In this blog post, “The Snowy Day” Repeated Read-Aloud and Free Coloring Sheets, you will discover a valuable lesson plan designed for parents and teachers of young children. Repeated Interactive Readings help to foster critical thinking skills and help children learn new vocabulary. Children love the classic winter story “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats, and it opens a world of possibilities for story exploration and creative extension activities. For starters, we’ve also provided free snow-themed coloring sheets for your children to enjoy. Let’s get started!
Review of Repeated Interactive Read-Alouds
In the recent post, How to Use Repeated Interactive Read-Alouds for Pre-K Literacy, we introduced the teaching technique of Repeated Interactive Read-Alouds or Repeated Readings. As parents, teachers, or caregivers of young children, we’ve all seen and felt the excitement children have for re-reading some of their favorite books. Let’s look at how we can use this motivation to help children learn critical reading strategies while they enjoy these precious stories.
While it is advisable to go back and read or review the post, here are the main points we discussed:
A repeated interactive read-aloud, or repeated storybook reading, is a teaching strategy where a teacher or parent reads a book multiple times to a group of young children, while actively engaging them in discussions and activities related to the story. The main objectives of repeated interactive read-alouds
are to build vocabulary, improve comprehension, and foster a love for reading in young children.
Repeated Interactive Read-Alouds use Sophisticated Storybooks, which are children’s picture books that contain rich vocabulary and text that requires critical thinking skills.
The purpose of the first repeated reading is to introduce the story and familiarize the children with the characters, setting, and plot. The teacher or parent pauses occasionally to ask open-ended questions about the plot, characters, and setting. This encourages the children to make predictions, connections, and observations about the story. The adult can also point out a few new vocabulary words and explain them in a child-friendly manner.
The second repeated reading is a time to go more deeply into the story, exploring character motivations and using “analytical talk” to model good critical reading techniques for the children. This is like “thinking out loud” and making your own predictions and critical analysis of the story as you go along.
In the third repeated reading, the children are familiar with the story and are invited to actively participate in a reconstruction of the events, characters, and themes of the book. The adult leads the group in reviewing the sequence of events, summarizing the main idea and reflecting on how children feel about the story, its characters, setting and plot.
Finally, a transition is made to take the ideas discussed in the story and reinforce them through various activities. These can be activities for the learning centers, if it’s a classroom, or the activities can be enjoyed at home.
The Snowy Day Read-Aloud Video
The following video contains music and animation, as well as the text of the book, so you and your child(ren) can enjoy reading along with the story. While an entertaining animated version of the story being read isn’t an equal replacement for a real person holding the book with the child, this can be used if the book isn’t available to you yet.
Preparation for Read-Aloud
- Prepare the children for the reading of The Snowy Day by starting with a song or finger play that relates to the story. For example, sing to the tune of Frere Jacques: “Dance like snowflakes, Dance like snowflakes, In the air, In the air, Whirling, twirling snowflakes, Whirling, twirling snowflakes, Here and there, Here and there.”
- State the title and author of the story: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.
- State the purpose of the read, depending on whether it’s the first, second, or third reading. The following examples will guide your Think-Alouds for each reading.
| 1st Reading: Events | 2nd Reading: Thoughts and Feelings | 3rd Reading: Children Retell the Story |
| Purpose of Read: It looks like this little boy on the cover is having fun making tracks in the snow. I wonder what other adventures he will have. Let’s read and find out. | Purpose of Read: Remember, in this story, Peter put a snowball in his pocket but it disappeared overnight. Peter was so disappointed. Let’s read and find out why he was so disappointed. | Purpose of Read: Now that you all know the story so well, I’d like you to help me retell it. Remember how Peter had a dream that the sun melted all the snow away. I wonder why he had that dream. Let’s read and find out. |
Repeated Reading Teacher’s Guide: The Snowy Day
Hint: Copy these prompts on sticky notes and place them inside the book’s pages to guide your repeated readings.
Tier 2 Vocabulary Prompts
The following table shows various Tier 2 vocabulary words that children can easily learn as you demonstrate the words by pointing at pictures in the book, acting out the word as you say it, and giving a short, child-friendly definition. The prompts below can be copied onto sticky notes and placed inside the book’s pages to guide your repeated readings.
| Page # | Point at these pictures: | Act out these words: | Define Tier 2 vocabulary words in kid-friendly terms: |
| 2 | window, snow | ||
| 4 | snowsuit | high | Snowsuit: worn in the winter in places where it snows a lot to keep you warm and dry Path: a place to walk |
| 5 | crunching, pointing | ||
| 7 | Tracks | ||
| 10 | Stick, snow-covered tree | smacking | |
| 11 | plop | ||
| 14 | Big boys | Snowball fight: when people throw snowballs at each other for fun | |
| 16 | Snowman, angel | ||
| 17 | Heaping: very big and tall | ||
| 19 | Snowball, pocket | packed round and firm | |
| 20 | Adventures: exciting things that happened | ||
| 23 | sad | Empty: nothing is inside | |
| 25 | Dreamed: imagined while you were asleep Melted: the snow got warm and turned to water |
- Surprised: feeling excited when something unexpected happens
- Curious: wanting to know more about something
- Disappointed: sad that something didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to.
- Eager: excited and interested, ready.
