Teaching students to write a how-to story is very difficult when many students in my classroom struggle to make connections due to lack of background knowledge and experiences. It is very important that I try to fill in those gaps prior to asking them to write about a topic! I always try my best to build background knowledge by providing a hands-on experience. I thought building a snowman would be an appropriate experience to write about during the winter and ended up using Magic Snow to give students that necessary hands-on activity. Be sure to download the Free Writing Printable here!
Add water to the mixture and stir. I suggest using a bowl or cup to mix the Magic Snow in because one container makes a lot of snow! Make sure you continue adding water and mixing until you have a mixture that can be worked with. Students loved watching the snow form; it was like having a little magic show in the classroom!
Next, have students start to create three balls for the body of the snowman. I was worried that this would take a little bit of time, but it went quickly. This would be a great time to have students work together as partners to practice cooperation skills and problem solve for the various sizes they'll needed.
Now it's time to build our little snowman! Have students stack their snowballs on top of each other. If they don't hold, students should adjust their snowball size.
To add eyes, a nose, and buttons, use pieces in the Foam Snowman Craft Kit. The foam pieces can still be used to create the Snowman Craft.
Look how cute our hands-on snowmen look! Now, every student in my classroom has an experience with building a snowman and are ready to write all about it.
I like to provide my students with different writing options based on their individual levels. I find that my ESL students and below level students have a lot more success with writing when they have the support of pictures. Download the Free Snowman Writing Printable here! The Foam Snowman Craft Kit and Fadeless Weathered Paper along with your student writing will make an adorable display for the winter months!