Fulton Sheen Lapbook

Some of you might like the idea of making a Fulton Sheen Notebook, but know that a project of that size is not practical or the best use of the time that you have with your kiddos. 

Another option to still do some of the activities and have them in a user friendly place would be to make a Fulton Sheen lapbook.  This might be an option if you want to make it a shorter unit in a school classroom or for use in a CCD program.

Start with a regular file folder.  Colored ones are always nice.

To make it a little more interesting, create a lapbook that opens from the center.  Fold one side of the folder to the middle of the inside.

 Then fold the other side to the center also.

 Using the cover from the Sheen notebook, create a cover for the lapbook.  Glue the printable to a piece of cardstock, and then glue the cardstock to only one side of the folder flaps.  This allows the lapbook to have a closed cover...

 ...but still can be opened to the inside.  It also extended the space inside by a few inches.

 Next choose the activities that you want to include.

 I used these activities:
-Spiritual Adoption Bookmark
-Non Fiction Notes about Canonization Process
-Sheen and the Sacraments Mini Book
-Fulton Facts
-Journaling Topics
-Fold Out Timeline
-Canonization Process Post It Notes
-World Mission Rosary
-Holy Card and Prayer Requests

I had to adapt the way some of the activities were include to save space.  One nice lapbooking or notebooking tool is making pockets.

Here is my favorite way to make paper pockets:

1. Collect the stack of items that you want to include in the pocket.  It is easiest to just use them for the size so that the pocket isn't too tight or too lose, causing things to fall out.  Cut a piece of paper, preferably cardstock, that is about an inch longer than you want the finished pocket to be and is about three times the width of the items.

 2. Fold one side of the paper over, somewhere between the middle and edge of the items in the pocket.

 3. Fold the other side over and trim off the excess, making sure that there is an overlap with the first folded side.

 4. Here it is with the excess cut off.

 5. Now move your items and unfold the soon-to-be pocket.  Fold up the bottom edge to the depth you want the bottom of the pocket to be. 

 6.  Unfold and do some trimming.  You are going to cut along the bottom fold line to the side fold lines, and then down.  I like to cut down at a slight angle so that the sides don't show from the back.  Here is a picture of where to cut:

 7.  Place your items back on the pocket.  This is important for fit.  Fold the two sides in and tape with scotch tape.

 8. Fold the bottom flap up and tape.

 9. Your filled pocket can now be placed in a lapbook or notebook.

 10.  I like to label the outside of my pockets to make it easy to know what is inside.  I created pockets for Fulton Facts, Non Fiction Research, and Journal Starters.

 A lapbook can get nice and thick with layers, and that is ok.  Here is the Fold Out Sheen Timeline.

 Here is how I adapted the Canonization Overview.  Instead of post its attached to a whole page, I used a stack of five post it notes to make a mini flip book with the same info as before.

 I included a Sheen Prayer card with room for prayer requests.

 There wasn't room for the World Mission Rosary Notes, so I just drew and labeled one in an empty spot of the folder.

The back of the folder is still empty, which means it is in need of something! No reason to have an empty surface :)

I hope that this shows you how you can adapt notebooking or long curriculum activities to create a lapbook that becomes a center for learning and a memorable keepsake.

Fulton Sheen Journal Writing

What better way to get students thinking about what they have learned then to get them to write about it?  Journal writing, reflections, summative evaluations, whatever you call it, getting thoughts on paper is a necessary skill for kids.  Here are some of the journal writing activities I used along the way during our Fulton Sheen Unit.  At the end of the post is a printable with topic cards you can use yourself.

(First off, before we get started with ideas, I think that journal writing should be in some kind of a notebook or binder.  If we want kids to be good readers, we have them read all the time.  If we want kids to be good writers, we need to have them write all of the time.  Part of that process is being able to look at writing from the past (even the recent past) and seeing room for growth and change.  It is also important to include writing about other content that students are learning.  Stick that reflective paragraph right in there with your review pages, worksheets, notes, and quizzes, and see how the kids are able to incorporate their writing skills in other subject matter.  They'll have to do it in real life, so writing should never be constrained to canned prompts only in language class.)

