Making a Pop-Up Book

Learning Objective(s)

• Read and analyze a short story to identify story structure and characteristics.
• Brainstorm narrative topic ideas and map out the story’s structure.
• Brainstorm and develop imagery to accompany the storyline.
• Create a rough draft of their story and refine ideas and imagery.
• Design and create a multi-layered pop-up book.

Instructions

Introduction

• Start off by asking participants what their favorite stories or books are and why.
• After engaging in a brief discussion or an idea exchange activity, such as paper snowballs, show participants a story. This story should ideally feature pop-out imagery (ex- Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Robert Sabuda) if using a
  printed text. Have them predict what the story will be about based on the title, book cover, and other features.
• Introduce the narrative arc and complete an arc together as a group using the example story. Discuss what the key ingredients or components of a good story are and what features should be included as part of a complete narrative.
• Lastly, evaluate the artwork in terms of its quality and whether it enhances and
  supports the story or is irrelevant or detracts from the story.

Session Activity

• Provide participants with time to brainstorm topic ideas for their own short story and jot down notes related to key information such as: characters, what will happen, where it will happen, how it will happen, and why it will happen (the 5 Ws).
• Once the topic has been chosen, and the key elements identified, task each
  participant with creating their narrative arc. After this is completed, they should begin by creating a first draft of their story and sketching out illustrations that will help to tell their story.
• After the rough draft has been completed, have each person find a partner to review their work and provide feedback on both the story and the illustrations. When the review and feedback process is complete, participants should write a final draft.
• With a final story and illustration ideas in hand, participants may now begin bringing their story to life in Cricut Design Space. Have each participant determine which illustrations they want drawn by hand, digitally as a custom SVG to print and cut, or
  as cardstock cutouts.
• Start by adding the pop-up pages to the canvas and determining the size (use the pop-up book page templates or have participants create their own). Ensure that the number of pages reflects the number of pages that will be in the story. Then, add
  images, shapes, SVGs, etc. to the canvas and size appropriately using the template size as a guide. Determine where the text will go and build spaces into the pages accordingly.
• Participants should add text and format to be completed as a print and cut or a writing option using the pen attachment. Alternatively, text can be handwritten.
• Last, design the book cover complete with the title of the story and the author’s name.
• When everything is good to go, provide each participant with the opportunity to have all materials cut, printed, or written using the Cricut. Once all components are ready, they can begin attaching the imagery and text to the pages using glue. Account for additional time that participants may need to troubleshoot placements and sizing of the book components.

Closing

Choose one of the following to celebrate the pop-up stories:

• Allow each participant to present and read their story to the group, OR
• Have all of the completed stories on display for participants to explore and read
  independently as part of a gallery walk or “book fair.”