Mini-book Descriptions
Please visit Dinah Zike's webiste and Tobin's Lab for resources that explain these mini-books much better than my sad attempts here.
accordion fold:
also known as a concertina fold. Several sheets of paper or cardstock attached with tape and folded in a back and forth fashion (like a w). Especially good for timelines and map series.
cross fold:
six squares that form the shape of the Latin cross (four squares down, two squares on either side of the 2nd square from the top). Folds up to be a small square. Good for Christian content.
envelope fold:
extension:
a piece of cardstock or a second file folder attached to the base folder in oreder to accomodate more mini-books.
flap book:
a simple fold, one side of which has been cut to make flaps. Flaps can be any number or width, depending on their use.
a polygon with "petals" off each side. The petals are folded in consecutively to fold the book. The last petal needs to be tucked under the first petal for the book to close. Any polygon with five or more sides will work.
folded flap book:
A flap book that has been folded in half. Good for comparisons and biography pairs
half-sheet fold:
a sheet of cardstock folded in half then glued into the lapbook. This can be a handy way to divide information in a multi-topic lapbook, or to add extra surface area.
information card:
just a piece of cardstock, no folds. These can be glued directly into the book or put into pocket fold books.
layered book:
made by stacking several strips of paper, staggering them by 1/4 inch, folding them in half, then stapling. Ideal for vocabulary words.
match book:
a piece of paper folded almost in half, with the extra small bit folded up over the larger flap
paper hinge:
a long, narrow piece of cardstock folded in half and attached to the main book on one side and an extension on the other.
pizza book:
segments of a circle (usually fourths, but can be any fraction of a circle) that are taped together sequentially. This book is hard to explain. A reasonable pizza book can be made by making two circles of the same size. Fold them into fourths, then cut along one radius of each circle. Tape one cut edge of one circle to a cut edge of the other circle, then fold into fourths. The book should open one "slice" (fourth) at a time.
pocket fold:
a sheet of cardstock folded just like a school folder (with pocket at the bottom) and stapled at the sides to secure the pocket.
also known as an envelope fold. A square sheet of paper with corners folded to the middle.
shape book:
a standard stapled together book shaped like the subject being covered
just a piece of paper folded in half
shutter fold:
the basic fold for the file folders that form the base of most lapbooks. The rectangular sheet of paper or file folder has both short ends folded to the middle to form a pair of "shutters." When used as a mini-book, these are especially good for comparing and contrasting.
fold a square of cardstock in half horizontally. Unfold, then fold in half vertically. The fold lines should all be creased in the same direction. Now crease the paper along one diagonal so that the diagonal crease opens in the opposite direction from the folds you've already made. Collapse the sheet into a square by pulling the diagonal creases on either side of the square center toward each other.
stapled book:
get a stack of paper and stapled the sheets together
tetrahedron book:
make a large equilateral triangle, then fold each angle to the center of the opposite side. You will now have a small equilateral triangle--when all sides are up, it should form a tetrahedron. Good for the pyramids, and any central topic about which you'd like to discuss three points.
tri-fold:
a piece of paper folded into thirds, like a travel brochure
like the square fold, but extends beyond a single square to form a chain of squares that overlap each other in opposite corners. Like the square fold, these also form a small square when closed, but can be quite thick. We keep ours closed with a heavy paper clip.
wheel:
two circles of the same size stacked one on top of the other. Cut a notch in the top circle to reveal the information you've put on the bottom circle. Attach them together with a metal paper fastener (a brad), then glue the bottom circle to the lapbook.
window book:
a book where each successive sheet reveals new information through window cuts in the pages.