Subject Area: Language Arts and Math

Summary

Children will love the rhyming and predictable text that describes the winter antics of one small town where everyone with snow in their pants does a special snowball dance. The book includes a note to parents that stresses the importance of rhyme and repetition as a foundation for reading success.

Children will engage in a variety of activities to develop phonemic awareness skills, reading, and math skills.

Before Reading

Show the children the book The Biggest Snowball Fight. Invite them to predict what they think might happen in the story. Engage them in a discussion about snowball safety.

Teaching Plan

Activities

Choral Reading Activities

1. Reread the book to the children several times so that they have an opportunity to hear and learn the rhymes and repetitive phrases in the story. As they become more familiar with the text, encourage them to chime in at various points during the story.
2. Invite the class to dramatize the story. Different students can play the various character roles depicted in the story. Encourage each child to think of his or her own "snow ball dance." Allow each child an opportunity to participate. Some may prefer narrating the story.
3. Children's real names can also be substituted for story characters. Perhaps the mayor can become the teacher or school principal. Encourage the class to have fun with this very silly and enjoyable story.

Rhyming Word Search

Materials

• Sentence strip paper or oak tag paper
• Markers
• Plastic zip lock bag or envelope

Activity

1. Write the following words on individual strips of sentence paper or oak-tag paper: tock, clock, down, town, day, play, around, ground, jiggling, giggling, there, everywhere, fight, right, pants, dance. Place the words in a plastic resealable bag or envelope.
2. Invite two or three children to participate in the word-search activity at a time. Give them the book and the word cards. Tell them that they will first find the cards that rhyme and put them in sets.
3. Place the sets on the table or floor area so that the children can see each rhyming word set. Reread the story with the class. Assist them in finding the words throughout the story that match their rhyming word sets.
4. Encourage them to do the activity without the assistance of a teacher. Place the word cards in the book for future use.

The Biggest Snowball Fight Math Question

Materials

• Instructional clock
• Chart paper
• Marker

Activity

Write the following questions on a sheet of chart paper to recall events in the story and solve the math questions:

• What started the biggest snowball fight?
• What time of the day did this happen?
• Who was called to stop the snowball fight?
• How did the snow get dumped on the mayor?
• What time did this happen?
• How many total hours were the children having their snowball fight until the mayor came?
• What time do you think the snowball fight ended?
• Using the times that the children thought the snowball fight ended, find out how many hours, from start to finish, the snowball fight lasted.

Leave space between each question to record the children's answers.

Other Silly Snow Books

The Biggest Snowball Ever!
By John Rogan
Read about what happens when a snowball suddenly turns into the biggest snowball ever and takes everyone with it as it rolls along!

Ice Cream Bear
By Jez Alborough
Bear loves ice cream so much that he believes the snow has turned to ice cream. Has it?

The Jacket I Wear in the Snow
By Shirley Neitzel
Children will adore this silly rhyming rebus about a little girl who bundles up for a winter day.

Other Books by Angela Shelf Medearis

Too Much Talk
Seeds Grow (My First Hello Reader)
The 100^th Day of School (Hello Reader, Level 2)

Teaching plan written by Risa Young.