One of my favorite books to read aloud as winter continues through January is The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. It’s such a fun book that leads to great discussions and questions in pre-k and kindergarten classrooms. I created this pocket chart activity to go along with the book.
The Snowy Day Pocket Chart Activity for Winter
This activity incorporates children’s pictures and names; it’s similar to the gingerbread pocket chart activity I shared with you in November.
Incorporating children’s pictures and names into literacy activities is highly motivating and engaging.
This pocket chart activity supports the following early literacy skills:
- Tracking print {concept of print}
- Left to right directionality (concept of print}
- Return sweep {concept of print}
- Spaces {concept of print}
- Name identification
- Letter identification
- Rhyme
This activity can also be used to teach other concepts such as sight words and punctuation for those students who are ready; chant it as a sing-song verse to promote oral language and fluency.
Supplies to Make the Snowy Day Pocket Chart Activity
- Pocket chart
- Sentence strips
- Marker
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Red construction paper or cardstock
- Name card for each child
- Picture of each child
- Fun pointers
- Character shape (free printable below)
How to Assemble the Snowy Day Pocket Chart
First, write the poem on your sentence strip with the marker. Next, print the character shape on red construction paper or cardstock, one per child. If you’re using construction paper you will need to cut the pages to size for your printer. Then, cut out the character shapes and glue one picture of each child to the face area. Gather or create a name card for each child.
Directions for Using the Snowy Day Pocket Chart
Start by reading the book The Snowy Day aloud to your class. Next, introduce the pocket chart activity to the class in whole group. Invite the students to chant along as you place each child’s character and name card in the chart and point to the words with a fun pointer. When the students are familiar with the poem and how to use the chart you can place it at a center for independent practice.
Another fun way to present this activity is to use photographs of the children bundled up in their winter clothes instead of the paper character.
Visit the link in the image below to get the free character printable.
More Winter Ideas
Photo credit: strelka via Shutterstock
