We all know how difficult it is to get some students excited about writing, but sometimes all it takes is an engaging, fun activity to get the most reluctant writers eager to write! Scaffolded writing activities such as roll-a-story story starters, writing prompt sticks, or fill-in-the-blank templates provides opportunities for students to develop independence and confidence with their writing. They’re the perfect tools to keep in your literacy toolbox for those students who need a little help getting started!
If your students loved my fill-in-the-blank story for Halloween, then they’ll love this winter-themed writing activity even more!
Snow Globe Writing Directions
This “If I Lived in a Snow Globe” writing activity is easy to prep and simple for students to complete. It’s the perfect activity for practicing story writing, identifying parts of speech, and enhancing vocabulary. It’s also an excellent way for students to practice sentence structure and visualization skills!
First, students brainstorm parts of speech words – this can be done independently, in partners, or as a whole class. Use this as an opportunity for your class to brainstorm winter vocabulary words. They can also brainstorm everyday words, which would actually make these “If I Lived in a Snow Globe” stories even more silly.
The words they brainstorm are then used to fill in the blanks of the provided story template. The real magic happens, though, when they read their stories aloud (usually hilarious) and visualize the story details. A blank snow globe template is included for them to make their stories come to life using sketches or colorful illustrations!
Beyond the Snow Globes
This resource will save your stress and sanity when you need an easy to prep activity for a busy week, or if you’re going to be out (it’s a great sub activity!). It can be printed or used digitally and is the perfect “ready to go” activity for the week after holiday break!
This “If I Lived in a Snow Globe” activity can be completed during literacy centers, small group, or independent work time. If you’re looking to extend the assignment or challenge your confident writers, encourage them to expand their stories beyond the story template. For students who struggle with the visualization piece of the activity, encourage them to close their eyes to visualize themselves inside their snow globes. Ask them to create a “mind picture” of their fill-in-the-blank stories and think about their five senses. These extra sensory details may help them bring their snow globes to life!
You can also get your students excited ahead of time by letting them know that their masterpieces will be on display for everyone to admire! This helps students take pride in their work and encourages to create a visualization they wish to show off. The snow globe illustrations would make a great bulletin board for the hallway or your classroom. (If you teach digitally, you can create a gallery of the complete Google™ Slide snow globes to share in Google™ Classroom!)
Digital and Print Snow Globe Options
The printable resource includes a brainstorming worksheet for students to list parts of speech. The numbers coincide with the writing template so students can easily transfer the parts of speech to the proper place in the sentence. The snow globe template can be decorated illustrations and colored by the student.
The digital option for Google™ Slides is great for virtual learning or for students to access in the classroom on their personal devices. Students will have clear and concise definitions for the parts of speech, as well as examples. Once they type the words into the brainstorming text boxes, they can simply copy the words the writing template slide. The snow globe can be designed using photos from the camera, web images, or clip art to show each child’s creativity. Kids will love having the option to include their own photo “selfie” in their snow globe visualization!
Additional Winter Writing Resources
If you’re looking for more engaging writing resources, check out my winter-themed Roll-a-Story activity resources which include story starter templates for December and January. Another fun resource is my Roll-a-Snowman activity that can be used to jumpstart a fun winter-themed story. Similar to the snow globe writing, these “easy to prep” scaffolded writing activities will create a love for writing in even your most reluctant writers!
