Using It: Any Small Goodness Unit!

I taught Any Small Goodness by Tony Johnston to my summer school students this year. The kids really enjoyed the book, and it was a great way to try out some of my common core strategies in the classroom. I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of the KIDS doing the work, but I do have my teacher example. So, I wanted to share some of the "finished products," so that those who download the unit can get inspiration/ideas.


After the students complete the vocabulary sorts, have them select six words they want to create a "visual dictionary" for. They should include the word, the definition, and a picture to illustrate the word's meaning. Research shows that multiple exposures to vocabulary help in retaining information, so revisit these dictionaries. Students can use words in a sentence as a ticket out the door as a quick reinforcement. The pictures below are of my visual dictionaries...don't be jealous of my AMAZING artistic abilities! ;)

I had students glue the pages into a spiral notebook, so everything for our novel unit would be in one place. Just wanted to quickly mention that it's helpful to have student number each paragraph for the Close Read, so that they can quickly reference the text in their answers and in your class discussions. Another post with more tips on how to do a Close Read is coming soon!

Note the paragraphs are numbered.

 This is my circle map about Mama Dulce. The students can quickly jot down all the information they remember/can find in the text, and then use this to help write the obituary.

 Last, here is a picture of my visual theme. I used Keynote (since we are a Mac school), but it would look very similar in Power Point. The kids really enjoyed having their slides printed out in color, if you can swing it. It also brightened up their spirals!

Hopefully I can teach this novel again soon and include more pictures of STUDENTS doing the work! I have a great idea for an Any Small Goodness Christmas celebration, so hopefully I can make that happen this December!

Like what you see? This curriculum is for sale in my teacher store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Jessica-Fletcher-Fierro