Article
Art By Joelle Dreidemy
Fiction,

The Snow Day Without Snow

Ellie’s family moves from chilly Ohio to hot Arizona. Will this new place ever feel like home?

By Meg Richardson | Art by Joelle Dreidemy
From the February 2023 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will read a realistic fiction story and identify its theme.

Complexity Factors
  • Levels of Meaning
    The story is about a girl who misses her Ohio home after moving to Arizona. On another level, the story is about the importance of expressing your feelings.
  • Structure
    The story is in the first person and is chronological.
  • Language
    The language is mostly conversational and includes a lot of dialogue and self-reflection.
  • Knowledge Demands
    Some familiarity with snow would be helpful. The states of Ohio and Arizona are mentioned.
Lexile: 500L-600L
Guided Reading Level: M
DRA Level: 20-24
Featured Skill: Theme,
Other Key Skills: text features, vocabulary, key detail, character, compare and contrast, visual literacy, inference, interpreting text, main idea, plot, connecting to the text, narrative writing
Standards
  • Common Core
    RL.1, RL.2, RL.3, RL.4, RL.6, RL.7, W.3, SL.1, L.1
  • TEKS Grade 3
    1a, 1c, 3a, 3b, 6a, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 7b, 7c, 7f, 7g, 8a, 8b, 8c, 10c, 12a

Presentation View
See Student View
Think and Read: Big Idea

As you read, think about what Ellie learns about sharing her feelings.

"I will not miss this snow!” my dad says. He slams the door of the moving van. Today’s the day: We’re moving from Ohio to Arizona. In Ohio, the winters are freezing. Not in Arizona. In Arizona, it’s warm most of the year. And snowstorms are rare. 

“I’ll miss the snow,” says my little brother, Sam. He stares at a snowball in his little mitten. I can tell he’s sad. 

I’ll miss the snow too, I think. But I don’t say anything. I feel sad, but I push the corners of my mouth into a fake smile. I’m the big sister. I have to set a good example for Sam. If I’m sad, it’ll make him even sadder. 

I breathe in the cold air and the special scent of snow. I know I won’t be smelling snow again for a long time. 

“Ready, Ellie?” Dad says. 

“Yeah!” I say, trying to sound cheerful. “Let’s go!” 

PAUSE AND THINK: Why do Sam and Ellie feel sad about the snow?

Art by Joelle Dreidemy

One More Thing to Miss

In Arizona, everything is different. Our yard has spiky cactuses instead of trees. The air is hot and dry. 

In our old neighborhood, our cousins lived right around the corner. We could play with them whenever we wanted to. Here, we don’t know anybody. It’s lonely. 

One day, I’m helping Sam build his new train set. He turns to me and says, “I miss Ohio, Ellie.” 

“It’s going to be OK,” I say in my cheerful older sister voice, even though I miss Ohio too. I miss the whoosh of the wind in my ears when I’m sledding. I miss the feeling of holding a perfect snowball. I miss my cousins. I miss everything. As I’m daydreaming about Ohio, Sam starts to cry. 

“What’s wrong?” I say.

“We’re not going to have any snow days here!” Sam wails. I hadn’t thought of that. One more thing to miss about Ohio. I give Sam a hug. I feel like crying too, but I force myself to smile. 

As we’re eating breakfast the next morning, Dad says, “Guess what?” 

“What?” Sam and I say.

“I got an email from your aunt. She sent a picture of your cousins,” Dad says. He shows us the photo. Our cousins are zipping down my favorite sledding hill. 

“No fair!” Sam yells, stomping his foot. I wish I were a little kid and could stomp my foot too, but that’s not what older sisters do. I make myself smile. 

“Looks fun,” I say to Dad. 

PAUSE AND THINK: Why does Sam start crying?

Art by Joelle Dreidemy

The Big Surprise

That night, I have an idea. I draw pictures of what I want to do. Then I run to tell Dad my plan. I explain that I want to go sledding, have a snowball fight, and build a snow fort with Sam. 

“But . . . how are you going to do all that without snow?” Dad asks. I show him the pictures I drew. 

“Great idea!” Dad says.

The next day, Dad takes me to the store. We get water balloons. We get a blanket. We get a long waterproof sheet called a tarp. Then we head home. While Sam is playing in his room, Dad and I sneak out to the yard. 

Dad helps me fill up the water balloons. Then he helps me hang the blanket over two chairs. After that, we unroll the tarp. We set up the hose so water gushes over the tarp and it’s slippery. Then I run inside to get Sam.

