In winter, it snows
where my cousin is from.
I’ve never seen snow
so I asked her for some.
I’m wondering now . . .
did my cousin forget?
The box that she mailed me was empty.
And wet.
Art by Ekaterina Anfilova
Snow Mail
Read this fun poem about what happens when snow goes in the mail.
By Kenn Nesbitt
From the February 2023 Issue
Guided Reading Level: I
DRA Level: 16
Featured Skill:
Rhythm and Meaning,
Topic:
English Language Arts,
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
The big question of this issue of Storyworks 2 is, What happens in cold places? The articles below connect to this theme.
- Background Builder: “A Frozen Land,” p. 4
- Big Read: “Escape from the Ice,” p. 6
- Word Play: “3 Ways to Say Cold,” p. 12
- Past to Present: “The History of Ice,” p. 23
- Fiction: “The Snow Day,” p. 24
- Poetry: “Snow Mail,” p. 32
Through the above texts, students will dig deep into this essential question and make text-to-text connections.
1. BEFORE READING
Show “The Big Question” Video (10 minutes)
- Watch “The Big Question: What Happens in Cold Places?” (This video also goes with other stories in this month’s Storyworks 2.)
- After watching, tell students they are going to read a silly poem about snow.
2. READ THE POEM (10-15 MINUTES)
- You can read the poem to the class first to model fluency and get kids familiar with the language. You can also click the Read Aloud button at the top of the digital issue to hear it read aloud by a professional voice actor.
- Then call on volunteers to read sections of the poem aloud.
3. AFTER READING
Discuss the Poem (10-15 minutes)
- Ask: “What happened to the snow that the narrator’s cousin sent?"
ELA Focus: Writing (15 minutes)
- Using the "Was Anything in the Box?” printable, have students write about what they think happened in the poem.
Enrich the Learning: Paired Text Opportunities (time amount varies)
- Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. We layer Storyworks 2 with many ways for your students to make connections.
Pairable Texts the Background Builder, “A Frozen Land” (page 4); the Big Read, “Escape from the Ice” (page 6); the Word Play, “3 Ways to Say Cold” (page 12); the Past to Present, “The History of Ice” (page 22); the Fiction, “The Snow Day” (page 24).
- These texts ask questions similar to those posed in the poem.
- Kids can compare the texts by using our “Chilly Chart” printable. How are the texts alike, and how are they different?
Whole Issue Scavenger Hunt (15 minutes)
- We created a scavenger hunt for several stories in this month’s Storyworks 2, including this piece. The scavenger hunt can be done by students independently at home or during class time.
- This is a self-contained group of slides that guide your students on a scavenger hunt through the whole issue. It’s not only fun, it also helps them make text-to-text connections.
Text-to-Speech