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.

This post contains affiliate links. This means when you click and purchase, I make a small amount of money at no cost to you.

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Fact vs. Opinion with Penguin Problems

We all have plenty of problems in the world. It seems that even simple things can make things difficult for us. But what about penguins? They have problems too, and the book Penguin Problems by Jory John and Lane Smith will show students much about penguins while getting a little laugh too. I have joined with my friends from the The Reading Crew to share some of our favorite winter mentor texts with you.  {Affiliate links provided to fund future book purchases.} Read more to get your lesson, freebie, and enter the giveaway (look for my mystery word in blue in the post).

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Book Talk Thursday ~ The Hat

I love using picture books to help my students with comprehension skills.  Today's Book Talk Thursday does just that!

I love using Jan Brett books to help my students with predictions.  Sometimes they just can't see the big picture.  Yesterday I was working with a student who had to write the next chapter in the book.  There was no next chapter, but he had to write a prediction.  He could not wrap his head around it and wanted to read the next chapter, so he knew what to write.  It took a lot of work, but we finally got there, and he was able to write the "next chapter".

The book The Hat is perfect for helping students make predictions.

In the book, Lisa has put her winter wear on the clothesline to get some fresh air.  Her sock flies off in the wind, and a hedgehog gets it stuck on his head. As he goes around, the other animals see it and want a hat too. Kids always laugh as they see the animals in their funny hats.

Even better is the way kids can predict by using the pictures on the pages. If you look on the side of each page, you can see the next animal who will get the next "hat". Students can think about what item the animal will get and how they will act with it.

Making predictions can be tricky, but this predictions chart is perfect for helping students think about those predictions before, during, and after reading  a book.  You can grab it by clicking below.

It is also in my Predictions Task Cards set, which you can purchase by the link below.

But, if you love task cards, you can also purchase a bundle of all of my task cards from Educents through February 15 for half off the regular price. That is $6 for all of my task card sets worth $12!  Click {here} or on the link below to purchase it.

If you haven't been to Classroom Tested Resources yet to see what literacy skills picture books can help with teaching your students, you need stop by.

And don't forget to link up again this week!  Here's the button you can include in your post!

    An InLinkz Link-up

**Affiliate links are supplied in this post to help fund this blog.**
   

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Reading in Winter Wonderland ~ White Snow, Bright Snow

Affiliate links are present throughout this post. This means that when you click and make a purchase on a  link, I get a small amount of money at no additional cost to you. See my full disclosure for more details.

I was intrigued by the old look of White Snow, Bright Snow, which caused me to take a look at the book.  I especially love that it is a Caldecott winner.  It reminds me of  how much we all enjoy the snow and then long for spring when we have grown weary of the cold weather.  It is a book I will definitely enjoy year after year as I use it in my classroom. 

I love how the book uses a very poetic feel to tell the story of a small town on a snowy day. It really captures the nature of how snow falling feels and what it is like after the snow has fallen. A beautiful and timeless story for everyone!

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Book Talk Thursday ~ Penguins

This is a big post, chock full of fun!  Not only is it Book Talk Thursday with a linky, but I am linking up with my friend Carla from Comprehension Connection for Thematic Thursday.

This week Thematic Thursday with Carla is all about penguins.  I love penguins, so I was excited when she said this was the theme for this week.  Though I am going to share some books in this part of the post, I am going to focus on one of the books for my Book Talk Thursday post.

Link to my Playful Penguins Unit

For the actual post, I am going to focus on a perfect book for the younger crowd ~ preschool and kindergarten: Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice.

Have you ever sung the song or read the book Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed?  Most of us have at some point, so this book is so much fun for the little ones this time of year.  As a matter of fact, my three (almost 4) year old came home repeating the book and reminded me of the fun.  And older students will also enjoy it as they remember the fun songs they sang during kindergarten.  And I love the fun pictures in the book!

Kids will enjoy practicing counting backwards and subtraction with this fun book!  I can't resist it either!

Remember that the month of January is a linky for Book Talk Thursday, so link up your post about a fun book and idea!

This week I am also giving away a copy of my Playful Penguins Unit on Carla's blog!  Head on over and enter to win two different prize packs chock full of fun!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Winter Wonders Blog Hop with Adventures in Literacy Land

A year ago today, I joined an awesome group of bloggers who have a passion for literacy as I do to bring you many posts about all things literacy.  Each post has been full of tips and tools to help you with effective literacy instruction.

