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AcademicScrapbooking:SnapshotsofLearning|Edutopia

Academic Scrapbooking: Snapshots of

Learning
Asocialstudiesteacherusesphotojournalstomakelearningmorepersonalandimmediateforher
students.
ByAlexandraR.Moses
A UG US T 2 9 , 2 0 0 7

Heresanassignment:Grabastackofacidfreepaper,somegluesticks,andafewphotographs,andset
yourstudentstoworkonascrapbook.
Soundsalittlelikeartsandcraftstime?Perhaps,butacademicscrapbookingisactuallybeingusedasa
powerfulclassroomtooltohelpstudentsbetterconnectwiththesubjectathand,fromlessonsonancient
Greecetoanexplorationofthemesofloveinliterature.
HeidiWillard,asocialstudiesteacherandenthusiasticadvocateofacademicscrapbooking,describesit
aspersonalizingthecurriculum.Studentsgetawayfromthetextbookbutnotthelessonand
completeahandsonassignmentthatallowsorganizedclassroommovementandresultsinbetter
retentionofthematerial.Myexperienceasateacherhastaughtmethatitistheactivityintheclassroom
theyremember,saysWillard,whohasusedscrapbookingwithbothspecialneedsandtraditional
students.Itismoreofapersonaladventure.

AFlashofInspiration
Willarddiscoveredthebenefitsofscrapbookingtenyearsagowhileteachingagroupofparticularlyhard
toreachmiddleschoolstudents.Afterreturningfromashortvacation,sheshowedthemhertraveljournal
andphotographs.Inoticedtheywereactuallylisteningtomeandmakingeyecontactwithme,shesays
withalaugh.ItwassortofanAha!momentformeasateacher.
Sheconvincedtheprincipalofherschooltolethertakethestudentsonafieldtrip,gavethemdisposable
cameras,andaskedthemtomakeagroupscrapbookabouttheexperience.Fromthenon,academic
scrapbookingbecameastapleinherteaching.

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Thebenefitsofcreatingscrapbooksgobeyondpiquingstudentinterest,Willardsays.Theprojects
encourageindependentlearningbyallowingstudentstoworkattheirownpaceandenhanceindividual
learningstylesandstrengths.This,shesays,getsstudentspersonallyinvestedintheassignments.
Ifindthatstudentstakemorerisksintheirlearningandstoptryingtopleasetheteachersomuch,says
Willard,whohasturnedherenthusiasmforscrapbookingintoasmallbusiness,creatingandsellingkits
forvariousgradelevelsandsubjectsonherWebsite,ScrapbooksThatTeach
(http://www.scrapbooksthatteach.com/).
Still,scrapbookingcanbeatoughselltoadministratorsconcernedabouthowsuchprojectswillhelp
studentsmeetcurriculumandtestingstandards.Manypeopleseescrapbookingasjustalotofartsand
craftsandputtingstickersonapage,saysLoriElkinsSolomon,whowritesacurriculumguideto
scrapbookingcalled"Readin,Writin&Scrappin."Solomonsayscallingthemphotojournalsratherthan
scrapbookscanhelperasepreconceivednotionsofscrapbooking.AndWillardoffersonherWebsitea
scriptteacherscanusetoconvinceadministratorsofthevalueoftheactivity.
WillardandSolomonalsoemphasizescrapbookingsmoretangibleacademicapplications.Increating
scrapbooks,Willardsays,studentsmustusereading,writing,research,andcriticalthinkingskills.
Solomon,whobeganscrapbookingwithherstudentsin1999,saysthatforwritingclasses,scrapbook
pageassignmentscanbeusedtogetstudentstoexperimentwithvariouswritingstyles,including
narrative,descriptive,expository,andpersuasive.Scrapbookingalsointegratesvisualliteracybyrequiring
studentstocombinewordsandimages.

TheBigPicture
Toeffectivelyusescrapbookingintheclassroom,itsimportanttothinkoutsidetheCreativeMemories
(http://www.creativememories.com)box,evenifthatsthestyleateacherchooses.Itcantbe
scrapbookingforscrapbookingssake,Solomonsays.Teachersmustapplythesamestandardstothe
scrapbookassignmentthattheyapplytootheracademicassignmentsandbesurethatitadheresto
curriculumgoals.Andthoughstickersanddiecutsmaybetheonlywaytogetastudentinterestedin,
JaneEyre,othermethods,suchasessaysthatincorporategraphicsorphotos,alsowork.
AsanEnglishteacher,Solomonsays,heraimwithscrapbookswastogetherstudentswriting.Forone
literaryresearchproject,studentschoseathemeandcreatedabook,followingcertainpromptsfor
individualpages,suchasfindingapoem,aworkofart,andagreatthinkerthatexpressedthechosen
theme.Studentsalsowroteanintroductionanddesignedacover.Tohelpthemunderstandpersonal
identityandcharacterdevelopment,anotherassignmentrequiredstudentstoexploretheirownidentity
throughapersonalphotojournalthatcombinedstudentcreatedartworkandphotoswiththewriting.
Literaturebecomespersonalwhentheyrealizetherearethemesthatcanrelatetotheirownlife,says
Solomon.Bymakingherassignmentsmorethanjustessaysorresearchpapers,ithelpeddrawouther
morereluctantwritersandcreatedbetterwritersingeneral,sheadds.

