Lesson Plan Ideas for After Winter Break

Get your kids to warm up with these writing lesson plan ideas for after winter break.

Take advantage of the excitement of returning to school by teaching students to write a personal narrative through literacy and writing.

In this post will find a list of mentor texts and lesson plan ideas to teach personal narrative.

Related: For activities to build classroom community, see our post of free online games your whole class can play.

Winter Mentor Texts For Personal Narratives 

I have put together some of my Winter themed favorite mentor texts for personal narratives.

You can select one or many books to kick off your personal narrative writing unit. 

Picture Book 1: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

The book Owl Moon is a beautiful picture book about a girl and her father looking for owls during Winter. This classic story is a staple in upper elementary classrooms.

It is an excellent mentor text to use during a writing mini-lesson to teach about small moments and word choice. Every page is rich with beautiful and precise words to make Winter come alive in your classroom. 

Picture Book 2: Snow Day! by Lester Laminack

The picture book Snow Day is a funny narrative about a dad and his kids thinking they will have a snow day. They start thinking of different activities they can enjoy on their day off. The next day their winter plans are ruin, and they have to go to school. 

My favorite part of this book is when the dad reveals he can’t be late because he is the teacher. I can relate with the dad when he states, ” he needed a snow day!” 

This winter picture book for upper elementary is perfect for teaching organization. The story has a clear beginning, middle, and end the kids can identify. 

Picture Book 3: Snowy Race by April Jones Prince 

The book, Snowy Race, is a heartwarming story about a girl helping her father remove snow using a snowplow truck. In the end, they plow the snow to welcome her mom back from a trip. 

This book is quick to read and is perfect for 4th-grade students struggling to understand the concept of a small moment. Since the book is an easy read for upper elementary, the focus is on the storyline and not the vocabulary. 

Picture Book 4: Winter Is Coming by Jim LaMarche

The picture book, Winter Is Coming has beautiful illustrations and a great storyline. It tells the story about the signs a girl sees in nature as the season starts to change. 

This personal narrative is a new picture book for me and is becoming one of my favorites! This book reminds me of the book Owl Moon with its poetic lines and amusing word choice used to describe the signs of Winter. 

Picture Book 5: Winter Is The Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer 

The book Winter Is The Warmest Season is a picture book about a boy sharing the things that makes Winter warm while spending time with his family. 

This book is available in Tumble Books and makes an excellent mentor text to share with kids online. The book contains tons of descriptive words to describe items used during Winter. 

Personal Narrative Lesson Plan To Teach Small Moments

After reading the mentor texts for personal narrative, it’s time for the kids to write. 

I am sharing four writing mini-lessons to teach kids to choose a small moment to write a personal narrative. 

Writing Activity 1: Identify Writing Elements of Personal Narrative

A significant component of using mentor texts is for students to read like writers. Reading like a writer means paying attention to the writing moves authors make in the story. 

An example of a writing move is when an author uses strong verbs to describe an experience. You can see an example of a writing move in the picture book Owl Moon.

One way to teach kids to read like a writer is by jotting these writing moves. To do this, use a T-chart with each story and have the kids name a writing move they noticed in the mentor text. 

Writing Activity 2: Personal Narrative Prewrite Anchor Chart

I love using winter-themed anchor charts. The kids use this prewriting exercise to think of their winter memories. The goal of the prewriting exercise is to select one idea as a story. 

Also, they read aloud each small moment topic and decide if it’s an actual small moment. This visual helps the kids identify the difference between a small and big moment. 

Writing Activity 3: Graphic Organizers for Small Moments 

After selecting a small moment, the kids use a graphic organizer to organize their story. 

They jot down a sentence or two to map out their story. I use the graphic organizer as a planning sheet to help them stay on track.

Writing Activity 4: Winter Writing Prompts

After drafting their narrative, the kids are ready to publish. In my class, they get to use their favorite colored pen to write their stories. Writing with a pen brings tons of excitement to the writing process! 

As an alternative, kids with computers can change the font and color. Some even include pictures of their winter vacations.

Wrapping It Up

After a long winter break, kids can’t wait to share their winter memories! Try out any of these writing lesson plan ideas for after winter break to get your kids excited about writing a personal narrative.