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Verbs
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Coo
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licks
jumps
Journal Prompts
eats
• On New Year’s Day, many people think about the past
year. Write about your favorite memory of the year.
runs
• Write about the things you want to learn in the
upcoming year.
• What are the best things about winter? Why?
• Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed that all people would be
treated fairly. How do you treat others fairly?
the
until ol!
ho
t peek
Do noweek of sc
last
Marcus
Snow
Use wi
flake
th the
Patter
ideas
n
at the
botto
m of
page
4.
It snowed for three
days. I made a
snowman. It lasted
for 21 days!
• Would you rather live where it snows every day or
where it is sunny every day? Why?
K. L.
• A magic snowflake lands on your shoulder and
whispers in your ear. What does it say?
there
One daya big
was
There
torm.
snows no school.
was
W
ers to
st grad ort! Each ee
on fir
eff
Count this group to attach thr
ble
d and
with
stick
dresse
y resem the
of fun uses a glue
I got outdoors.
and
er so the
ends
went
student cles togeth his initials cle.
my fri
Then e over.
cir
writes the top cir ls with
white
cam
He
l.
on
pa
pa
a snow g of a story trades snow on the
nin
he
iting
begin ur signal,
a
the wr nues the
made
We
At yo . He reads
nti
fort.
des
ate
snow s an
and co
he tra
a classml he receives cle. Then
It wa day!
me
cir
ate. He
aweso
snowpa the second ent classm
circles
fer
on
story ls with a dif the first two a story
s
pa
, write
snow
iting on
the wr l he receives , and then
reads
his
snowpa bottom circle ner. After
of the
ds
ow
on the
he rea
l to its
ending the snowpa ned to him, afts
ur
nd-cr
returns pal is ret
arts-a e to the
ow
es
sn
us
a fac
own
en he
ry. Th d a hat and
sto
its
ad
l.
ials to his snowpa
mater
side of
blank
• Pretend you are a snowflake. Write about why you like
being different from all the other snowflakes.
ls
Snowpa
Snazzy
writing
Descriptive
scissors
Use one or more of the following ideas and
Materials:
per student)
crayons
r circles (3
white pape
glue
the snowflake pattern on page 6 to create a
paper scraps
blizzard of writing interest!
r
writing pape
ther to
toge
es
paper circl
. Next, each child
a face
s
•
three white
Have
pretend she is a snowflake and write
s
draw
glue
and then
A child
ssories
of a snowpal
s and acce on a copy of the snowflake pattern about the neatest
make the body scraps to make two arm mittens. After she
r
place
writesshe has landed. After she colors and cuts out the
she cuts pape scarf, buttons, and two
a
snowpal, she
pattern, have her use glitter glue to add decorations.
such as a hat, and accessories to the
s
When the snowflakes are dry, hole-punch the top of
ribe it.
glues the arm
ences to desc
each one and thread a yarn hanger through the hole.
detailed sent
It’s
n hat.
has a gree
My snowpal a pom-pom on
has
round and long purple scarf.
a
top. He has
ons too.
e blue butt
He has thre really cute!
is
My snowpal
up
atch
Use
en M words
dents.
MittUsing describinfogr every two stumittens andrda per
bear
cold
barks
x 18"
several 6"
stripes on
draw colorful the papers resemble
p activity,
so
. To begin,
for this grou fringe-cut the ends
To prepare
of a sentence studentand
r, as shown,
e the subject
nding
strips of pape top of each scarf, writ ents. Write correspo
Next,
ves.
the
scar
stud
g
At
to
remainin
scarves.
the subject
group
inue with the
f and read
Give each
post a scar
it. Then cont
are scarves. their assigned
verbs below
ps as there
generated
many grou
sentences with f.
ents into as
ents write
its scar
divide stud
r. Have stud
writing with
chart pape
each group’s
a scarf and
Then post
s.
verb
subject and
e Capsule
Will youngs Opinion writing
ters remem
comes aro
ber winter
und
activity! Lea ? They will with this when summer
d student
time capsule
s in a disc
weather,
holi
uss
have each days, and events dur ion about
child write
ing winter.
about the
this winter
Then
thin
me
papers, roll morable. Stack the gs that made
completed
them up,
and slide
cardboard
them into
tub
a
until the last e that you’ve labe
led “Do not
week of sch
peek
to remind
ool!” Mark
students to
your calenda
ope
their writings
r
, and com n the capsule, read
season.
pare the pas
t and presen
t
sleeps
Tip:
When I was a sno
wflake,
I landed on a do
g’s nose.
