Lapbooking

Today Shayna finished her AMERICAN REVOLUTION lapbook. Her lapbook looks AWESOME ! This is her 16th lapbook over the last five years. We love doing lapbooks !

What is a lapbook ?

If you aren't familiar with this powerful took - you should do some research on it. The best place to start is with Tammy Duby (VA Homeschooler and owner of Tobin's Lab) or Dinah Zike. Do a google search on them.

Basically, a lapbook is a file folder with little "minit" (small, mini, folded) books that the children have created and written in on a topic within a subject. You can do lapbooks on any topic, a person, a book etc. They are awesome for UNIT STUDIES. The "minit" books are small books that are folded in all sorts of different ways. You can make them with one flap, two flaps, ten flaps.... are you getting the picture. Basically, a lapbook is GREAT to make when learning about a topic. They encourage children to "research" and then are available for reading and reenforcing the topic for a long time.

In Shayna's current lapbook, Revolution to Constitution: The foundations of the American Government, Shayna has 15 "minit books" that she created, researched and wrote. They are:

1. Vocabulary about the Revolution
2. A Venn Diagram comparing British to Colonists
3. The Boston Massacre
4. "Sneaky Taxes" : Stamp Act, Declaratory Act and Townshed Act
5. Thomas Paine
6. Marquis de Lafyette
7. Battle at Yorktown
8. Battle at Saratoga
9. Writing Sample about Writing the Declaration of Independence
10. A Signer of the Declaration: John Adams
11. A Signer of the Declaration: John Hancock
12. France: Why did they support the war and what they gave the colonists
13. Comparing: Articles of Confederation, VA Plan, NJ Plan
14. Comparing: Small State Plan, Large State Plan, The Great Compromise
15. The Constitution: What, Where, When, How Many Signed

My favorite part of lapbooks is that they are powerful tools for continuing to reinforce what we have already studied. They are Shayna's "favorite reads". She often sleeps with her lapbooks !