“Come to the yard! I have a surprise for you,” I say.

“Whoa!” Sam says when he gets there. 

“Now we can have a snow day here in Arizona! We don’t even need snow,” I say. Sam looks confused, so I continue.

“We can pretend the water balloons are snowballs. That blanket makes a pretty cool snow fort. And the finale: We can slide down this tarp and pretend we’re sledding,” I explain. “It’s a snow day without snow!” 

Sam gives me a big hug. “Ellie, this is awesome,” he says. 

PAUSE AND THINK:  What is Ellie’s surprise for Sam?

Art by Joelle Dreidemy

A Bowl of Snow

Pretty soon we’re sliding and splashing down the tarp. As Sam chucks a water balloon my way, I see a girl about my age and a boy about Sam’s age peeking into our yard. 

“Hi,” I say as the water balloon hits me in the leg. 

“Hi,” says the girl as she walks over to us. “I’m Rosa. This is my younger brother, Zac. We live next door.”

“What are you two doing?” Zac asks, looking around the yard. 

“We’re having a snow day with no snow!” Sam says happily. 

“We’ve never seen snow,” says Zac.

“Can we play with you?” Rosa asks. 

“Of course!” I say. 

“Oh, we have something to add to your snow day. Hang on!” Rosa says excitedly. Rosa and Zac disappear. A minute later, they’re back.

“We brought our snow cone machine,” Rosa says. “Now it’s a snow day with real snow!”

They show us how to put ice in the machine. It makes soft, glistening snow. Rosa shows me a bowl of snow. I poke it with my finger. I breathe in that special snow scent. 

Suddenly, I feel myself crying. I try to stop, but I’m like a bursting water balloon. 

PAUSE AND THINK: What happens when Ellie smells the snow cone?

Art by Joelle Dreidemy

An Actual Smile

Sam runs to get Dad. 

“Ellie, honey, what’s wrong?” Dad asks when he sees me crying.

“I miss home,” I sob. “I know I have to set a good example for Sam. But I can’t pretend to be happy anymore. I’m sorry.” Dad gives me a big hug. Then Sam hugs me too. 

“You don’t need to be sorry, Ellie. Everyone feels sad sometimes,” Dad says. “Big sisters, grown-ups, everybody. Heck, I miss Ohio too.” 

“Really?” I say. Dad nods. It makes me feel a little better to hear him say that. And to share how I feel out loud.

“But I’m supposed to be the brave older sister,” I say, still unsure.

“Sharing how you feel is brave,” Dad says with a smile. 

“I get how you feel,” Rosa says. “It’s hard to be the oldest kid. Sometimes I feel like I should be perfect and happy all the time too.”  

I smile an actual smile, not a fake one. Maybe I don’t need to be happy all the time to set a good example for Sam. Maybe I just need to feel what I feel. 

“Want a snow cone?” Rosa says to me. She holds out a bowl of snow with purple flavoring on top. 

“Purple is my favorite color!” I say. 

“Mine too,” she says. 

I lick my cold, sweet snow cone. Then Sam, Rosa, Zac, and I slide down the tarp. Pretty soon we’re having a four-person water balloon fight. Afterward, we lie on the deck, laughing. It’s the most fun I’ve had since we left Ohio. 

“I think I might like Arizona,” Sam says to me.

“Me too,” I say. And I mean it. 

Art by Joelle Dreidemy

PAUSE AND THINK: Why does Sam run to get Dad?

THINK AND WRITE

Imagine you’re Ellie. Write a letter to your cousins back in Ohio about what you learned on the snow day without snow. 

Slideshows (1)
Audio ()
Activities (8)
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Slideshows (1)
Audio ()
Activities (8) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Quizzes (1)
Answer Key (1)
Can't Miss Teaching Extras

The narrator of this story isn’t the only Storyworks 3 character who needs to adjust to a new home. Share “The Stars Below Me” and ask students to compare the main characters from both of these stories.

Our graphic poetry “My Inner Weather Report” is a great short poem for discussing the importance of identifying and honoring your feelings.

Our May/June 2022 fiction feature “Home” is another story about a sister and her younger brother who both have to deal with complicated feelings about recent changes in their lives. 

 

Check out the Theme page of our Skill Library for a background builder slideshow and other resources for learning how to identify the theme.

 

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. Skill Building and Writing

4. Differentiate and Customize

Striving Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers

1. Preparing to Read

Set a Purpose for Reading/Preview Text Features

  • Ask students to predict what this story will be about based on the illustration on page 10 and title and subtitle on pages 10-11. Review the predictions after reading.
  • Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 11 and the Think and Write box on page 15. 

