Snowmen at Night is a fun winter read aloud that draws out the imaginative side of kids.
The text in this snowman book is not complicated, so it is often used for younger grade levels. However, the whimsy in this story appeals to readers of all ages, and the activity ideas below are geared towards 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students.
Below, find questions and activity ideas to use in your upper elementary classroom lesson plans when reading aloud Snowmen at Night.
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Summary of the Read Aloud Snowmen At Night
In this rhyming book by Caralyn Buehner, a child notices that his snowman looks a little different than it did the day before. He wonders what happened...and then begins to imagine all sorts of fun things that snowmen might do at night.
From drinking cold cocoa, to having the word's best snowball fight, to sledding - the child considers the secret life a snowman could have every night before heading back home.
Before, During, and After Reading Questions for Teaching Snowmen At Night
Use these questions while reading Snowmen At Night to your students.
Before Reading Questions
- Do you think this is a fiction or nonfiction book? Explain your thinking.
- What do you already know about snowmen?
- Based on the title and book cover illustrations, what do you think this book might be about? Explain.
During Reading Questions
- Predict what the snowmen will be doing on the next page.
- What word do you think comes next? (Read most of a rhyming page to students, stopping before the last rhyming word so students can make a prediction.)
- How do you think this story will end? Why?
After Reading Questions
- What other books have you read about snowmen? Compare and contrast the two books.
- What other things might a snowman do at night that weren't mentioned in the book?
- Why do you think the author wrote this book?
This book is atypical for fiction picture books because it doesn't really have a main character with a problem. After reading it, have your upper elementary students consider how it is different from other fiction books they have read.
Activity Ideas to Use In Snowmen At Night Lesson Plans
Have an Educational Snowball Fight
The snowmen in the story had "the world's best snowball fight." Duplicate this in your classroom - with an educational, paper snowball fight!
This is a fantastic winter activity because it can be easily adapted for whatever you want your students to practice or review. Read more about having a classroom snowball fight - and find ideas for how to review skills at the same time!
Practice Descriptive Writing With A Fun Snowman Activity
This is a teacher and student favorite.
Have students secretly draw/create their own snowman and write a matching description. Then, put all of the snowmen on display while students read their descriptions aloud to the class. If the descriptions are detailed enough, it should be easy to match up a description with a snowman!
Help students walk through the writing process and make this activity NO PREP with this resource.
Experiment With Snow
This simple experiment is a fun addition to any snowmen unit. All it takes is 3 jars, water, cubed ice, and snow (or crushed ice/snow cone maker ice if you are like me and live in the south!)
Fill 3 jars - one with water, one with cubed ice, and one with snow. Have students hypothesize about which jar will have the most water after the ice melts. Then, wait and see if they were right!
Use This Snowman Freebie to Integrate Math
Never Stress Over Sub Plans Again!
Make copies, find a fiction book, and you'll be ready for any emergency that comes your way!