Winter Weather Literature Focus Unit EDU 315

Literature Selection The Mitten by Jan Brett Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin Snowflakes in Photographs by W.A. Bentley Roberts Snowflakes by Grace Lin The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder Blizzard by Jim Murphy The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel Going Along with Lewis and Clark by Barbara Fifer Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost Snowballs by Lois Ehlert The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats Stranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams Weather Words by Gail Gibbons Blizzards Wake by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Theme Study Students will take part in a thematic unit on the winter season and snow. This unit will integrate reading and writing with social studies, science, mathematics, art, music, and physical education. Students will develop an understanding of the winter season and snow, survival, and weather words.

Language Arts: Reading Activities Students will read various fiction and non-fiction books and poetry about snow and the winter season through silent reading, partner reading, guided reading, reading aloud, and readers theatre. Students will read their winter stories and poems to the class. Students will share their weather journals and dialogue journals. Teacher will read aloud from Blizzards Wake by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Students will read personal entries about the good and bad things about snow and winter on the class chart.

Language Arts: Writing Activities Students will write journal entries as they read The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder about how they would imagine being pioneers trying to survive in winter. Students will write a letter to someone who lives in a state or country that doesnt receive snow. They need to describe how snow looks, tastes, and feels. Students will write and illustrate a story about how they survived the winter based on Going Along with Lewis and Clark by Barbara Fifer. They will participate in peer conferences. Students will write personal reflections on the good things and bad things about snow and winter on the class chart. Students will write a winter poem. Students will add weather words to the Winter Word Wall.

Language Arts: Speaking Activities Students will participate in a Simon Says game with winter gear and apparel. Students will participate in Readers Theatre. Students will have speaking parts during the reading of The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel. Students will join in a grand conversation on what they like/dislike about winter. The students will take turns as the weather man to give the daily forecast. The students will use the authors chair to read their stories and poems aloud. Students will participate in a small group discussion about Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin.

Language Arts: Listening Activities Students will listen to audio versions of winter and snow literature. Students will listen as the teacher discusses winter and snow and how/why it happens. They will listen as the teacher shares information about North Dakota winters. Students will listen respectfully to their peers as they share their winter stories,poems, journal entries, and weather forecasts. Students will listen to their peers opinions during grand conversations. Students will listen to winter songs.

Language Arts: Viewing Activities Students will view winter paintings by famous artists. Students will view winter videos Students will view photographs of snow and winter. Students will view winter decorations such as paper snowflakes made by their peers. Students will take a nature walk to observe the winter weather. Students will view the Readers Theatre performance. Students will view the Weather Word Wall Students will view the following websites: and

Language Arts: Visually Representing Activities Students will take photographs on their nature walk. Students will make paper snowflakes and other winter decorations. Students will display their poems in an artistic presentation. Students will create a Winter Word Wall.

Science Activities: Students will investigate the water cycle through experiments such as making snow. Students will learn the types of clouds that bring weather events. They will use the websites: and eo.ucar.edu/webweather/blizzardhome.html to learn about weather. and eo.ucar.edu/webweather/blizzardhome.html Students will study what happens to trees in the winter season; deciduous and evergreen. Students will identify how animals survive in the winter. Students will complete science experiments such as finding out what is the fastest way to melt snowballs and the best types of insulation to prevent a snowball from melting. Students will view snowflakes with a microscope. Students will develop winter survival kits.

Mathematics Activities Students will graph the daily temperatures and the daily snowfall amounts. Students will understand negative numbers by keeping a tally of the days where the temperature falls below zero. Students will appreciate the symmetry of snowflakes while studying geometry. Students will measure the inches of snowfall. Students will take a survey on who likes/dislikes winter and will graph the results.

Social Studies Activities Students will learn about pioneer survival. Students can dress as pioneers. Students will identify areas in the world that receive snow on a map. They will identify areas that receive the most annual amounts of snow. Students will create a Venn diagram by comparing snowstorms in various parts of the United States. Students will learn about the survival techniques of Lewis and Clark by taking a field trip to Fort Mandan. A local weatherman can visit the classroom.

Music and Art Activities Students will make paper snowflakes. Students will mount and title photographs taken outdoors. Students will visit a sensory corner. Students will make winter decorations for the classroom. Students will create an artistic background for their poems. Students will create winter sounds such as storms and wind. Students will perform winter songs and Christmas carols. Students will listen to recorded music. Students will create new lyrics to a traditional song such as Frosty the Snowman.

Physical Education Activities Students will have a paper snowball fight. Students will play Jingle Bells basketball. Students will play a winter wear relay. Students will make snow angels outdoors. Students will build a giant snowperson or a snow fort. Students will display sledding skills during a outdoor day. Students will play Jack Frost tag.

Technology Eo.ucar.edu/webweather/blizzardhome.html ndclark.html ndclark.html Discovery School: Earths Atmosphere, Weather, and Climate Video Earth Science (K-4): Weather Changes and Measurement Video Weather for Children: All About Rain, Snow Sleet & Hail Video Digital photography Snowflake Bentley movie Newspapers Audiotapes of recommended winter and snow literature

Language Arts Strategies Activating background knowledge: students will think what they already know about winter and snow. Brainstorming: students will think of many ideas related to winter and snow through writing activities. Connecting: Students will relate topics to the world around them by journaling and creating a weather log and by role playing pioneers. Predicting and Monitoring: Students will predict the daily weather and keep track of weather patterns in a weather log. Playing with Language: Students will use language creatively through stories, poems, and journals. Revising: Students will make changes to written activities. Visualizing: Students will draw pictures in their minds.

Language Arts Skills Print: Students will recognize words on the Weather Word Wall. Comprehension: Students will recognize literary genres of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Students will compare and contrast likes and dislikes of winter, and snowstorms from around the United States. Language: Students will apply various skills in their writing activities: stories, poems, song lyrics, weather forecast. Reference: Students will make venn diagrams, graphs, read newspaper articles.

Grouping Patterns Large Group: grand conversations, field trips, pioneer day, outdoor snow activities of sledding, building snow forts and snowpersons, jingle bell basketball and paper snowball throwing, simon says and jack frost games, singing songs, viewing videos, word wall, readers theatre, weatherman visit and daily weather forecast. Small Group: Peer conferencing, snow experiments, small group discussions, creation of storm sounds, winter gear relay, sensory corner, writing weather reports, identification of parts of the world that receive snow, comparing how pioneers survived winters, mounting and titling snow photographs. Individual: Writing stories, poems, letters, journal entries, making winter decorations and snowflakes.

Assessments Journal entries Participation in grand conversations Analytical Writing Traits for stories and poems Informal observation of authors chair, readers theatre, small group science experiments Math graphs and Social studies maps Spelling test with words from the Weather Word Wall Active participation in physical education and music performances. Portfolio of art work: snowflakes, poetry presentation, winter decorations, and photography.