I have started planning my first week back at school. With starting in a new district and having to learn new procedures, I figured if I do as much as I can ahead of time, it will help me out!
One of my favorite things to do during the first week back is to read aloud 10 Black Dots by Donald Crews and make a class book.
The kids work in partners to complete this activity. Partnerships are SO powerful. The kids can really learn a great deal from working with other students. I learned this when I taught dual language. It was hard for me to get used to, but once I did, I really embraced it. I missed that last year so I’m going to pair my kids up this year.
After reading aloud the book, I cut this document into strips and each pair gets a strip, a number to complete a sentence, and the corresponding number of dots. Yes, there will be more than one page of each number.
We talk about how it’s important for their words to match their picture, also. They then create a picture using the black dots provided. (I usually punch out the black dots with the 1 inch circle punch I have. You can also use the dot sticks sold in stores and color them black with a sharpie.)
The completed project is so cute! I have kept mine from my first class. Last year’s class didn’t get to make one, but the book was available for them to read, along with the other class books. They enjoyed it!
I hope you can use this! HERE is the class book cover!