3

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Winter

Oh, the weather

outside is fr

ightful!

Grab a book!

It’s so deligh

tful!

The more we read

, the more we know

.

Let it snow! Let it

snow! Let it snow!

Welcome winter with a blizzard of books! Post on a board a larg

e snowman and the poem shown.

Each time a child finishes reading a book, have him write its title and author on a copy of a snowflake

pattern from page 4. Then instruct him to cut out the shape and post it on the display. Challenge

readers to cover the board with snowflakes before spring arrives!

Let It Snow!

The Giver

Lois Lowry

4

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Snowflake Patterns

Use with “Let It Snow!” on page 3.

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1–23 points: Welcome to the Bantam League. 24–47 points: You’re a Minor Leaguer. 48–71 points: You’ve made it to the Majors! 72–96 points: Congratulations; you are a Pro!

Directions: 1. Stack the cards facedown. 2. Draw a card. Read the sentence. List words that have root words related to

the boldfaced word. Then tell what you think the boldfaced word means. 3. Check the key. For every word you listed that is on the key, score one

point. If your definition is correct, score two points. 4. After drawing all the cards, add up your points.

Use the table to rate the level of your play.

Analyzing complex wordsFace Off!

5

2

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Name

Types of s

now

1. What three snow descriptions were used in the

early 1900s? ___________________________

______________________________________

2. Which of the three descriptions is still used

today? ________________________________

______________________________________

3. What type of snow looks like sleet? _________

______________________________________

4. What is the difference between powder and

crust? ________________________________

______________________________________

5. How are powder and dust on crust alike?

______________________________________

______________________________________

6. Do you think it would be easy to ski on mashed

potatoes? Explain. _______________

______________________________________

______________________________________

7. How do you think skiers came up with these

terms? ________________________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

8. Besides skiers and snowboarders, who else

might use these terms for snow? ____________

______________________________________

Snow comes in many forms, and skiers and

snowboarders have many names for it. Since

the early 1900s, skiers have created their own

vocabulary for snow. Long ago, fluffy snow,

powder snow, and sticky snow just about covered

it. But since then, much more descriptive words

are heard on the slopes. These terms include

crud, corn, and mashed potatoes. Read the skier’s

dictionary to learn more about these types of snow

as well as a few others.

The Skier’s Dictionary

corn: hard

pellets

of snow that h

ave refroz

en

crud: s

now that has b

een skied over b

ut is

still so

ft and chunky

crust:

hard, packed snow that’s

frozen

dust on cru

st: a sm

all amount of

powder

snow on top of

crust

grapple:

snow that look

s like sl

eet but is

rounder and thicker

mashed p

otatoes:

melting sn

ow

powder:

fresh snow that i

s loose

and dry

sierra c

ement: wet, h

eavy snow

Use the passage and the dictionary above to answer

each question.

It’s “Sn

ow” Big Deal!

Crud, corn, and mashed potatoes

are all types of snow.

6

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Sentence CardsUse with “Face Off!” on page 5. Mount this page and page 5 on sturdy paper. If desired, laminate the pages before

cutting out the cards and answer key.

©T

he

Mai

lbo

x®

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1 The thermostat must be set too low; it’s really cold in here!

2 How am I supposed to get traction on ice?

3 The horn’s abrupt blast made me lose my balance!

4 Someone should have forewarned me about the cold.

5 Is this a tripartite game? 6 If that puck hits me in the face, it could cause monocular pain.

7 I’m not afraid of the puck, though; it’s an inanimate object.

8 This game is going to be a spectacle!

9 I’ll contradict anyone who says field hockey and ice hockey are the same.

1 0 Will I get warm in the foreseeable future?

1 1 After sliding around on all this frozen water, I may become aquaphobic.

1 2 Isn’t there an asterisk on the program to tell when this game will end?

1 3 I wish someone would intervene in this game!

1 4 The cacophony of the crowd makes it hard to think.

1 5 Is one quadrant of the floor less slippery than the rest?