So, clearly we included this journalling in our Sheen Notebooks, using their writing to help document the journey.

Here was  one journal starter that was set up like a picture.  The kids likes putting this in their notebook, and it had a cool connection to the unit on light that we were talking about in Science.

 Here are some topics that I had written up on the board that we used as station activities:

 I love post-it notes as graphic organizers or thought-gathers before writing.  I found these awesome notes in the dollar bins at Target.  You could do the same sort of idea with plain post its, but they would not be nearly as cute. :)

This one was done after reading a new article about Sheen.  The had to write a new fact, a question that the still had, and one thing that they couldn't believe about Sheen (something that was incredible, inspiring, etc.)  This would function as a great exit activity for an assignment that wouldn't require a lot of time for the kids or grading for the teacher.

This post it note we used to make a list of the top five reasons why each student thought that Sheen should be declared a Saint.  We then used those five reasons and organized it into a short persuasive essay.  They surprised me with how specific, strong, and valid their reasons were.  Not that I expected fluff, but they just surpassed what I had imagined.  Don't you love when that happens?

Here is an example of how I set up a longer journal writing assignment that all of the kids had to work on.

I started with this giant post it on the board.  I do love my SmartBoard, but there is also a place for teacher created posters that can stay up and be referenced easily.

They copied this into their notebooks, complete with the instructional notes and the topic.

On the board, I included a quick checklist of the expectations for the writing assignment.  Detailed? No.  But we talked about them orally, and this gave the kids a visual to come back to as they were writing.

So, just a few ideas for how to use them, but click below for the journal starters matching what we did in our classroom:

When I Say...

Three things about sisters:

1. We are cramming in a lot of family time time this summer, finishing planning a wedding and getting ready to send Em and Luke off to their first military post in Georgia.  This weekend we took a quick two day trip to Wisconsin to see the House on the Rock, which was a vacation spot from our childhood. 

 

This time we went back as a adults, complete with both parents, me, my sisters, and their husband and fiance.  Let's just say that we enjoyed the tour, but wondered many times about the state of mind of the guy who made this place.  Remembering the experience as a kid made the spectacle as an adult all the more "trippy."

Favorite memory from the day? My mom trying to get us all in one place for yet another picture.  We had scattered like chickens looking at some of the displays, walking away from her....  Remember that my mom is mother to three daughters, and has two recently acquired sons-in-law. To get our attention, she quickly called "Girls!"  Then realizing her mistake, she called "Boys!"  Getting frustrated because we were all laughing now, she resorted to "Kids, get over here!"  Probably was interesting for the other patrons to see five twenty-somethings come running to the sound of "Kids!"

2.  The family is all facing the idea of Em and Luke moving very far away in different ways.  We have always been very close, and it will be an interesting adjustment for us to have that much distance between us.  I never thought that I would be so grateful to have Steph and Steve only two hours away.  Perspective changes, I guess. 

I think that Emily wrote a very poignant and thoughtful post on her upcoming challenges here.  If you or someone you know is facing big changes an need a positive outlook, it will be a good read.


3. Finally, I just couldn't resist the truth in this:

I don't like to gossip, try to keep secrets when asked, and consider myself trustworthy and honest.  But seriously, sometimes it feels like it shouldn't count to tell your sisters everything. Anyone else with sisters agree?  :)

Fulton Sheen Curriculum

Now that the school year is over, I should be finding more time to dedicate to catching up on the things that I enjoy like books, blogging, crafts...and other things that I don't enjoy like laundry, cleaning...etc.

Anyways, for various reasons I have been working on organizing some of my curriculum.  Even though I am not quite done with all of my posts about our Fulton Sheen activities, I have put a vast majority of them into one document, complete with brief directions, photos, and printables.  It is 59 pages long...but much more convenient than printing or reading from 15 different posts.

If you are interested in using these ideas as a whole, here are all of the resources in one easy place.  If you are interested in only a lesson or two, all you need to do is print those pages.  Regardless, click below to check out the document.