A lighthouse frosted over with ice
Mini Read,

Frozen in Ice

This isn’t a snow sculpture. It’s a lighthouse. So why is it covered in ice?

By Blair Rainsford
From the December 2021 / January 2022 Issue
Lexile: 390L
Guided Reading Level: K
DRA Level: 16-18
Featured Skill: Key Details,
Topic: Science,
Common Core Standards
  • RI.2.1 Key details RI.2.4 Vocabulary RI.2.5 Nonfiction text features RI.2.10 Read grade-2-appropriate informational text SL.2 Participate in conversations about grade 2 texts

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For most of the year, this lighthouse is black and white. But in the winter, it turns all white!

Splashing Water 

This lighthouse sits on the shore of Lake Michigan. All year, the wind blows water from the lake onto the lighthouse. Waves crash against it too. When the weather is warm, all that water drips back down into the lake.

Water to Ice

In the winter, the air is cold. The lighthouse is very cold too! The wind still blows the water, and waves still crash. But now it freezes on the cold lighthouse.

The lighthouse in warm weather

Layers of Ice

Slowly, many layers of ice build up on the lighthouse. Some of the ice melts. The water drips down and freezes again. That makes icicles.

The lighthouse won’t be all white forever. When the weather gets warm, the ice melts. The lighthouse becomes black and white again.

Slideshows (1)
Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Slideshows (1)
Activities (3) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities

More About the Article

Science Focus

Winter weather; states of matter

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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1. BEFORE READING

Preview Vocabulary (2 minutes)

  • This article’s featured words are layers and icicles.

Preview the Nonfiction Text Features/Visuals (5-10 minutes)

  • Take a look at the nonfiction text features. First, focus on the big photo. Ask kids to share what they notice about the lighthouse. (It is covered in ice.)
  • Can students find the caption on the inset photo of the same lighthouse on page 3? A caption is a word or group of words that give information about a picture. What does the caption say? (the lighthouse in warm weather)

Introduce Nosey (3 minutes)

  • Point out our dog character, Nosey, on page 2. Ask someone to read her voice bubble.
  • Explain that Nosey pops up throughout Storyworks 2. Not only does she have a long nose to sniff out facts, but she’s also nosy! She’s curious and wants to know about everything. 

2. READ THE ARTICLE (10 minutes)

  • You can read this short article aloud together as a class, in small groups, or individually.

3. AFTER READING

ELA Focus: Quiz (10 minutes)

ELA Focus: Key Details (20 minutes)

  • It’s time to help Nosey fill out her Fact File! Print out Nosey’s Fact File from the Resources section of our website. Kids can find facts from the article.
  • Each fact box is scaffolded to help kids know what to write.
  • Kids can share their facts with a partner, the other students at their tables, or the whole class, or they can email their Fact Files to Nosey at [email protected]!

Text-to-Speech