| There are few projects that students find as exciting | | | | pages that contain pre-drawn boxes that specify |
| and engaging as putting together a book. Whether | | | | where the student should put a photograph (of him |
| you are making photo books, scrapbooks, | | | | or herself, a family member or what have you) and |
| autobiographies, or a combination of the three, | | | | some lines underneath on which you would like to |
| putting these projects in a permanent bound book is | | | | have them put a description of the photograph.If you |
| a fun project from beginning to end. | | | | are working with older students who have interest in |
| The Project | | | | art, writing, photography, and design, you will of |
| There are countless ways to approach the book | | | | course want to give them a lot more free reign over |
| project, as far as coming up with a theme. You will | | | | their individual projects. |
| first need to decide that the scope of you project is. | | | | The Cover |
| For instance, you could have your entire class create | | | | Depending on what kind of binding style you are |
| a book about a recent class trip, for instance, or | | | | gong to be using, you will have a number of options |
| have each student make a book about his or her | | | | here as well. There has, for instance, been a large |
| entire school year. Just keep in mind that the closer | | | | increase lately in the popularity of creating hardcover |
| your students feel to the subject matter the more | | | | books for these kinds of school projects, and there |
| they will want to contribute to the process. Once the | | | | is good reason for that. The machines that do this |
| students start to get a real feel for the project, you'll | | | | kind of binding are surprisingly inexpensive, and |
| find that their enthusiasm and eagerness to | | | | amazingly easy to use. Having a thermal binding |
| participate grow by leaps and bounds. Making sure | | | | machine, as these are called, on site is a great way |
| that each student his or her own personal copy of | | | | to get students involved in the process from |
| the finished book to take home and keep forever | | | | beginning to end, and to create a permanent, |
| means that you are giving them a gift they will never | | | | bookstore or library-style book that your students |
| forget. | | | | can be proud of -- and that will stay on their family's |
| The Pages | | | | shelves for generations to come. |
| There are a number of ways to go about this part | | | | There are, of course, lots of other binding options to |
| of the book project as well. Depending on the grade | | | | choose from. Plastic comb binding is a great method |
| and age of the students you are working with, you | | | | of binding documents such as these, and many |
| may or may not want to make things easier for | | | | schools already have the machines that do this style |
| them by creating templates and specific guides. For | | | | of binding. Spiral coil is an option as well, and creates |
| instance, if your students are younger,you can have | | | | a book that is fairly durable and easy to use. |