How to Create a Classroom Big Book

Big books are oversized books that teachers can use when teaching young children. Because of the size of the book, it's easy for all students to see the pictures and get involved in the learning process. Big books help to create a shared reading experience and foster a love of reading. When you create your own classroom big book, students become even more involved in the process. When they've written and designed a book themselves, they will feel more connected.

Things You'll Need

• Large paper
• Art supplies (crayons, markers, glue)
• Staples or brass fasteners

Instructions

1. Choose a theme for the book. For example, you can write the book as a traditional story or determine a theme---such as family---that allows each student to create her own page.

2. Write the story as a class. If you'll be writing a traditional story, you should do it together as a class. Start with a character and keep asking "Then what happens?" until you have enough pages for the book. If you're doing a themed book instead, you can skip this step.

3. Allow students to design their own page. You can have each student decorate one page or you can have the students work in groups. Students can draw pictures, use paint or cut pictures from magazines. If you create several big books throughout the year, alternate the methods for page decorations.

4. Put the pages in the proper order. This is important if you're telling a story. If not, you can organize student pages in any manner you'd like.

5. Bind the book. Depending on the number of students you have, you may be able to use staples to bind the book. Brass tacks also work well. If you want the book to be more permanent, consider professional book binding.

Tips & Warnings

• Laminate the cover pages of the book to protect the inside pages.

References

• Mrs. Lynch's First Grade Classroom: Making Class Big Books
• Scholastic: A Guide for Using Big Books in the Classroom