1. Gather materials including books to read aloud and display, bulletin board materials (including posters), Internet resources, videos and DVD's.

2. Plan a bulletin board display. Try and make it interactive and display children's work.

3. KWL chart
K - what we know
W - what we want to know
L - what we learned 
Keep this on chart paper and display or have available as the unit goes on.

4. Introduce vocabulary words using flashcards, graphics, sentence strips, pocket charts. A "Thematic Word Wall" would be ideal. This could also be part of the "Read the Room" learning center.

5.Activities - do as many as possible as Learning Centers (or Stations) - some suggestions:
* Poem center
* Book Center 
* Word Study Center- using vocabulary
* Art Center - do an art project related to the unit
* Writing Center
* Listening center
* Discovery (science) Center
* Map Center
* Computer Center
* Puzzles, game Center
* Fine Motor Center 
* Math Center
* Cooking Center

6. Evaluation/Assesment - Make up quizzes, webquests, games (Jeopardy is always fun!), and of course Teacher observation!