Winter Writing

Winter Writing Wonderland 

Are your kids distracted by the snow? Do they keeping asking you if they can go outside to make a snowman?

Well, take their indoor idleness and turn it into a poetry writing lesson that encourages your kidos to use sensory images and alliteration to the fullest!


Have your class come up with a list of all the wonderful things about winter. (the snowflakes, snowman making, snowball fights, sledding, skiing, hot cocoa and soup, a toasty blanket in front of a fireplace)

Model for your students a 5 to 8 lined poem using sensory images and/or alliteration examples. I draw a large snow cap on chart paper and write the poem inside. I title my poem "Chilly Choices."

Chilly Choices 
by: Literacy Teacher 

Snowy Saturday
Sledding with speed
WHOOSH! 
Down a slippery snow covered hill
Winter wind whips across my cheery red cheeks
Snowballs whiz above my head
CRASH ! 
Silly me topples over a snowdrift.... 
Time to try again. 

Kiddos write poems on their own winter hats! Then read aloud to the class, and place them around the room or on a bulletin board. 

Winter Books

Here are some more of my favorite books about snow and winter:


Owl Moon has beautiful pictures. This is a wonderful story that lends itself to a visualization lesson. Read aloud the book twice without showing the pictures. Have students return to their seats and draw a scene from the book.


There is nothing better than a snow day. Snow is all about a boy and his dog as they watch the snow continue to fall, piling on the streets and houses, until the entire city is blanketed in white. Have students write about what they love to do on a snow day!

Thomas Snowsuit is a humorous story about a boy who does not want to wear his snowsuit. His mother, teacher and principal try to get him to wear it, but this stubborn child will not listen to them! This is a great book to discuss how the little boy behaves.

The Snow Bear is a sweet story about a polar bear who loses his Mom. His snow friends help him make a snow blanket so he can stay warm. This story has the themes of teamwork and friendship, as well as family!

Happy Reading!

A Fun Snowman Book!

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

First of all, I must say that the illustrations are beautiful in this book! Second of all, the story is so clever! There are even hidden pictures in the snow! Kids will love it!!

Story: What happens at night with snowmen? Where do they go? What do they do? Well, this story will tell you how the snowmen play at night with their friends and family.

Lesson Ideas:

1. There is a rhyming pattern in this book, so there are a lot of clever ways to have kids listen for the rhymes. Have your kids make snowmen on sticks and while reading aloud the story a second time have them raise their snowmen when they hear two words rhyme.

2. This story is so imaginative. Discuss other activities snowmen could do at night. Make a class story and have each child illustrate a page for a class book.

3. Older kidos could write their own snowmen story at night!

4. There is also a lot of cause and effect in this book. Retype the story and cut apart the cause and effect sentences. Have the students put them in the correct category and check their answers with a partner.

Happy Reading!

December Read Alouds

Holiday Read Aloud !

Classes are preparing for holiday parties. Students are too excited to learn. Here is my installment of holiday read alouds before you all head off to winter break! 

The Gingerbread Girl
Story: The old woman is lonely because her gingerbread boy ran away and was eaten by the fox, so she makes a gingerbread girl hopping she will no longer be lonely. Well, the gingerbread girl runs away. People and animals begin to chase her. Once again that tricky fox shows up. Will the gingerbread girl escape the same fate as the gingerbread boy?

Ideas: Compare to The Gingerbread Man or The Gingerbread Baby. I like using a Venn diagram for this activity!



Who Will Pull Santa’s Sleigh Tonight?
Story: Santa goes to check on the reindeer and they are all sick. He needs a plan to find some helpers for his sleigh ride on Christmas Eve. He holds reindeer auditions and all these animals show up. When that doesn’t work, he comes up with a new idea. But will it work?

Ideas: A great read aloud for grade K-3!

This is a great story for predicting with second and third graders! I read the beginning of the book to the class. Then they take out their journals and make predictions. We share and discuss as a class. Next, (This can be during the same lesson or the following day). Then I read up to how Santa has a new plan and the kidos make a second prediction in their journals. We share and discuss predictions. I then read the rest of the story and we talk about how Santa and Mrs. Claus save the day.
Hope you get a chance to share these stories!

