271--Shape Books Lesson Plan

Shape Books (K- adult)
This is a very easy way to take a simple writing assignment to another level.

Aims: •To create a hand-written and drawn book
•To integrate other curriculum into your art lesson such as science, math, writing, poetry, social studies, etc.

Materials & Tools:
construction paper/white drawing paper (9 x 12 works well)
pencil, eraser, sharpie marker
colored pencils, watercolors, construction paper crayons
watercolor brushes, water can
Note: markers don’t look good on colored paper and craypas will smear, so I don’t suggest those materials
scissors
stapler

Procedure:
Have students work out their stories on scratch paper. You could do an assignment about their families, heritage, a science topic such as metamorphosis or the weather or it could just be a creative work.
They then need to come up with a shape that makes sense for their topic. The shape must be drawn simple enough to be cut out and large enough to contain the words and illustrations. One trick I use to get kids to draw large enough without a tracer is to have them make their shapes touch all four edges of the paper, thereby assuring a good-sized shape. Make sure the book has a way to staple together. It may open from the bottom, rather than the right side.
Students then cut out as many pages at one time as they need for their books. If they are making long books, they can trace their own shapes, which is valid tracing. Using tracers is a no-no in my book.
If you are using watercolor and sharpie marker, have students outline in sharpie first and the watercolor. Sharpies are oil-based and will get ruined if they get wet. When using watercolor, have students wake up their watercolors by making a puddle in each color. Make sure they know how to wast a brush off between color changes and how not to drum the side of the can. (Tickling the brush is better, since it doesn’t create spray.) When drawn and colored, staple books together.

Handy Hint:
Store watercolors open and they will dry in between use and last so much longer.

Reflection:
Always share your students’ work. These look great hung up on a bulletin board, too.

Follow-Up:
Make a sequel, using the same shape.