January Teaching Resources for Busy Elementary Teachers | Resources with a Winter Theme

All You Need for a Snowman - Book Companion

Book Companion and Spin-Off Lesson 

to use with All You Need for a Snowman, 

by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Barbara Lavallee. 

This book companion provides opportunities for thinking and writing after reading this entertaining picture book. These pages facilitate diversifying instruction. Assign this book companion for an independent reader response or school-at-home.

This book companion is to be used with the book,

All You Need for a Snowman, by Alice Schertle.

36 pages include:

• comprehension questions
• writing prompts
• graphic organizers
• making new words
• recalling story events
• making connections
• sequencing
• handwriting practice
• phonics
• spin off lesson - snow experiment
• ”What is Snow?” reading booklet
• “Snow” read and review
• pages for diversified instruction

This teaching resource provides students with an engaging way to respond to their reading. These reader-response pages offer numerous opportunities to think and write about the text.

*** Spin-Off Lesson*** is an effective way to engage students in a literacy activity. 

A spin-off lesson, a science experiment about snow, is included in this resource. In the story, the children build a giant snowman by working together. The story begins with one snowflake and expands to require eight million more. The children find this amusing, but it is a perfect place to segue into a science lesson about snow, weather, matter, liquid, and gas.

What is snow? And why does it melt? These pages include simple science lessons on snow. Your class can also make a graph. Class discussions on weather and snow follow naturally from reading this book. Students start to see the life lessons in literature when they dig a bit deeper into the text. This “spin-off lesson” is engaging and fun; there are several pages to get you started… ask and answer questions, hypothesize, make predictions, and draw conclusions. See snow melt! And if you are not in a place where there is snow… did you know you could make your own? Enjoying literature in this way teaches young readers to read and write with conviction. This book can also serve as a springboard to going outside and building your own snowman, if the weather permits.

This book companion is to be used with the book,

All You Need for a Snowman, by Alice Schertle.

Teacher Tip: Place this book companion and a copy of All You Need for a Snowman in a bin. Label this bin "For the Substitute Teacher. Your Substitute and your students will be delighted to enjoy this reading and writing activity.

More Resources for January:

My Writing Notebook

  

Start your child's new year with a writing notebook.  Preschoolers learning to write engage in a developmental process in which they explore letters, shapes, and fine motor skills. Through playful activities like tracing, drawing, and experimenting with crayons, markers, or pencils, they begin to form letters and recognize their names. This process builds hand-eye coordination, strengthens finger muscles, and lays the foundation for literacy. Encouragement, patience, and creativity are key as young learners express themselves and develop confidence in writing.

My Writing Notebook

You will have a happy smile when you see the pages your little learner may create.  It's fun, quiet and educational. 

A preschooler learning to write is like watching a tiny artist discover their canvas. With chubby fingers clutching a crayon or pencil, they begin by making scribbles and lines, each mark a proud accomplishment.   Slowly, they notice that those squiggles make letters.  Their name is often their first masterpiece in literacy learning.  Developing fine motor skills, patience, and confidence helps to lay the foundation for a lifelong journey of communication and creativity. 

This writer's notebook can serve as a starting point for their literacy journey and will become a treasure you save for years.  Happy Literacy New Year! 

Or you may like :

Roll and Read | Winter Theme | 

Literacy Station

Roll & Read - Literacy Pages - Winter Theme

Roll, Read, Write, and Color | Winter Theme

Roll the dice and read pictures, words, and sentences. Handwriting practice of winter words, phonics practice, and reading for fluency. Do you need literacy activities with a winter theme for reading groups? 

Roll and Read Pages :

• roll, read, write, and color - winter pictures
• roll and read words
• phonics practice for -at, -ed, -et, -ate, -ice, cr-, -ow, -ar- words
• roll and read simple sentences - winter theme

These pages would be perfect for a literacy station or teaching reading and fluency 

in small reading groups. Pictures and words are a winter theme. There are 16 total pages.

Transform Reading Time into Magic Moments! 

Are you ready to empower young learners to read, explore, and succeed with literacy pages with a winter theme? Dive into Roll & Read Winter Theme Pages for primary grades – the perfect balance of learning and fun!

Engaging – Filled with activities, illustrations, and a winter theme to motivate students.

Skill-Building – Develops foundational reading skills of phonics, sight words, comprehension, and fluency.

Flexible – Perfect for whole-class instruction, small groups, or independent practice.

Aligned with Standards – meets curriculum goals while making learning meaningful.

Roll & Read resource can be your go-to solution for fostering confident readers, whether teaching letters and sounds, helping students decode tricky words, or guiding them through their first stories.

             Click the link to grab your

Roll & Read Literacy Pages now – because every child deserves to feel the joy of reading!

 Make learning to read an activity that your students choose every day! 

Roll & Read | Winter Theme

Roll & Read is a fun, interactive activity that helps primary-grade students build reading fluency and confidence. Students roll a die, match the number to a row of words, phrases, or sentences, and read the corresponding items aloud. This engaging game turns practice into play, reinforcing key reading skills such as sight-word recognition and decoding in an engaging way.

Writing letters is essential for developing strong foundational skills in primary grades. It helps children develop fine motor coordination, recognize letter shapes, and establish connections between written and spoken language.  Mastering letter formation boosts confidence, improves handwriting, and lays the groundwork for future reading and writing success.

Check out the Roll & Read  | Winter Theme preview to see how this engaging activity can transform reading practice for beginning readers! The preview shows the fun, easy-to-use format and various word lists for a winter theme tailored for primary grades. You'll see how this interactive game supports reading fluency and keeps students motivated. 

Take a look and roll into reading success!