Snowflakes

I feel it is important to give our class purpose for reading and infuse it with fun. Poetry and music is perfect for this.  I like to find poems that are set to simple songs they already know.  It makes the reading simple for the strugglers and tends to level the playing field.  The class knows who the readers are...

Here is a great poem that can be sung to the melody of "Grey Squirrel." My class has gone crazy for this song/poem and they sing it all (ALL) the time!  I heard them singing it today as they were signin in!  (Actually I love that.)  

I introduce the poem one day and then sing it for the class.  We follow along and read the words.  It is fun to identify the sight words they already know.  At the end of the week, we illustrate it and add it to our poetry journals.

Snowflakes, Snowflakes

Snowflakes, snowflakes, falling on the ground.

Snowflakes, snowflakes, falling on the ground.

I am bundled to my chin.

See my footprints where I've been.

Snowflakes, snowflakes, falling on the ground.

Click here for a free document.

I print this on a paper as close to the bottom of the page as possible.

We draw a picture above the poem that connects to the text.  It was amazing how little they understood what it meant to be bundled to their chins.  A few days later, a boys wore a scarf and asked me to help him wrap it around his neck.  When we were done, he proudly announced to his friends,  "Look, I am bundled to my chin!"  They all loved it.

A great book to illustrate the footprints is "Snow Lion."

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