Ever wonder what goes into writing a huge project? A few years ago I was fortunate to have collaborated in writing a science resource for K-5 teachers for the Dana Center at the University of Texas in Austin. We wrote on the earth science, force and motion, and the physical properties of matter strands in science. With that project, I was responsible only for the chapter aimed toward fourth grade teachers. Then came Teachers Pay Teachers, and with that, came new challenges. I’ve since authored several large projects, including the Fourth Grade Daily Language Review, the Third Grade Daily Language Review, and Revising and Editing with a Texas History Theme. Currently, I’m finishing up the Fifth Grade Daily Language Review, which will be published on TpT by June 30, 2015.
So, here’s part of what goes into the planning and writing of a project of this size. First, I analyze and list the CCSS and Texas TEKS standards.
Next, I lay out all the standards so that each is covered during the first quarter. As I write, I note on the chart the specific activity and method I used to cover each objective. The objective is covered in a different way each quarter, consistent with a spiral review. To stay organized as I write, I keep my notes and research in a tabbed notebook.
Those big check marks mean that a section has been finished. How I love adding those check marks! When all are finished, there will be 1,080 sections, for a total of 180 complete sheets–one for each day of the school year, plus answer keys for each page. Here’s a sample page.
Like any other task, large writing tasks are broken into smaller tasks. Just work toward completion of each small task, and your big task soon will be complete!