Pulling It All Together

Fourteen student-made artists' books hang on two rows of twine with clothespins.
Art, Books, and Creativity
Grade Level
3 to 5 6 to 8 9 to 12
Subject Area
English/Language Arts Visual Art
Download Lesson 13

Lesson 13

Four to six 45-minute periods. Students will work on their own pace while making their artists’ books. They will work on book forms and their various components, including images, text, covers, and the layout and assembly of these parts.

Key Connections

  • Making art requires time to explore and refine ideas and to create or construct the final work.
  • An art studio is a place that has the space and tools artists need to create artwork.

Instructional Objectives

Visual Arts and Writing

  • Students will create their book forms.
  • Students will make front and back covers, if appropriate.
  • Students will create images.
  • Students will handwrite or type the text.
  • Students will assemble all parts of their book.

Instructional Plan

Observe

Tell students that the next series of classes will run like an artist’s studio; they will be managing the creation and assembly of their books. Making an artist’s book is complicated, and they will probably run into a few challenges. Ask them to try to come up with a way to solve problems on their own or with another student before asking for help. Suggest that students help each other and raise their hands whenever they need your assistance. (Note: Teachers will need to provide significant individual assistance during these sessions, even if students are very self-directed.)

A Closer Look

At the beginning and/or end of each class, ask a few students to show where they are in the process of making their books. Ask the students to share any problems they had and how they resolved them and ask the class for feedback if they have questions.

A birds-eyed view of a variety of artists books showing a variety of folded paper and works of art.
Photo credit: Deborah Gaston, NMWA

Create: Pulling It All Together

Supplies

  • Student journals
  • Prototypes and planning materials created by students in previous lessons
  • Book making supplies: paper, cardboard for covers (if needed), glue and paste, an assortment of binding supplies based on the book formats students will make
  • Illustration materials: watercolors, crayons, collage materials, colored pencils, markers, etc.
  • Computer, printer, and colored printer paper for typed stories (optional)
  • Rulers
  • Scissors

Activity

There are five basic steps for putting the books together. While the steps progress in order, some book forms may require the student to work in a different order. For example, they may need to complete the images and text on each page before they create the book structure.

Gather Materials

Have students gather all the paper and other materials they need to make the structure of their books. If a student is making an accordion book, for example, the student needs a piece of paper long enough to fold into four or eight squares. The student needs to determine how many pages will be in the book, how big each page will be, what size paper is needed, and what they will need to cover or bind the book.

Create the Structure

To create the structure, students follow the same procedures they used to create the prototypes, making any changes they determined to be necessary. Once the book structure has been made, have students check to see how many pages there are in their books.

Create the Images

There are several ways students can incorporate their images into their books: by making them directly on the pages of the bound book; by making them on the pages that will eventually be bound together to create the book; or by making the illustrations on separate sheets of paper that will be glued to the pages of the book.

Prepare the Text

Students can prepare the text in several ways: it can be typed on a computer and printed on paper to be glued in the book; it can be handwritten on paper and glued in the book; or it can be handwritten directly into the book.

Assemble the Book

Ask students to work carefully when assembling their books, especially when gluing and pasting in text and illustrations. Remind them to ask for help whenever they are unsure about how to do something.

Reflect

At the end of each session, have students review what they accomplished during the class and make plans for what they will do in the next class. At the beginning of the next class, have students check their journals to remind them what they need to do first.

Have students respond to any of the following prompts in their journals:

  • The best thing about my work today was….
  • I’m having trouble with….
  • What I want to work on next is….
  • I’m excited about….

Go Deeper

Explore more in the comprehensive PDF lesson plan.

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