It’s winter, which means it’s time to snuggle up with a good book! In my Junior High Life Skills class, I utilize Book Companions for ELA and Reading! Whether it is in small groups or 1:1 instruction, book companions help my students to have meaningful engagement with the text. I think I might love them even more than they do!
Check out these Winter Book Companions from Simply Special Ed!
Hello Winter!
The Winter Book Companions are a great addition to your December lesson plans! This bundle includes a variety of tasks to accompany some great snowy stories.
Pair these 4 fun and engaging winter read-aloud stories with effective extension activities to keep your special education students engaged with the text. Using picture books in the classroom is an incredibly effective way to target many goals for special education students. Click here to read about how book companions can transform your teaching.
What books are these Simple Companions for?
Get ready to read these great titles with your students:
- “How to Catch a Snowman” by: Adam Wallace & Andy Elkerton
- “Snowmen at Night” by: Caralyn Buehner
- “The Biggest Snowman Ever” by: Steven Kroll
- “Tracks in the Snow” by: Wong Herbert Yee
Book companions are a supplement to the book. These book companion resources do not contain any text from the books.
NOTE: “How to Catch a Snowman” by: Adam Wallace & Andy Elkerton, “Snowmen at Night” by: Caralyn Buehner, “The Biggest Snowman Ever” by: Steven Kroll, and “Tracks in the Snow” by: Wong Herbert Yee must be purchased separately or found at your local library. Another option is to listen to a read-aloud online.
What’s included?
Each book companion has great vocabulary tasks, comprehension sheets, sequencing, and art projects. I love the fact that you can take the tasks and use them in a variety of ways.
I like to pair levels together to create a new task! By pairing visual vocabulary cards with word vocabulary cards, I can create a meaningful task on my student’s level.
Story Maps and Sequencing
Story Maps and Sequencing are great skills for students to practice during reading. Sequencing tasks help students learn to problem-solve and organize information. The Winter Book Companions include different levels of sequencing of what happens in the story after reading.
Students may cut and paste visual choices or may write their own responses on the provided worksheets.
Winter Visual Art Projects
These Winter Book Companions also include visual crafts to complete with each story. Each craft shows students step-by-step instructions with real picture visuals. As a bonus, students can also sequence the steps of the craft project!
The Winter Book Companion Crafts are great for getting students engaged through creativity! They also strengthen fine motor skills! Pair with Winter Fine Motor Centers and you will never run out of fun fine motor activities.
Each craft also has a review sheet! Students can share their opinions for the craft and can take it home to tell family members about what they did in class.
There are many options within the bundle. Piece things together; make it your own. Get creative! Make it work for your students.
Ready for more Book Companion bundles? Check out December Holidays or Christmas Books too!
Happy Reading!
