This little book offers great independent practice for those beginning readers. Lots of sight word practice as well as picture clues to help read the story. Your students will love reading about Tiny and his best friend and their adventure in the snow.
Here is some information and suggested reading skills and strategies that can be used with this book.
Reading level: 1.5
Theme: weather, animals
Genre: animal stories
Suggested Vocabulary: toss, snowball, crunch, snow monster, slurp
Reading skills and strategies:
- asking questions - {beg} why is the dogs named Tiny when he is so big? What is a snow dog? {mid} why does Tiny run away? {end} What is a snow monster?
- beginning, middle, end - {beg} Tiny and the boy get ready to go play in the snow. {mid} Tiny hides from the boy and the boy can't find him.{end} Tiny sneaks up behind the boy and scares him. {freebie worksheet available below}
- cause and effect - what cause the boy to get scared?
- characterization - describe Tiny
- classify & categorize - clothes you wear during winter and clothes you wear during summer.
- compare & contrast - compare your do to Tiny.
- connections - text-to-self - I love the snow. I have a warm hat. My dog likes the snow. My dog has run away. My dog is a good dog too. {freebie worksheet available below}
- drawing conclusions & inference - Why does Tiny run away? How does the boy feel when he can't find Tiny? Why does the boy think there is a snow monster behind him?
- predict - What will the boy and Tiny do in the snow? Will the boy find Tiny?
- problem & solution - {problem} Tiny runs away and the boy cannot find him. {solution} Tiny sneaks up behind the boy and scares him.
- sequencing - The boy and Tiny get ready to go out to play in the snow. They put their warm hats on. Tiny pulls the boy on the sled. The boy throws a snowball at Tiny. Tiny runs away from the boy. The boy looks for Tiny in the barn. He looks by the hill. Tiny sneaks up behind the boy. The boy thinks a snow monster is behind him. Tiny and the boy go home.
- story elements - setting, characters, beginning, middle, end, genre.
- strong thought - your students may have students tell the boy where Tiny is hiding.
- summarize - {someone} Tiny and the boy {wanted} wanted to go out and play in the snow {but} but Tiny decided to run away from the boy. {so} So the boy started looking for Tiny and couldn't find him, {then} then Tiny snuck up on the boy and scared him. {in the end} Finally, they went home.
- visualize - what does a snow monster look like?
To go along with this book I have created 2 freebies. The first is a beginning, middle end folding activity. Click either picture to download it.
The second freebie is a text - to - self connection worksheet. Click on the picture to download it.
Happy teaching!
