Learning about JFK

Here we are at the JFK museum

Before our field trip to the JFK Museum, my fifth graders needed to add a great deal to their background knowledge about our 35th president. I normally have my students write a report, but this year we tried something new. Every child made a lapbook about the president. If you don't know what lapbooks are( I had never heard of them, but they are very popular with homeschoolers) here are some great sites that show quite a few examples.
http://www.ourlapbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmiehomeschoolmom/collections/72157601906639826/
The first thing I did was use stickies to map out where I would put the different things I would make on the lapbook. I wanted a variety of items that would pertain to a biography like: family photographs, flip books, a map, a timeline. I had the children use stickies to "plan" their books before doing anything. We brainstormed a variety of things that you could use in the lapbook, and I provided lots of materials (presidential seal, pictures, flip books, the link is down below).

Here is my model w/ stickies

Each child did write a report, so we decided to glue those on the back of the flipbooks. They stand up, so they are great for display. They came out really terrific! Christine

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php This is another site I used for templates.