#3 Organization: The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

Lesson Focus: Organization

Focus Grade Level: Second Grade

Time Frame: about 3 lessons at 30-40 min each

Focus Text/Author: The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

Other Materials: graphic organizer on overhead, markers, graphic organizer for students, white paper, crayons, pencils

Ohio Academic Content Standards Lesson Focus:

Standard: Writing Process

K-2 Benchmark: C. Use organizers to clarify ideas for writing.   

2nd Grade Level Indicators: 4. Use organizational strategies ( e.g. brainstorming, lists, webs, and Venn diagrams) to plan writing. 5. Organize writing with a developed beginning, middle, and end. 

Book Summary: This is a wordless picture book that shows a young boy who goes on a magical adventure with his snowman friend. The detailed illustrations lay out what happens in the story. 

About the Author: Raymond Briggs is a popular British writer and illustrator who is most known for his book The Snowman. It was also made into a short movie and play and is shown overseas at Christmastime.  

Lesson Steps:

1.       Students will be gathered at carpet. The teacher will introduce the new 6 trait which is organization. He/she will tell the students that today they will be reading a special book without words.

2.       The teacher reads the story The Snowman by Raymond Briggs.

3.       After reading the book (showing the illustrations) the teacher will call the students back to their desk to complete the next part of the lesson on the overhead as a whole class.

4.       The teacher will introduce the graphic organizer that the students will be using to record the order of the events. The teacher will call on students to respond to questions such as “What happened first in the story?” or “What happened after that?” The teacher will record this on the graphic organizer which is on the overhead.

5.       After finishing the graphic organizer the teacher will point out the importance of having a beginning, middle and end. He/she will then pass out individual graphic organizers for the students to start their own wordless picture books. This will be done on day 2.

6.       The students will fill out a graphic organizer about going on a magical adventure with a creature, thing, animal, etc.

7.       Day 3- After making their graphic organizer with a beginning, middle, and end the students will be given paper to start their illustrations/books without words. They will share these with in small groups and students will talk about what they think is happening in each other’s books.

8.       The teacher will end the lesson with a discussion about organization and the importance of having a beginning, middle, and end so that the story flows and follows a sequence of events.