Let it Snow!

We don't get much snow down here in the South ya'll but when we do...We.Are.In.Love!  I mean there are some serious I-can't-concentrate-'cause-white-stuff-is-falling-from-the-sky issues going on for the students (and the teacher).  Being in the South means it doesn't take much to keep us all home and I am SO fine with that (not that I would stay up late to watch the weather forecast or get up every hour through the night to peek out the blinds or anything). When a few of those white flakes fall I just love to cozy up to a nice fire with some hot chocolate in between throwing snowballs, sledding, and of course making snow angels.

In honor of snow days and with the hopes there will be one in our future, here are a few activities that revolve around those oh-my-word-I-can't-contain-myself weather systems!

I always like to start with a book and I love Snowflake Bentley.  

This text is perfect for covering these Common Core State Standards relating to informational text:

• RI.2.1. Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate    understanding of key details in a text.

• RI.3.1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

 It is also a great story for analyzing character traits covering these CCSS:

• RL.2.3. Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.

• RL.3.3. Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

 I *think aloud* while I read the story and model using information from the text to make conclusions about Bentley.  When I am finished reading we talk about some of Bentley's most obvious character traits like curious, determined, friendly, etc. After that, we use a thesaurus to help us make some lists of more exact words we can use to describe the character.  These are such good qualities to focus on!

Here's a game for the little guys
It's really crazy how much my kiddos love this game.  They beg me to let them take it home.  Seriously.  It couldn't be any easier to make or play but they love it.  I used words that reviewed CVC and CVCe patterns but you could add your own sentence cards and focus on any skill you'd like!  Click the pic to download a copy.

Maybe all this snow thinking will pay off...I have my fingers crossed!