The Great Big Sneeze (Part 1 - Organizing it All)

Good Morning Everyone,

I just wanted to pop by and say Hello! I also wanted to let you know how our Great Big Sneeze unit was going! This post is all about how I organized it all and the order in which it is unfolding!

First off, I started by displaying the story on the Smartboard. We read it together and circled important words (usually theme words). I also downloaded the unit to the class ipads and made a print copy. This way, the students can refer back to it at any time.

Here is a little sneak peek at the first page of the story.

Not to worry, my blog name is not included on the actual page!

After we read the story we completed the shared reading activity for this pack.

The students loved this part! Here is a little tip on making this part easier to organize. I always place two copies of each page of the read aloud on one page. Then I photocopy the entire pack as a booklet, asking the machine to staple the top of the page. Then, I staple the bottom part of the page and cut the line. Voila! Two booklets ready to go!

We reread the story together and, this time, the students HIGHLIGHTED theme words. They loooooove using highlighters. Finally, they illustrated the pages. My reluctant readers really shine in this portion of the pack, as we reread the story several times and they become familiar with it. They start to volunteer to read it aloud to the class and feel so proud.

I devote two periods to the read aloud portion. The students often do not finish the illustrating, however, they are able to go back to it when they finish their writing or the centers. It becomes a great little "I'm Finished!" activity.

As there are many crafts in this pack, I like to give the students a choice. You can also choose one craft for the whole class, or, if you are feeling exceptionally brave, even complete them all!

This is how I organized the craft portion of the activity.

I displayed all four crafts and asked students to tell me which they prefer. Then we tallied it up. This helped me decide how many copies I needed to make of each template.

I organized the templates in a bag and included some key construction paper colors. This helps avoid all the walking around and asking questions. The students have all that they need in their bag. They also get to keep all the pieces in that bag, if they do not finish on time. Everything is organized and in one place! No need to get up or ask for papers.

I like to copy the templates on white paper, because the students often wish to choose their own colors.

Once the read aloud, writing, and craft portions of the pack are completed, I like to move on to the literacy centers. As with the crafts, I place all of the necessary items for each center in a reusable bag. I include the recording sheets as well. This way, all I need to do is plop the bag at the designated center and we are ready to go!