Hanukkah Read Aloud!

In honor of Hanukkah, I wanted to post two holiday books to share with your class. Enjoy!This is the perfect story for a primary classroom. I love the Biscuit books and how curious he is in the stories. This is a nice way to introduce Hanukkah and some of the traditions that are related to this special holiday!

Story: Come along with Biscuit as he helps his owner make a beautiful menorah to celebrate Hanukkah. It's a great time for stories, songs, food and friends! The story explains how eight candles are used during the Hanukkah celebration.

This is a nice way to introduce Hanukkah and some of the traditions that are related to this special holiday! A nice class discussion comparing this story to their own holiday traditions is the perfect way to share this book! Then have your students draw their family holiday tradition.

I love this story because it intertwines a holiday story with a lesson. This story would lend itself to a comparison of family traditions.

Story: It's the last night of Hanukkah and there are only three little potatoes left. This is just not enough to make latkes for the relatives. Rachel has the solution and she will borrow some potatoes from Mrs. Greenberg. Then she will invite Mrs. Greenberg, who is all alone, to share Hanukkah with them. But though Mrs. Greenberg has a heart of gold, she is a stubborn as an ox--she doesn't want to be a bother.

Have your students fold a large piece of construction paper in half. They can then draw and describe their own holiday tradition on one side. On the opposite side have them write a summary of the story and draw their favorite scene from the book.

Reindeer Book!

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by: Jan Brett
I have read this in grade 2 and grade 4... the kidos always love it. There are a few fun things I have done with it too!
Story: Teeka has to fetch the reindeer for Santa's big ride and she wants everything to be perfect. She has trouble training the reindeer and becomes very bossy. Teeka realizes she needs a new approach.
Activities:
1. While reading I stop and ask "Do you have any text to text connections?" Kidos usually talk about how the reindeer have names different than the Rudolf song.
2. With my fourth graders I give them copies of the Rudolf story and with a partner they make a venn diagram to compare the two stories.
3. With my second graders we make a T-chart and discuss Teeka and her character traits in the beginning of the story and at the end of the story.

SO Many Holiday Books.... so little time!!

Santa's Noisy Night by Julie Sykes
I love this cute story of Santa being so jolly, he needs to be reminded by his reindeer, the family dog and cat, and even a snowman that he needs the be quiet so he doesn't wake the children on Christmas Eve.
This is a great story to rewrite as a reader's theater. The repetitive text is also great for choral reading.
I read this book aloud to my fourth graders one year. We then wrote our own Noisy Santa stories where elves, moms, talking parrots, and little goldfish told Santa, " SHHH! Don't wake the children!

Happy Reading! 

Thanksgiving Read Aloud

Thanksgiving Read Aloud

I have always loved Arthur and so did my first graders!
Story: Arthur's teacher makes him director of the school's Thanksgiving play, it seems like a fun job at first. But things start getting difficult when he must assign the roles, especially since no one wants to play the part of the turkey!
This is a great story to make into a Reader's Theater.
You could make a T-chart with your class about the pros and cons of being a director of a play.
As always, reading aloud this book for pure enjoyment always makes the kids happy!

Thanksgiving Read Aloud #2

I was working in the library the other day and came across this book that I just fell in love with while reading it! The story is so beautiful!

The Firefighters Thanksgiving
By: Maribeth Boelts
Illustrator: Terry Widener

Story: Station 1 is a busy place. When there aren't fires to put out there are plenty of chores. On Thanksgiving Day there's a big feast to prepare. Lou is in charge of dinner this year, but just as they finish preparing the meal, a call comes in. They drop everything to get to the fire. It looks like there may not be a Thanksgiving dinner after all.

Ideas: Theme of Thanksgiving and bravery. There are SO MANY teachable concepts here. Have students write their own Thanksgiving narrative. Have them pretend they are a character in the story and write a letter of thanks to Station 1. Go a step further and write a letter to your own local fire station!
Word Patterns: This text is filled with rhyme patterns. Give the students post it notes and have them write patterns as they listen to the read aloud.
Reader's Theater: Take this text and rewrite it with a narrator and Lou. Have students partner up and practice reading aloud for fluency!

Happy Thanksgiving!