Introduce Vocabulary

  • Show or assign the Vocabulary Slideshow to preview challenging words. Then assign the Vocabulary Skill Builder before or after reading.

2. Close Reading

  • Read the story as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the Read-Aloud. Use the Pause and Think questions at the end of each section for a quick comprehension check.

  • Project or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions. (Alternatively, use all or part of the Learning Journey Slide Deck.)

Close-Reading Questions

  • Read the first section. Why doesn’t Ellie tell Sam that she’ll miss the snow in Ohio? (character) Ellie doesn’t tell Sam because she wants to set a good example for him. She believes that showing her sadness will make Sam feel even sadder.
  • Read “One More Thing to Miss.” How is Ellie’s life in Arizona different from her life in Ohio? (compare and contrast) Ellie’s life in Arizona is different in many ways. Her yard in Arizona has spiky cactuses instead of trees. The air is hot and dry in Arizona. In Ohio, the winters are cold, and it snows. Sometimes school is closed for a snow day. Snowstorms are rare where they live now. They won’t have any snow days. Her cousins lived around the corner from her old home. She could play with them whenever she wanted. But in Arizona, Ellie doesn’t know anybody except her family. She feels lonely.
  • Read “The Big Surprise.” How does the picture on page 13 show what happens in this part of the story? (visual literacy) In “The Big Surprise,” Ellie creates snow activities for Sam using water instead. The picture shows Ellie and Sam sliding on the tarp. You can also see the fort that Ellie made with chairs and a blanket. Ellie and Sam look like they’re having fun.
  • Read “A Bowl of Snow.” Why does Ellie start crying after she touches and smells the bowl of snow? (inference) Ellie starts crying because the touch and smell of the snow remind her of the snow in Ohio. She still misses her old home. She’s been keeping her real feelings bottled up inside her, and they come rushing out all at once.
  • Read “An Actual Smile.” Why does Ellie feel a little better after she talks to her dad? (cause and effect) Ellie feels a little better because her dad explains that everyone feels sad sometimes. He tells her he misses Ohio too. Also, Ellie shares how she really feels out loud for the first time.
  • What does Ellie mean when she thinks “Maybe I just need to feel what I feel”? (theme, interpreting text) Ellie understands that she doesn’t have to seem happy all the time. She can be honest about her feelings. It’s OK to let people know when she’s sad or unhappy.

Critical-Thinking Questions

  • How do Ellie’s feelings about moving to Arizona change from the beginning of the story to the end? (how a character changes) In the beginning of the story, Ellie thinks she has to pretend to be happy about her family’s move to Arizona to set a good example for her younger brother, Sam. However, she misses everything about Ohio and feels like crying when she thinks about her life there. At the end of the story, Ellie feels happier about her new life in Arizona. She thinks she’ll like it there. She’s learned that it’s OK to be honest about her feelings instead of pretending to be happy all the time. She and Sam make friends with Rosa and Zac, their next-door neighbors, and have a great time playing together in her backyard.
  • Do you ever feel the way Ellie does and pretend to be happy when you aren’t? Why might it be helpful to share how you really feel instead? (theme, connecting to the text) Answers will vary.

Class Discussion: Embracing Change

  • In this story, Ellie learns that change doesn’t always have to be bad. By the end of the story, Ellie’s feelings about living in Arizona have changed into positive ones. Invite students to talk about a time in their lives when something changed. What happened? How did it feel at first? How were they able to accept the change and adjust to the new situation?

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: Theme

  • Distribute or digitally assign the Theme Skill Builder.

  • Ask students to write a response to the Think and Write prompt on
    page 15. 

Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers

Students might be confused by the concept of a “snow day without snow.” Together, discuss each of the snow day activities that Ellie mentions, describing what each activity is. Then go over how she and her dad plan on creating versions of the activities but without snow. Invite students to come up with other activities for a “snow day without snow.” For example, what could you build instead of a snowman or drink instead of hot cocoa?

For Multilingual Learners

Ellie’s experience may reflect one that many multilingual learners have had: moving to a place that’s completely different and missing their prior home. Invite students who are newer to the United States (or just to their current home) to share how they felt when they first came here (if they were old enough to remember it).

For Advanced Readers

Invite students to imagine what happens next in the story. Students should write at least two paragraphs that continue the story of Ellie and her family’s new life in Arizona. Remind them to write from Ellie’s point of view, as the author did.

Text-to-Speech