Here Comes the Snow by Angela Shelf Medearis - Teaching Ideas

 
This Hello Reader is a perfect book for the winter months. It is great practice for those beginner readers and is about a topic most children love...snow.

If you want your student to do more than just read the book, you can give them the chance to answer a few questions and write about what they read. They can do this with the freebie that I created - shown below.

If your students are in need of other skill or strategy practice take a look at the list below to help come up with a great activity.

Reading level: 1.3

Theme/subject: snow, weather

Genre: fiction

Suggested Vocabulary/phrases: howls, sway

Reading skills and strategies:

• Asking questions - {possible questions before} I wonder what the story is about. {possible questions during} I wonder if it will ever snow. I wonder what the kids will do in the snow. {possible questions after} I wonder if they are going to go out tomorrow to play in the snow.  **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions.
• Author's point of view – First. Be sure to find 3 pieces of evidence to support this (we, ours).
• Author's purpose – entertain {evidence} the kids look like they are having fun in the snow. They build a snowman in the snow. The kids have a snowball fight.
• Beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} It hasn’t snowed yet. {most important event from middle} It started to snow. {most important event from end} The kids had fun playing in the snow.
• Character changes – the characters at the beginning of the story were sad because there was no snow. At the end of the story they were happy because it snowed.
• Classify & categorize – Classify outdoor activities; categorize them into what you can do with snow and without snow.
• Compare & contrast – your snow day to their snow day.
• Connections - {possible text-to-self connections} waiting for snow. Playing in the snow. Having snowball fight. Making a snowman. Drinking hot cocoa after playing in the snow. {possible text-to-text connections} You can text connect this book to any that has children playing in the snow.
• Main idea & details - {main idea} the story is mostly about playing in the snow. {details} the kids make a snowman. The kids play on a sled. The kids have a snowball fight.
• Plot - the turning point or climax in the story when it finally snows.
• Predict – What do you think the story is going to be about? When do you think it will snow? What do you think the kids will do in the snow?
• Problem & solution - {problem} the kids are wanting to play in the snow but there is no snow. {solution} The kids had to just wait for the day that it snowed.
• Sequencing – The kids put on their snow clothes. They tried to play on their sled but there was no snow. The wind howls and trees sway. It started to snow. The kids ran outside into the snow. The kids play on the sled. They make snow angels. The kids have a snowball fight. All the kids make a snowman. They go inside and have hot cocoa.
• Story elements - list title, author, characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• Strong thought – The kids were sad that the snow hadn’t come yet. What could you tell the kids to do while they wait for the snow?
• Summarize - {someone} the kids {wanted} wanted to play in the snow {but} but there was none {so} so they just waited. It {finally} finally snowed so they could go out and play.
• Visualize - Visualize your favorite thing to do in the snow.

IT'S FREE!!

Happy planning,