In honor of our first year together, we are hosting the Winter Wonders Blog Hop and Blogiversary Celebration.  Join us as we share a strategy or tip to help with your reading instruction and grab some freebies along the way.  When you reach Adventures in Literacy Land, enter for a chance to win one of 4 Barnes and Noble gift cards!

If you have been a reader of my blog for any time, you know that I enjoy a good snow!  I grew up in Louisiana and never enjoyed the thrill of sledding down hills or having a snowball fight as a child.  First of all, there are no hills.  Second of all, there was never enough snow!  I didn't even own a winter coat until I moved to Virginia in 8th grade.

So, as a child, I always wondered what playing in snow felt like.  I always wanted to have a snowball fight with my friends.  Now, I am the one adult who actually goes out with the kids and plays in the snow, enjoying every moment of the sledding down the big hill or hitting my own child with a snowball.

Many of the students I work with struggle with reading and spelling words, especially with the CVCe pattern.  Using games to help reinforce this skill is always helpful.  I created a fun and easy game for them to play and have their own "snowball fight" without the snow.  My students enjoy playing this game and can't wait until I take it out to play each year.

This is just the long and short a version of this game, a sample of my entire CVCe game bundle.  Click {here}or on the picture below to grab your freebie!

If you and your students enjoy this game, you can purchase the entire set of games {here}.

**My sampler is free, but some other products in the hop may have only been free for a limited time. **

Head on over to Jenny's blog, Luckeyfrog's Lilypad, to find out her winter wonder and grab a freebie too!

And when you are finished, head over to Adventures in Literacy Land to enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win one of 4 Barnes and Noble gift cards.

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TPT Winter Holiday eBooks are here!

The big Teachers Pay Teachers sale is over!  I hope everyone enjoyed the fun of purchasing super fun products!  I know that I ended up spending way more than I imagined!

But now that the sale is over, you can grab the big Winter Holiday eBooks.  They are full of great ideas for your classroom and lots of great freebies for every grade level!

Click below on any of the covers below to grab your eBooks!

The PK-K eBook

Grades 1-2

Grades 3-5

Grades 6-12 ELA/Social Studies

Grades 6-12 Math/Science

I hope you enjoy the Winter Holiday eBooks!

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Book Talk Thursday ~ Good Winter Reads Linky

I went out shopping this morning, returning gifts and other items with the kids!  And it really wasn't too bad!  I waited in super short lines and didn't spend a whole lot of money.  I loved it!  But, I am not done!  My husband is leaving work early, so he can accompany us the rest of the day.  I have mixed feelings on this.

Anyway, the whole point of that story is that I had NO clue what I was going to do for Book Talk Thursday today.

But while my son was looking over the very picked over Legoes in Target, I spotted the perfect book!  When I saw Steven Kellogg's drawings, I was drawn right to it, the book Snowflakes Fall by Patricia MacLachla and illustrated by Steven Kellogg.

I read the book right there to my daughter while waiting in Target, and she wanted to take it home.  BUT, it was way too expensive to take home.  I wanted to see if I could get it cheaper.

Anyway, onto my book review!  What drew me to this book was the picture on the cover.  It reminds me so much of my own children playing in the snow.  Since I grew up in Louisiana, I have no good memories of making snow angels or sledding in the snow.  But living in the mountains of Virginia, that is all we do when it snows ~ for hours!

When I opened it up and began to read the book, I was moved by the beautiful words used to describe the snow and the playful ways of the children.  MacLachlan begins with the end of fall and the beginning of winter snow.   She reminds us that just as  no two snowflakes are identical, so are people.  And though darkness of night comes, the morning light always comes.  She takes us from winter to spring and summer with memories of playing in the snow always there.

When I got home and looked it up, I was surprised to see that it is a tribute to the children of Newton, Connecticut.  What a great way to remember the circle of life and that even through hard times, the beauty of snow helps to heal! 

I created a simple writing paper you can use for students to write about their experiences in the snow.  And for those who don't have snow, your students could write about what they would want to do in the snow.  Click {here} or on the picture below to grab your own copy!

Link up some a blog post with a review of a fun winter book!  The link up is open for a week and will end on New Year's Day!  I can't wait to find some new winter books!

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