I think I tickled him
.
Then hang the snowflakes from the ceiling to decorate
the room with your students’ writing.
up,
• ch
Use the snowflake pattern for journal writing. Copy one
To follow ls. Read ea
have
owpa
the sn
ud an d of the last two journal prompts from the list above onto
display scription alo match!
a copy of the snowflake pattern and add writing lines if
e
de
child’s
fin d th
nts
desired; then make a class supply.
stu de
touts s on half the ng one wo
tten cu
iti
rd
ir of mi scribing wo er half, wr
one pa
de
the oth
Make er to write
uns on low.
rk
and
ite no
mitten
a red ma rker to wr an option be
-word a sheet
ma
ribing
black Then choose
a desc the words on un. She
es
n.
no
nt tak
mitte
with
rd and
x
A stude a sentence
wo
:
©The Mailbo
er
ing
ng cent
describ
writes
Learni tten. She derlines the
dent.
mi
.
each stu
a noun and then un ent mittens
per to
.
r
t of pa play music th a
of pape es with differ
a shee
u
wi
d
yo
an
nu
ter
as
n
tten
conti
om
ungs
Snowpal Pattern ” on page 8.
ve a mi und the ro ve each yo a noun mitte
ite
ity: Gi
th
Use with “It’s Cold Outside!
sic. Ha
walk aro
e to wr
ate wi
p activ
Grou ve students , stop the mu d a classm ing twosom Resume
fin
s.
ha
Then few moments n quickly in each result nated word
a
sig
nts
mitte
After
-word k the stude with their de
ing
2
rib
e
As
rds
r.
nc
desc
a sente
with he
.
Picture Ca
and sit own papers the activity
page 5.
e
ir
iting” on
on the
continu
“Rebus Wr
sic to
Use with
the mu
• Program a copy of the snowflake pattern with the
numbers 1 through 3; then make a copy for each child.
Have youngsters3write three facts about winter.
Rebus Wr
itin
g
Explanato
Writing abo
ry
ut building writing
fun when
a snowm
you
students tha ngsters use picture an is lots of
car
t
of some wor a story that uses pict ds! Remind
ds is called
ure
child colo
a rebus. The s in place
r and cut
n have eac
out a cop
on page 7.
h
y of the
Hel
help her writ p each child organiz picture cards
e the step
When she
s for creatin e her cards to
wants to use
g a snowm
a picture
an.
a word tha
card, hav
t matches
e her glue
paper in plac
the
car
e
d
of the wor
writing, invi
d. After she to her
te
classmate. her to share her dire ’s finished
ctions with
a
©The Mailbo
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5
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©The
How to
Jill
Build a
1. Roll
three
balls o
2. Sta
f
ck the
.
balls.
3. Add
and a
4. Pus
.
h in a
for a n
and
ose
for ey
es and
mouth
a
.
©The Mailbox
Ice Skate Pattern 4
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Use with “Skating Into Descriptive
Writing” on page 8.
Skatin
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Mailbo
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Good
Said
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super ful
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tive W
riting
Mad
glad
excited
overjo
ye
conten d
t
pleased
joyful
delight
ed
Nice
angry
furious
kind
polite
Enco
(pattern urage student
s
strip of on page 9) ea to use descr
iptive lan
ch with
white bu
overus
ed word lletin board a different ov guage with
this sim
. List stu
paper.
erused
ple disp
Th
wo
dents’
lay. Prog
suggest en have stude rd, such as
sai
ions on
ra
nt
each co s brainstorm d. Post each m several ice
skate on
rrespon
skate cu
wo
ding pa rds that ca
a
n be su board abov touts
per str
e
bstitut
ip.
ed for a
each
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Happy
announ
ce
stated d
excla
im
whisp ed
ered
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Descrip
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Wha
Then ened?
p
Hapriting storieshave loads
Idea
g
n
i
t
y of
VarietActi
on words
January Tim
Goldilocks
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Invit
record- e students to
res
set
your are ting cold tem earch
those tema. Have child peratures in
ren com
average peratures to
pa
month
current re
ask each
ly tem
and
pe
tempera child to write ratures. Then
of a sn ture differen about these
ces on
owpal
a
(p
Have ea
co
att
ch child ern on page py
snowpa
10).
color
l
compl when he is fin and cut out hi
eted sn
owpals ished. Post s
th
on a wi
nter sce e
ne.
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It’s C
old O
utsid
e
!
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10
9
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