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Willardtakesadifferentapproachandusestheactualscrapbookingkitsshedesigns.Thekitsincludea
groupactivityandmaterials,suchasfiber,stickers,andstencils,tohelpcreatethescrapbookpage.
Usingaclassroomcamera,sheandthestudentsdocumenttheclassactivityandthestudentsasthey
work.Thephotosareincludedinthescrapbooks.
ForasegmentonancientRome,forexample,Willardhadherstudentsbuildawaxslatewithastyluslike
onesRomanscribeslikelywouldhaveusedtodocumenttheirSenate'sactivities.Thestudentsthenused
photostakenduringtheactivityandtheprovidedscrapbookingmaterialstocreateafinalproductthat
illustratedtheirunderstandingofthelesson.Inaddition,foreachscrapbookassignment,studentsconduct
researchorcompleteareadingassignmentandwriteajournalentry.
Willardsaysherstudentslookforwardtothescrapbookingdays,andhavebecomecreativewiththe
projects,collectingtheirownobjectstoincludeonthepages.Thekeycomponent,shesays,isthatthey
connecttowhattheyrelearning.Thestudentsnotonlygettocreatesomethingthatstheirown(which
illustratesthewaytheyunderstandtheunderlyinglesson),theyalsoseethemselvesthroughthe
photographsastheyrecreatingit.That,shesays,helpsthembetterrememberthelessons.
Solomonbelievesscrapbookinggivesstudentsasenseofownershipovertheirwork,notonlybecauseits
somethingtheyvemadebutalsobecausetheyveinvestedsomuchofthemselvesintotheprocess.
Theybecomemoreconfidentandmoreconnected,emotionallyandintellectually,shesays.Itsnotjust
anacademicskill.Wedontwantourstudentstobelittlemachines.Wewantthemtobecomepeoplewho
areselfmotivatedandwhocannavigatetheworldaroundthembyaskingquestionsandknowinghowto
connect.
ALEXANDRAR.MOSESISAFREELANCEWRITERINTHEWASHINGTON,DC,AREAWHO
SPECIALIZESINEDUCATION.

StartScrapping
Usingscrapbookingtoenhancealessondoesnthavetotakealotofpreparationorclassroomtime
orevenachunkofchangefromateachersbudgettobeeffective.Herearesometipsand
resourcesforincludingacademicscrapbookinginyourclassroom:
CONSIDERTHEOUTCOME.ScrapbookingcanbeusedingradesK12,buthowyouimplementit
dependsonwhatyouwantstudentstogetfromtheassignment.Forinstance,artteacherscanhave
studentskeepascrapbookthatincludestheirartworkandjournalentriesaboutthepiecesso
studentscanseetheirprogressthroughtheyear.Or,studentscanlearnaboutcultureanddiversity
byscrapbookingfamilyhistoriesandsharingthemwiththeclass.Othersimpleprojectsmightinvolve
enhancingawritingassignmentbyaskingstudentstoincludeappropriatephotos,artwork,or
graphics.
CREATEARUBRIC.Thoughpartofscrapbookingistoencourageindependence,thereshouldbe
minimumrequirementsfortheassignments.Willardusesachecklistthatstudentscanfollowsothey
knowwhatsexpectedofthem.

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THINKSMALL.Fullblownscrapbookingkitsareavailable,butteacherscanalsousewhattheyhave
onhand,includingstaples,transparencies,folders,paperclips,andphotocopiedmapsandimages.
Youcansavemoneybypurchasingitemsthatarentmarkedspecificallyforscrapbooksorbyasking
studentstobringinrandomobjectstheyfindtoembellishtheirpages.Forphotographs,youmight
considerapplyingforagranttopurchaseaclassroomdigitalcameraandprinter.
USETHEINTERNET.InadditiontoHeidiWillard'sandLoriElkinsSolomonssites,whichoffer
scrapbookingkitsandforafeedownloadablecurriculum,respectively,youcanalsotakeanonline
course,suchastheoneofferedbytheHeritageInstitute(http://www.hol.edu/index.cfm).

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