Magic Books Motivate Writing!

My class loves making books. I love making books! There's just something about making books that gets kids to take care and pride in their writing. One of the current favorites is a "magic" book.
So what exactly is a magic book?  It's a book made from one piece of construction paper and one half sheet of construction paper, cut into two strips.  (Be sure to use construction paper and NOT printer paper; it's too floppy and will slide right out of the book()
The great thing about this book is that the inside (behind the two front doors) can be about one topic or  "before". Then when you spread or peel it open, students can write about a new topic or "after".
 We just made these books to compare and contrast the effects of the Spanish missions on Native Californians' lives.  Students wrote about Indians' lives with their tribes on the left inside door, decided on categories, then drew pictures for each category. After "magically" opening the secret page, students drew pictures of Indians' lives at the mission for the same categories. They wrote about the changes on the right inner door.
Magic books are also terrific for teaching cause & effect, changes in character's personality, compare and contrast, and even teaching problem & solution. If books are made using all white construction paper, the entire inside (woven panel) can be drawn as one scene, as if it is a smooth piece of paper. In this way, when you open the magic inside, another scene can be shown as changed. There are so many ways to use magic books and your kids will LOVE them!!

This mission magic book is a terrific complement to my California Missions unit! You can check it out by clicking on the picture below.
Do you make books with your students? Please share ideas! 
Be sure to click on the buttons below for more Teacher Talk ideas!


22 comments

  1. Love this idea. What a great motivator for your class.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love this idea! I loved making my own books when I was their age. This would be a great way to build writing stamina with my home journals, too. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These books look just so fun and motivating! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is wonderful and so engaging. Thank you so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mary! This particular book with its "magic" page sure does keep kids engaged! :)

      Delete
  5. I love making books with my students as well! Once they learn how to make them, they can be used so many areas. I had one student create a "bookshelf" from an empty tea box for her mini books! I can't wait to make a magic book! Thanks for another great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! The bookshelf sounds adorable!! I'd love to see your magic book when you're finished with it!

      Delete
  6. I love making all kinds of books with kids. These look great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love making books, too! What other types of books do you make? I'd love to know more!

      Delete
  7. Wow! This looks so engaging and fun! I'll have to play with making these to make sure I can get them to work like MAGIC! I have been looking for different ways to spice up writer's workshop and how we publish our work and this fits the bill! LOVE!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely practice at home; the first time I did it with my class, I got stuck and we had to put it away to retry after I practiced more! Lol

      Delete
  8. I use this for my kids to write about the three different areas of colonists - they love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a great idea! My daughter is in 5th grade; I'll tell her teacher! Where do you put the 3rd area?

      Delete
  9. I love these books! Very engaging way to get students researching and writing. Thank you for sharing these!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kathie, I love the magic books idea! It looks like I will be implementing another one of your lessons in my class...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your kids will LOVE these magic books!! My class wants to make them all the time :)

      Delete
  11. What a fantabulous post this has been. Never seen this kind of useful post. I am grateful to you and expect more number of posts like these. Thank you very much. Speaker

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love this idea! I loved making my own books when I was their age. This would be a great way to build writing stamina with my home journals, too. Thank you!christian wellness advocate

    ReplyDelete