The Star Media Center's Themes First! units are packed with colorful books, engaging activities, scaffolded learning, and so much more! It is one of the best resources for routines and academic content --- and it's FREE for Minnesota educators! The Themes First! content consists of several categories or subject areas: Vocabulary, Circle (Morning Meeting), ELA, Math, Social and Life Skills, Art and Cooking, Science, Social Studies, Movement, and Fine Motor. Each category contains differentiated activities you can print, use digitally, or utilize a combination of both.

With so many activities, prepping and organizing Themes First! units might feel daunting, so we are here to give teachers a guide along with tips to make this process seem a little more manageable. To do this, we prepped an entire month-long unit and recorded it! Check out the video and the details of the step-by-step process below!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ We prepped every activity, book, and sequence strip, and we want to give this entire month-long unit to one lucky teacher! If you are interested in winning this unit, enter below! We will pick the winner on March 26th.

We organized the prepping of an entire unit into 9 steps:

1. Decide on your organization system

2. Create your monthly plan

3. Print materials

4. Separate materials by "file" and "laminate"

5. File and label materials that do not need to be laminated

5. Prepare independent work file folders

6. Laminate materials

7. File laminated pages with the activity instructions

8. Train others on how to prep the materials

9. Prepare the laminated materials

You can take multiple approaches to prepping a unit, but we found the process above to be effective in simplifying preparation, especially when involving others in the activity prep.

There are several different ways to organize a Themes First! unit. I've used binders and bins in the past to prep units, this time we used a file tote. We chose this system because I had several readily available, along with file folders and hanging file folders. Below are some different options to store and organize your materials. When choosing your storage and organization system, utilize any free items your building provides or what you already have on hand. Check out the Resource section for file folder and bin/container labels.

You can use the Themes First! Monthly Theme Calendar or create on on your own. When planning your month, choose the materials that fit your students' interests and needs - you don't have to use all the materials the provided.

Once you choose the activities you want to use for the upcoming month, decide which materials you will print and which materials you'll display digitally using the Digital REEL. A digital REEL is essentially a slide deck and there is one for each activity in the unit. This decision will depend on your students and technology access. Some students need physical materials to help increase understanding and stay engaged. If you are using the activities in a center run by paras, consider whether or not they have access to technology to digitally present the materials. You may have to print these items.

⭐️ Tip: When creating your monthly plan, consider using the digital option during whole group and then teaching the same lesson using the printed activities in centers. Also, use the same activity multiple times throughout the month. Multiple means of representation, along with repetition, will help solidify learning!

Below is the Monthly Theme Calendar. This can be found in "Introducing the Unit."

Once you create your plan and decide what you will need to print, you can start printing those materials. Make sure to check the Preparation section so you know exactly what to print and how many copies need to be printed. Below is an example of an activity and the Preparation section.

Once you have all your materials printed (we printed the ENTIRE unit--- it's A LOT!), separate the stack by what needs to be organized and filed and what needs to be laminated.

File and label the materials you will not laminate into appropriate subject areas-- Vocabulary, Circle, ELA, Math, Social and Life Skills, Art and Cooking, Science, Social Studies, Movement, and Find Motor and/or by activity. Depending on the specific activities you chose, you may not have all of these sections, and that's okay! Feel free to make your own sections. You might divide the materials up by center, whole group, and independent work. Find a system that works for you and your classroom.

Prepare the independent work file folders before laminating. If you would like a variety of independent work, many of the file folders can be made into task boxes. Cut out the individual tasks within the file folder worksheet, laminate them, and store them in a container or Ziploc bag. Below is an example of how to turn a file folder into a task box.

Before you laminate materials, spend some time cutting out the large white areas that will waste lamination. If you have a large laminator, laminating will go quickly! This might take some time if you have a small, single-page laminator. If you don't have access to a large laminator at your school, you can head to Lakeshore Learning, where I did my laminating. It took an hour to laminate the entire unit. Time is precious!

Giving adults yards of laminated pages and asking them to cut it all out and organize it will lead to frustration. Instead, cut the pages out of the lamination and file into the organization system. By organizing these visuals and worksheets before they are prepped, everyone will know what visuals belong to each activity, where they go when they're done, and it will decrease the time it takes to prep. Since you reviewed the unit, picked the activities, and printed the activities, you'll have a better idea which laminated pages go where.

