In January I posted an overview of the 10-week Medieval History class I was teaching for our homeschool co-op, thinking someone might benefit from my outline. Boy, was I right! Obviously lots of people are interested in information on this topic, based on the consistent number of hits that post receives. One commenter asked if I could show pictures of the lapbook we made. We wrapped up our 10-week session with a medieval feast last week and everyone took home their completed lapbooks, so I am now able to comply with that request!
The outside of the lapbook is constructed of file folders. Ours was large, so there were two overlapping file folders for each cover, making an extra large book. I hope these pictures help you get an idea of what we did. (For more information on constructing a lapbook, I would recommend you Google it; there is also a comprehensive post here.) We gave three choices for the cover image, using the simplest for our younger classes (the grades ranged from K – 8th grade). Here are two cover choices:
Here is one view of the inside of the book. The center section has three flaps which display outside the castle walls, plan of a castle, and inside the castle walls. On the right you can see the cover of our timeline.
The timeline is comprised of images and descriptions, plus dates on the outside of each flap:
The code of honor was glued beneath the timeline and each child wrote their own personal code. Can you read my daughters’ codes?
Opening the middle reveals another section, which includes a stained glass picture of a knight (from this Dover coloring book) and a personal coat of arms:
One week we discussed a Medieval medicine cabinet and what herbs it would contain:
We also constructed a Book of Days for each child, which can be used for their personal journal, poems, prayer requests, etc. Their initials are on the front cover (taken from the Dover illuminated alphabet coloring book) and there is a sleeve to hold the book:
Here is the section with the steps to knighthood (page, squire, knight):
We taught over 50 students in 6 classes, 2 teachers per class (4 teachers on our Medieval History team). One teacher in each class taught the lesson, and the other taught the lapbooking. I highly recommend preparing your lapbook materials in advance, as there is a lot of cutting and printing involved. Our primary reference, Knights & Castles: 50 Hands-On Activities to Experience the Middle Ages (Kaleidoscope Kids), was completely essential to teaching the class and limited the amount of teacher preparation required for that aspect of the course. At our Medieval feast on the final day of class the older students performed St. George and the Dragon, a Medieval play contained in that book.
Our lapbooks turned out beautifully and the kids are so proud of them! If you attempt a lapbook of this nature for a class that requires a budget, be aware that you will use lots of glue! Lapbooking provides an opportunity for practicing good penmanship, which was something we didn’t have time to utilize in our class. We printed most of the descriptions since we were limited to nine 45-minute classes to teach the course and build the books (on the 10th week finished some of the coloring before our Medieval feast).
There are also lots of free lapbooks to download here.
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Wow, those look great! I bet the kids had fun making them! 🙂
Love
MJ
Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve been wanting to do one with my daughter, but haven’t found any clear pattern to do it from. Maybe I’ll make an attempt with our next history topic and see how it goes.
This is awesome! We made our first lapbooks a couple of weeks ago, but they are nothing compared to yours. I guess I need to get a little more creative next time!
I love this! Great work!
I’m trying to figure out how to find the home to your blog. I happened by here from WW but didn’t want to link to that post. I’m surfing through the archives for this one. I’ll like April Archives until I figure it out! LOL! I love it here, you do a great job!
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Thanks for the quick email reply with this link, my daughter is just 1 right now but as soon as she can grasp it, the lapbooks are a great idea.
Thanks so much!
I hope you don’t mind, I’ve put a link to your wonderful lapbook on my site. You did a great job.
Very cool! We are studying the Middle Ages this year in history. 😉
I’m SO impressed!
I’m a news anchor mom by dawn and a homeschooler by lunch (our kids: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9). We’ve got about a month left on our medieval studies… and I think we’re gonna do this!
Where did you get your cover ideas from? I ordered the other 3 books off amazon.
Thanks, so much, for your creativity!
We really like your 1st cover with the knight’s helmet. Do you know where you found it? Was it from a book?…or from the internet?
Thanks so much, Patti
Hi Everyone,
I found the cover for this lapbook…the cover is what attracted me to this particular lapbook!. I found it on the cover of an Usborne book called “Medieval World”. Yay! We’re about to start our Medieval World lapbook process. Have fun lapbooking!
Just wondering, how much does it cost you between printing, files, etc? I’m wondering how much to ask for supply from parents to do this as a group study?
I was just looking for Middle Ages lapbook ideas and look whose came up! Thanks, again, Dawn.
What a wonderful lapbook! I especially like the section on medieval herbs. I’m going to make one now too.
Thanks for the inspiration! I created a Medieval Lapbook with my 5th graders last April and they loved it! Below is the link to pictures and descriptions of mine:
http://wordsiwouldsay.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/classroom-fun-1/
Hi, Thank you so much for posting this. I plan on using it as a guide for a co-op class I am teaching this fall. I just got the Knights and Castles book you recommended from the library and it is an excellent resource! I know this is an old post, but I have a question. Can you tell me what the section is under the Feudal System mini book? Thank you!
Great lapbook! Is the pdf file available to download? We’d love to use it.
Thank you.
Caroline
Could I please see the book timeline stretched out? I don’t get how the timeline is made. I would really appreciate it. Thank you, Cathy