Submitted by Suzanne DeVene, Willard, Ohio
Idea posted December 4, 2002
SKIN AND BONES and GHOST OF JOHN illustrated songbooks
If you have some time for this activity, it's fun and provides a songbook for younger grades. (Actually, I did this 3 years ago and I'm still using the materials.)
Materials: Crayons, pencils, fine-tip felt markers; White drawing paper; 12" x 18" Orange and black construction paper; Rubber cement or glue sticks
I did this activity with 5th graders - telling them they were making these illustrated books for the 1st & 2nd graders. I gave each person a white piece of paper and a line of words of Skin And Bones OR Ghost Of John. They were to draw an illustration for that line of words. We talked about how the picture had to 'fill' the page so that it could be seen from a distance. Drawings were done first in pencil and then finished with crayons or markers. (Whatever is used should be consistent through all the pictures.) When they finished, I wrote in the words with marker. (Didn't trust their handwriting!) While they were drawing, I made a title page and decorated it. (You could have a student do this.)
The rest of it was my work. I glued the white paper on an orange or black background, letting the color show around the white paper like a picture frame. I wrote the name of each 'artist' on the side of the picture in the colored margin. Then all the pages got laminated, and I used paper punches to make holes on the side where I hooked the pages together with metal rings.
The fifth graders did a wonderful job of drawing... the younger students even commented on how good the skeletons looked as well as the 'old woman'! I've left the books in the music room for them to 'read' on music days! Of course, in the background, while the 5th graders are drawing, you can have all kinds of Halloween music playing... Bach's Toccata & Fugue in Dm., In The Hall Of The Mountain King, etc. The best part is... now I've got 2 illustrated Big Books to use for Halloween!