⭐️ Tip: STAR labels each visual with the subject area and activity. This makes it easier to sort once it's all laminated.

Train your paraprofessionals to check the Materials and Preparation sections of the activity's instructions. Show them where all the materials needed for prepping are located, how to prep the different activities (provide examples), go over the Velcro rules of your classroom (where does the hard side and soft side Velcro go), and when to prep.

⭐️ Tip: Provide a model of common visuals such as sequence strips and books. My helpers requested this!

Now it's time to start cutting and organizing the laminated materials. You may have to be creative and think outside the box when finding time for this! I always LOVED this type of prep work. I would bring it home, turn on my favorite TV show, and start cutting! Maybe you have team members or parents who enjoy this type of work? But I understand teachers not wanting to bring additional work home, and that's ok! It can be prepped during the school hours here and there whenever you or a para have a few minutes to spare. Maybe ask the people around your building who find this work cathartic to help out - you might just find random people in your classroom cutting out tasks as a stress reliever. Occasionally, I also had fellow Special Education teachers and related service providers offer to help me out during lunch. It never hurts to ask!

⭐️ Tip: Have all the tools needed to prep in one area. Materials should include adult scissors, hole punch, tape, Velcro, binder clips, paper clips, binder rings, markers, and Ziploc bags.

We are always looking for independent work. Themes First! has a lot of independent work under ELA and Math. This is a great place to start. If you would like a variety of independent work, many of the file folders can be task boxes!

Start adding activities each month. Don't forget to create an organization system so everyone can pitch in!

Next week, we will resume the center implementation series! We'll discuss teaching students how to transition between centers using a schedule visual supports.

Check out the Amazing Construction unit in Themes First!, which includes original songs, books, and activities that support students’ skill development and generalization with content that’s fun, accessible, and theme-based. These monthly units now include an expanded Social Studies suite, containing fun, theme-related activities that reinforce cultural engagement. Included in all Themes First! units are lessons, activities, and worksheets for group and independent work at a wide range of levels.

Link to Amazing Construction Theme Calendar

The latest Themes First! release, World in Bloom, is ready for prepping!

⭐⭐ ⭐ Tip: Print all the activities you plan to use for the upcoming month as soon as they become available. Put printed activities in a "prep" area equipped with a laminator, file folders, Velcro, labels, and baggies. If you have a large laminator, laminate all the activities at once! When you and your team have a few minutes to spare, laminate, cut, and Velcro. It helps to organize activities in trays by "Needs to be Prepped" and "Finished." Don't forget to teach your team how to prep the activities and to model this new expectation.

Date/Time: May 7th, 2024 from 3:00-4:30

Where: Virtual

Cost: Free

Join us for our last ASD EBP Webinar (formally known as STAR Webinars) of the 2023-2024 school year! During this webinar, Michele Glynn, ASD Specialist, will discuss using simple video modeling, modeling, and peer modeling to practice and promote positive behaviors that support student engagement and learning.

Feel free to contact me for any questions or concerns via email or phone. I'm also available to chat via Zoom Mondays from 7:30-8:00 AM and 3:00-3:30 PM. If these times do not work for your schedule, please email me and we will find a time that will work for both of us.

Use the link below to ask questions about this week's Tuesday Tips 'N' Tricks and/or give suggestions on future topics.

Paraprofessional Training Series

Para Training Series: Step One: Define Roles

Para Training Series: Step Two: Creating a Team Mindset

Para Training Series: Step Three, Part 1: Planning

Para Training Series: Step Three, Part 2: Planning

Para Training Series: Step Four: Training

Para Training Series: Next Steps

Classroom Set Up Series

Classroom Set Up: The Why

Classroom Set Up: Visually and Physically Defining Your Layout

Classroom Set Up: Classroom Schedules

Classroom Set Up: Para Schedules

Classroom Set Up: Individual Schedules

Classroom Set Up: Individual Schedules FAQ

Classroom Set Up: Visual Supports

Classroom Set Up: Teaching Visual Supports

Classroom Set Up: Creating Visual Supports

Classroom Set Up: Teaching Routines and Expectations

Classroom Set Up: Routines and Expectations

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