Lesson #4: Assembling the accordion book and mounting the collages inside

Part of the unit: Creating Accordion Books |

Goals

Learn that there are many different styles of books and that each style allows us to view it differently.
Practice using a ruler to measure distances, so that artwork can be mounted with an even border.
Use color and shape to create interesting patterns in the borders.
Materials
long oak tag strips, rulers, pencils, glue, construction paper, crayons.
Motivation: 
Circle around a meeting area. Show students a variety of book types, including traditional, pop-up, scroll, and accordion. Ask them:
  • What are all of these things that I brought to share?
  • What are some ways these books are different from each other?
  • How do those differences change the ways you can read them or see what is inside them?
Show the accordion book and pull it open to let students see that this structure allows them to see all the pictures at once. Explain that you're going to show them how to make an accordion book today.
Demonstration: 
Explain that everyone is going to measure and make enough spaces on the long paper strips to mount their covers and collages to make a book. First ask:
  • How many pages do we need for our book to hold each of our collages and cover?
  • Does anyone have an idea how we can divide this strip of paper into four sections of the same size?
  • Does anyone have an idea how we can find the middle of this strip of paper?
Show them how to measure four equal spaces by folding the strip perfectly in half (checking to line up all the edges), and then folding back each section into half again, to make an accordian "back and forth" fold that looks like a W or an M. Make sure that the oak tag is cut to a size that leaves a space for a border of one inch around the artwork to be mounted. Next, hold up a piece of paper cut to the same size as students' collage. Show how to center it in the folded space and place glue carefully under each corner. Explain that the book will "read" from left to right. Point to empty space around the mounted paper and ask:
  • What could I do to make the border look more interesting?
  • Can anyone help me think of a pattern I can draw using cray-pas?
  • Can anyone remind me what makes something a pattern? (has colors and shapes that repeat)
Students will measure and fold oak tag into the shape of an accordion. They will mount cover and art work into each space and use remaining time to make patterns in spaces reserved for borders.
Circle around a carpet or meeting area. Ask:
  • What was the most interesting thing for you about making a book?
  • What was the hardest problem for you to solve?
  • Can anyone share a design that you created as a border?
  • Where did you find that pattern?
Call on 2-3 students to answer each question.