1 6 This must be a conspiracy to make us look silly.

Answ

er K

ey f

or “

Face O

ff!”

1.

hy

poth

erm

ia, t

herm

al, t

herm

omet

er, t

herm

os

devi

ce th

at c

ontr

ols

the

tem

pera

ture

2

. at

trac

t, at

trac

tion,

con

trac

t, tr

ack

abili

ty to

grip

a s

urfa

ce 3

. di

srup

t, er

upt,

inte

rrup

t, ru

ptur

e

sudd

en 4.

befo

re, f

orec

ast,

forw

ard,

war

n

give

n ea

rly w

arni

ng 5

. pa

rt, t

riang

le, t

rio, t

riple

havi

ng th

ree

part

s 6

. bi

nocu

lar,

mon

ocle

, ocu

lar,

one

affe

ctin

g ju

st o

ne e

ye

7.

anim

al, a

nim

ated

, ani

mat

ion,

inac

tive

not l

ivin

g 8

. ex

pect

, obs

tacl

e, s

pect

acul

ar, s

pect

ator

som

ethi

ng e

nter

tain

ing

to w

atch

9.

cont

rary

, con

tras

t, di

ctat

e, p

redi

ct

argu

e th

e op

posi

te 10

. ab

le, b

efor

e, fo

reca

st, s

ee

know

n in

adv

ance

11.

aq

uariu

m, a

quat

ic, c

laus

trop

hobi

a, p

hobi

a

afra

id o

f wat

er 12

. as

tero

id, a

stro

logy

, ast

rono

my,

sta

r

star

sym

bol u

sed

to s

how

ext

ra in

form

atio

n

13.

conv

ene,

inte

rfer

e, in

terje

ct, i

nter

rupt

to c

hang

e th

e w

ay s

omet

hing

hap

pens

14.

meg

apho

ne, p

hone

, pho

nics

, sym

phon

y

hars

h, u

nple

asan

t sou

nds

15.

quad

rilat

eral

, qua

drup

le, q

uadr

uple

t, qu

arte

r

one

of th

e fo

ur q

uart

ers

16.

cons

pire

, exp

ire, i

nspi

re, s

pirit

plot

8

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Name

Similes and metaphors

Snow School

Before reading the story, write a word in each blank. Then read the story you created. Underline

each simile once and each metaphor twice.

One morning as I walked to school, I noticed something like

a(n) _____________________

object

in a(n) _____________________

place

.

Snow began to fall! It seemed that with every block I passed, the snow

began to fall harder and quicker. It was coming down as fast as

a(n) _____________________

animal

at a track race. When I reached the

playground, it was a(n) _____________________

place

made of snow.

By this time I was a really cold _____________________

animal

and couldn’t

wait to get inside the school building. Like a(n) _____________________

vehicle

,

I ran to the front door. Then I saw the most amazing thing. The entire school,

inside and out, was a snow-covered _____________________

imaginary place

.

The principal was dressed in so many layers of clothing, he was like a(n)

_____________________

animal

. The hallway was a(n) _____________________

name of a ride

filled with kids. Each one had a sled and was taking turns sledding down the hallway. They were

like a bunch of _____________________

animals

at the North Pole.

Suddenly, in a loud booming voice, the principal announced, “Go home! School is closed!” Every

student just continued playing in the hallway. No one wanted to go home! We all stayed at school

for hours. When the sky was a dark _____________________

piece of clothing

, we finally decided to head home.

9

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Channel WSNO

Blizzard Bil lName

Winter

DATE

Using a thesaurus

Use a thesaurus to find a stronger, more precise, or more descriptive synonym to

replace each boldfaced word. Then rewrite the sentences using the new words.

Now, here’s the best news for all the school kids

out there. We are calling for around ten inches of

snow tonight. You guessed it! School is canceled.

Stay safe and warm. This is Blizzard Bill signing off.

It’s time for the WSNO award-winning weather

story. Here’s Blizzard Bill, our top meteorologist.

