Are we talking Winter?! Yep! I'm here to provide inspiration and resources to help you add sparkle to your Winter classroom!
The Missing Mitten Mystery is a fun story by Steven Kellogg. Annie and her dog, Oscar, have had a delightful day playing in the snow – but she soon discovers that she has lost one of her red mittens – her fifth lost mitten this year!
As she retraces her steps in search of the missing mitten, we get a glimpse into her lively imagination!
How to Use it in Your Classroom
You and your students will love this delightful story.
It is a perfect launch into many engaging cross-curricular activities:
LANGUAGE ARTS ACTIVITIES:
COMPREHENSION: Summarize
You can use this story to develop students' comprehension skills of summarizing by identifying the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
This flipbook is a fun way to record their thoughts.
Annie finds her mitten at the end of the story in a very surprising place – it has become the heart of her snowman!
WRITING: Narrative
Annie takes us on a delightful adventure during the middle of the story. She retraces her steps and reflects on what might have happened to that missing red mitten.
Use this middle section of the flipbook to spark a discussion with your students and brainstorm ideas of what might have happened to their mittens if they had lost them.
Then model using the pre-write graphic organizer to write a personal narrative.
The Book Companion has graphic organizers for you to lead your students through the writing process:
- Pre-Write
- Rough Draft
- Publishing Paper
The publishing papers came from my January Monthly Paragraph Writing Resources, packed with resources to meet your January's writing needs.
Just click on the picture to see more of that packet.
Making Words
- morning work
- literacy centers
- partner activity
- homework
- whole-class activity
MATH ACTIVITIES
Data Analysis with Snowman Glyphs
This story provides a doorway into many fun and engaging winter activities! Your students' enthusiasm for the winter theme can be used to carry them right into your math block.
It is always easier to ride the wave of what students are currently excited about (versus trying to hook them to try a different activity).
Click here or on the picture to see more.
Addition Strategy Game
Now that you've been inspired by these ideas and resources to add sparkle to your winter classroom, get your free Book Companion below.
So what are you waiting for? Get downloading and get planning so that you can have a wonderful winter with your students!
My name is Peggy Means. I am a child of God and a retired elementary teacher. I loved teaching and creating engaging resources for my students. Now, I love sharing my resources and ideas with busy teachers around the world.
