Does your child "freak-out" when a research project is assigned? How about when they are asked to write and illustrate a story? I have a couple more suggestions that may seem obvious to some of you, but you may find one or two you had not thought of.
- My recommendations from "School Poster Projects" apply to reports as well: use better materials, mount cut-outs, vary sizes, watch your blank spaces.
- As far as using better materials go, there are two ways you can approach this: (1) purchase a "memory book" (the scrapbook-book stores as well as stationary and art stores all carry them); they are spiral bound, have heavy blank paper pages, and have a plain non-shiny cover; (2) use card stock paper on your computer printer, and have your child print each page on the card stock; it is heavy enough to print on both sides if you like; when the project is done, take the pages to your local copy shop and have them made into a spiral bound book (costs about a dollar).
- Think of the project as a book, with cover, followed by a blank page, then the title page, contents page with subjects and page numbers. The main report comes next, then bibliography, and then you could insert an Appendix if your child found some extra material that they don't really want to change into their own words, but does add to the knowledge of the subject. Another blank page is inserted before the back cover.
- Don't worry if the memory book has more pages than you need. Teachers don't seem to be upset by blank pages at the end.
- If using the memory book, remember everything must be printed out, cut down, mounted and glued carefully, so that the pages do not stick together.
- The cover of the memory book should be made on card stock or water color paper and glued on. To ensure the edges don't pull up it is a nice touch to put on some of those stick on borders — put them over the raw edges of whatever you child makes and glues onto the front.
- Pictures in the memory book can be computer generated, drawings, painting, (sometimes I get color xeroxes of these to enlarge or shrink them to be the right size — also, the medium (i.e. crayon) doesn't rub off on in the book either.
- When doing the card stock print out, I recommend scanning in your child's artwork, or grabbing pictures off the net, and inserting them where ever they are applicable in the report. Make certain there is enough "word" coverage without the pictures first though (i.e. the report is supposed to be five pages of text — check that out before inserting pictures).
- The spiral/ cardstock report style can have a computer generated or drawn cover. If your child does a collage, you should probably get a print of this, or scan it in so that the bits of paper do not become torn. The back should not be forgotten--its part of the package. You can also get clear or hazy plastic sheets to put on top of the cover and back to provide some protection, and it just looks good too.
I guess packaging is really what its all about. Teachers are just as susceptible to good packaging as anyone else!
-Kathy
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