What’s going on with today’s weird weather, Bill?

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Well, I can tell you one thing, Betty. It’s going to be cold! The

temperature is going to fall tonight. I think the low will be around

five or six degrees. Watch out for blasts of cold winter wind too.

It’s likely that we’ll have 35-mile-an-hour winds tonight.

Bonus: Pretend you are WSNO’s meteorologist. Write a report about today’s weather. Use a thesaurus

to make sure your words are strong, precise, and descriptive.

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Decide whether the words in each pair are synonyms or antonyms. Then circle the letter in the matching column.

Name

Winter

DATE

Synonyms and antonyms

“Snow” Many Words

Synonyms Antony

ms

Synonyms Antony

ms

1. comrade, friend

I

S14. wealthy, affluent

D

S

2. arctic, sweltering

H

A15. calm, placid

E

O

3. wacky, eccentric

R

C16. freezing, warming

B

N

4. glacial, polar

L

P17. wise, prudent

E

W

5. delighted, thankful

H

Z18. puzzled, perplexed

E

K

6. wintry, scalding

T

R19. expensive, free

G

L

7. honest, sincere

E

Y20. fluffy, s

piky

F

T

8. icy, sizzling

L

B21. cheerful, chipper

V

E

9. pardon, forgive

A

O22. proud, humble

P

T

10. slippery, slick

A

I23. gentle, harsh

Y

T

11. harmless, dangerousJ

I24. freeze, soften

C

O

12. sliding, gliding

Y

D25. frosty, chilly

U

N

13. important, trivial

M

W

Bonus: Use the

wintry words to write

a new story about a

snowman that

comes to life.

A news reporter a

sked the sn

owman, “Do you

worry about m

elting?”

To find out what the snowman said, write the circled letters on the matching numbered lines.

“Yikes! ___1

___16

___15

___21

___17

___6

___3

___18

___2

___19

___4

___12

‘___22

___5

___10

___13

___7

___14

’ ___9

___8

___24

___25

___23

___11

___20

!”

13

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Wanted!(Pages 13 and 14)

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Appropriate supporting details

1. Read the poster on your other page.

Notice that some important details are

missing.

2. Cut out the cards below.

3. Select ten cards that provide more

details about the information on the

poster.

4. Use a ̂with the card’s number to mark

on your other page where you will insert

that detail.

5. Rewrite each poster section, adding the

selected details, on another sheet of

paper.

Appropriate supporting detailsName

Description: Pete is a short-legged bird that walks upright. He is tall and weighs more

than 50 pounds. His body is shaped like a bullet. He has an orange beak and pink feet.

He looks like he is wearing a suit. His black and white feathers keep him warm. He

cannot fly, but he is an excellent swimmer. His wings look a lot like flippers. When he

swims, he looks like he is flying. He can swim fast.

Crime: Pete ate all the seafood on display at Buster’s Fish Market.

Last seen: Pete dove into the ocean and then came up for air. He was later spotted

sliding on snow and ice.

Pete Quinn A.K.A. (Also Known as) The Waddler and Tuxedo Guy

$1,000 Reward Being Offered by Buster’s Fish Market

. ,

. ,

Wanted!

slides on his belly over

snow and ice

looks like he is wearing

a black tuxedo because

his front feathers are

white like the bibbed

part of a tuxedo shirt

likes to eat fish, crabs,

shrimps, and squid

has short, thick

feathers that are

waterproof

spends time on ice

and snow

is about four feet tall

weighs about 85

pounds

swims about eight

miles per hour

is funny to look at

swims in the cold

water far south of

the equator near

Antarctica

has been in a movie

leaps out of the water

every minute or so for

air

has a stuffed animal

named after him

spends time in the

water

walks on two legs like

a person

12

3

45

6

78

9

1011

12

1314

15

10©The Mailbox®

Snazzy SnowpalsWriting

T hese easy-to-make snowpals are the perfect inspiration for a cool writing activity! In advance, punch two small holes opposite each other on every bottle. When the projects are complete,

have each student write a snowman story using one of the following prompts:

• There was a tapping at my window. To my surprise, it was the snowman I made yesterday!

