Teaching Word Choice with The Big Snow

What a week we have had here in Virginia! After several years of very little snow, we finally have had some snow the kids can play in. Describing those snow events helps us all better understand what happens, and the authors of The Big Snow use great word choice in the book to help the readers better understand and picture what happens when a big snow does come to the woods.

Authors use words to help readers create a picture. Use books to help students see how word choice matters.

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The Big Snow

The book The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader is more than a Caldecott winner; it is a beautiful story about the animals out in the wild as they transition from fall to winter. The animals watch as some animals leave and others stay for the winter to come. Once winter arrives, those left behind must find food and shelter. The simple illustrations allow the reader to see the simplicity of the animals' lives.

The Lesson

More than a story, The Big Snow, allows for a great introduction into how authors' word choice can make a difference in the telling of a story. The words and phrases in they story allow the reader to picture more of what is going on when a picture isn't present in the story.

When teaching students about word choice, they need to better understand what the author wants the reader to see. As you can see in the pictures below, students can gain a better understanding of what is happening through words and phrases in the story.

Your Freebie

In the download, you will receive all of the pages you see above, which includes 2 blank pages you can use with any book. I have also included a link to this document in Google Drive with the ability for students to type into each slide.

Click here or on the picture below to download the freebie to go with the book The Big Snow!