Lapbooks

Do you lapbook?  I had never heard of them until about a week ago. I was searching TpT for Guided Math activities and saw a few lapbooks on the site.  What are lapbooks, you say?  Lapbooks are like interactive notebooks but instead of using a notebook, you use a file folder.  It is a quicker and more simple version of an interactive note book.

Just about every month the first grade team does an "activity day" centered around a theme.  Last month was apple day, this month is....you guessed it! Pumpkin Day!  We tend to use the same activities each year.  Some of the activities have become a bit dated. I attempted my first lapbook this weekend to use this week for Pumpkin Activity Day. This is the result:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had so much fun making this and can't wait to have my students make their own this week.  They will Estimate and measure the circumference of a pumpkin, measure the height of a pumpkin, make predictions- Will it sink? Will it float?.  They will also use adjectives to describe a pumpkin, depict the life cycle of a pumpkin and describe a pumpkin (how many lines, size, shape, etc.).  They will cut out, lift flaps, measure with string (circumference) and height (with unifix cubes) and experiment with a pumpkin in water. Would you like to try this Pumpkin Lapbook with you class?  You can get it here.

Are you interested in trying a lapbook with your class? Here's how it works.

1. Open a file folder. A colored file folder will look the best.

 

 

2. Fold over one side to the middle fold.

 

 

 

3.  That's it!  Now you have a lapbook!  All you need to do now is add what you want for content.

 

 

Lapbooks are fun, engaging and highly motivational.  They are also a very effective way for the kiddos to "show what they know."  They are also a great informal assessment tool! 

 

I'd love to know if you use them with your class or perhaps you have been inspired to try them. Let me know how it goes!  It's always so great to hear from you!