• How did that snowman get inside our classroom?• Imagine my shock when the snowman I just made

said…

Mae Purrenhage, St. Ann School, Cadillac, MI

Materials for each student:plastic water bottle (or liquid coffee

creamer bottle) and cap, with label removed

white acrylic paintpaintbrushblack permanent markerorange permanent markerwhiteout

Steps: 1. Paint the bottle white. When it’s dry, draw eyes

and a nose with the markers. Use the whiteout to make two small white dots on the eyes.

2. Tie the fabric strip around the snowman’s neck to make a scarf. Glue the fabric circle around the bottle cap to make a hat.

3. Push the pipe cleaner through the hole on one side of the bottle and out the other to make arms. Bend the ends to create hands.

4. Glue the pom-pom and buttons to the bottle as shown. 5. If desired, stabilize the container by filling it with candies, beans, or rice.

1" x 12" strip of fleece fabric3" circle of fleece fabricpipe cleaner2 to 3 buttonsgluemedium pom-pomsmall wrapped candies, dried beans,

or uncooked rice (optional)

11

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T o p i c s

Write an explanatory essay about cold weather.

Read the word bank. Choose a topic.Be sure to use strong verbs and specific nouns.

The view from the mountaintopThe coldest place I have ever beenMy favorite cold-weather activity

EXPLANATORY Writing

Word Bankscanglarefrigid

Rocky Mountainsimmenseflawlessly

shiverdrafty

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15

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Winter Language ArtsAnswer Keys

Page 2 1. fluffy snow, powder snow, and sticky snow

2. powder snow 3. grapple 4. Powder is loose snow and crust is packed snow.

5. Dust on crust has powder on top of it.

6–8. Answers will vary.

“Yikes! I NEVER REALLY ‘THAWED’ ABOUT IT!”

Bonus: Answers will vary.

1. I 2. A

3. R 4. L 5. H

6. R 7. E 8. B

9. A 10. A 11. I 12. Y

13. W

14. D 15. E

16. N 17. E 18. E 19. L 20. T 21. V 22. T

23. T 24. O 25. U

Page 7

Page 85 similes …like a(n) ___ in a(n) ___…

…as fast as a(n) ___ at a…

Like a(n) ___, I ran… …he was like a(n) ___.

…like a bunch of ___ at…5 metaphors …playground, it was a(n) ___ made of…

…I was a really cold ___ and…

…was a snow-covered ___.

…hallway was a(n) ___ filled…

…sky was a dark ___…

Name

EXPLANATORY Writing

Word choice

Note to the teacher: Use with “Brrrr!” on page 11.

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Complete the organizer below to plan your essay about cold weather.

Use a thesaurus as needed.

Strong

Verbs

scan

shiver

Topic:

Specific

Nouns

glare

Rocky Mountains

Colorful

Adjectives

frigid

immense

drafty

Colorful

Adverbs

flawlessly

12

14©The Mailbox®Note to the teacher: Use with “Wanted!” on page 13.

Appropriate supporting detailsName

Description: Pete is a short-legged bird that walks upright. He is tall and weighs more than 50 pounds. His body is shaped like a bullet. He has an orange beak and pink feet. He looks like he is wearing a suit. His black and white feathers keep him warm. He cannot fly, but he is an excellent swimmer. His wings look a lot like flippers. When he swims, he looks like he is flying. He can swim fast.

Crime: Pete ate all the seafood on display at Buster’s Fish Market.

Last seen: Pete dove into the ocean and then came up for air. He was later spotted sliding on snow and ice.

Pete Quinn A.K.A. (Also Known as) The Waddler and Tuxedo Guy

$1,000 Reward Being Offered by Buster’s Fish Market

. ,

. ,

Wanted!

©The Mailbox®