Think-Alouds
Remember that these “think-alouds” are a powerful technique for modeling analytic thinking and cognitive reasoning that boost children’s story comprehension and future reading skills.
| Page # | 1st Read Think-Alouds | Page # | 2nd Read Think-Alouds |
| 4 | I think Peter must live in a place where it snows a lot; that’s why he has a snowsuit. He must be very eager to go out and play in the snow! | 2 | I’m thinking that Peter is feeling very excited when he sees the snow, and is very eager to go out and play. |
| 6 | Peter is trying different ways of walking in the snow. I bet he’s curious to see what his footprints will look like. | 4 | Peter must feel very surprised to see all that snow piled up outside his window. I bet he’s thinking, “Wow! Look at all that snow!” |
| 11 | Uh, oh! When Peter hit the tree with his stick, the snow fell off the branch and went PLOP! on his head! I bet that surprised him. | 14 | Peter must be curious about what the big boys are playing. He probably is thinking that it looks like fun. |
| 18 | It looks like Peter had a lot of fun today. (Flip back and review the events on the pages.) | 18 | Peter is having such a great day in the snow! I bet he’s thinking that he would like the snow to last forever! |
| 19 | Peter must want to enjoy the snow for a long time, so he is saving a snowball. | 19 | I’m thinking that Peter had so much fun playing in the snow that he didn’t want it to end. I bet he’s thinking that if he saves the snowball, he can play with it tomorrow. |
| 23 | Peter noticed that his pocket was empty. I think he wanted to play with the snowball again, so now he is disappointed. | 22 | I bet Peter was thinking about all the fun he had yesterday in the snow: leaving tracks, making an angel, playing with snowballs, building a snowman, and sliding down the hill. |
| 25 | Peter dreamed that the sun melted all the snow away. I wonder if he dreamed this because he was worried that the snow might disappear just like his snowball did. Sometimes we dream about things we’re worried about. | 23 | Peter was disappointed that his snowball disappeared. He wanted to keep it forever but it melted inside his pocket. |
| 27 | Peter work up and the snow had not melted. He finds his friend and they both go outside for another adventure in the snow. | 25 | I think Peter dreamed the snow melted because he was worried it might all disappear like his snowball had. |
| 26 | I bet Peter is so happy that his dream did not come true. He must be so excited to go out to play in the snow again! |
3rd Read Think-Alouds:
As you prepare to have the children re-construct the story for the 3rd Read-Aloud, pick out a few pages that contain significant events in the story. Use these prompts to elicit responses from the children:
- What is happening here?
- What do you think ___________ is feeling/thinking here?
Support the children in using the new vocabulary learned in the 1st and 2nd reads. Use verbal prompts, such as: “I think Peter is feeling a certain kind of sadness here, when his snowball melted. What’s that new word we learned that means we feel sad when something doesn’t go like we wanted it to?” (disappointed)
Scaffolding Children’s Responses
As you encourage the children to retell the story back to you, with your assistance, you will want to be aware of the teaching technique called scaffolding:
Scaffolding in supporting early literacy in children is a teaching tool that provides temporary support to help children develop their reading and comprehension skills. In the context of retelling a story, scaffolding can be done by the following techniques:
- restating the children’s responses in a more complex sentence,
- using proper grammar and syntax,
- modeling rich vocabulary, and
- adding more details using Tier 2 words from the story.
Scaffolding helps children improve their language and comprehension skills by gradually increasing the complexity of their language use and understanding.
Story Closure
As you close the book on your first, second, or third reads of A Snowy Day, you’ll want to bring it all together with some summarizing questions. Remember, you will want to ask questions that relate back to the purpose of the read that you stated at the beginning.
| Ask: 1st Read | Ask: 2nd Read | Ask: 3rd Read |
| Why did Peter want to save his snowball? | Why was Peter sad when he discovered that his snowball had disappeared? | Why did Peter dream that the sun had melted all the snow away? |
- Restate the children’s responses in a more complex sentence,
- Use proper grammar and syntax,
- Model rich vocabulary, and
- Add more details using Tier 2 words from the story.
Main Idea: Sometimes good things come to an end. When we’re having so much fun, we want it to last forever. We feel sad when it ends.
How to Use Repeated Interactive Read-Alouds for Pre-K Literacy
The Snowy Day Extension Activities
The three repeated readings of “The Snowy Day” may take place over a week, or maybe even more. The time in between readings is a perfect time to expand on the topic of a snowy day and work the theme into all the various learning center activities normally scheduled for the childre
For example, snow-themed crafts would be an obvious choice for the art and creativity center, while making snow angels (real or pretend) would be a fun exercise for the movement center or activity time for the class.
Whether you’re a teacher or a parent of little ones, you can certainly find lots of snow-related activities to build upon the main ideas and concepts learned in The Snowy Day. We will continue with this topic in the next post on this Joy in the Making blog. Be on the lookout for the post, “A Snowy Day Learning Center Activities and Free Printable Activity”, coming soon!
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50 Pack Fake Snowballs for Kids – Artificial Snowballs for Kids Indoor Outdoor Snowball Fight Set for Outdoor Parent-Child Throwing Game Party and Winter Christmas Decorations(F/White) Home & Kitchen$14.00 -
Play-Doh Builder Igloo Mini Animal Building Kit for Kids 5 Years and Up with 2 Cans, Non-Toxic – Easy to Build DIY Craft Set Toys & Games$17.00 -
Let it Snow Instant Snow Powder – Made in The USA Premium Fake Artificial Snow – Great for Holiday Snow Decorations and Slime Home & Kitchen$11.00 -
60 Pieces Snowflake Cutouts Glitter Blue Silver$11.00
Until then, Enjoy these Free Printable Coloring Pages, a thank-you gift for joining our community here at Joy in the Making! Simply click on the “Send me the Snow Day Free Coloring Pages!” button below, 👇🏼 wait for the email confirmation, click on it and you’ll receive the free coloring pages as a quality printable pdf download, automatically.
Thanks for choosing Joy in the Making for your storytime ideas. See you next time! 😃
