of the story including page breaks, and use peer editing.

#5 Students then create a mock-up of the book with text and rough draft of illustrations.

#6 Teacher goes over each page with student for editing and illustration appropriateness.

#7 Students then create an unstapled final book.

#8 Teacher goes over each page with student for final check on spelling and neatness. If there are errors, the student must correct/remove and replace before resubmitting. This is the reason for not stapling until after final check.

Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set): Students read their stories to class, then give the book to the subject of the book.

Assessment Based On Objectives: Students turn in final draft of book. Book is at least 12 pages long, has a plot, illustrations on each page, a cover, neat, and no spelling or grammar errors. Student will not be graded until all criterion is met, then 100% is the grade. Artistic talent is not graded, however, nearly everyone can draw stick people neatly. A computer may be used for text and illustrations.

Possible Connections To Other Subjects: Parenting, foreign languages, and art classes.

Options: There are multiple options for the final book.

#1 Pages can be made on folded 8 ½ x 11 white paper – creating four book pages.

#2 Pages can be made from board.

#3 Covers made from board and pages from paper then punched and bound with yarn.

#4 Covers made from wallpaper over board.

#5 You create your own ideas. My students love this project and often write books on their own!

Terminology:

rough draft – students write story on lined paper as for any story

page breaks – students make a mark on rough draft to show where next page begins

mock-up – a rough draft of the story in book form including text and rough illustrations

final draft – book is ready to be graded and given.

E-Mail

Liz Simmons

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