Library Idea of the Week:  January 21-24, 2003

Since we deal so much in books, why not teach our students a little about their history? I recently completed a collaborative unit with one of the creative writing teachers here at BEHS in which students wrote poetry and then bound it in books. My colleague, Anna Johnson, spent several weeks teaching various poetry forms to her students, who then wrote and typed them up. After that, they came to the library for 5 days. Day 1, I presented a brief history of books and bookmaking (see powerpoint on my "under construction" web page about bookmaking at http://www.be.wednet.edu/Hs/library/books_and_bookmaking.htm) and I showed them how to make 4 different kinds of books. Students chose which of the 4 types they wanted to make and then they were divided into groups and I gave each group instructions and guided them through the bookmaking on each of the consecutive days. All of the books were variations on the "accordion" style book. The students amazed me with their creativity and enthusiasm, and their books were colorful and fun to look at, and they were excellent for showcasing their poems. I learned how to make simple books by taking several short classes at Stampadoodle, a local stamping/art store, and by taking a session at WLMA/OEMA, and by taking a class on a Saturday at Whatcom Community College, but you don't really need all of these. One class would be enough to show you the basics!