When it comes to planning with a themed-based approach it can be time-consuming to find enough activities to cover all the language goals. That’s why using sequencing short stories can help you cover comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, inferencing, and narrative skills in one material. Today, I will be sharing some different winter sequencing short story activities you can use to cover your caseload. Hopefully, these ideas will help you increase exposure to winter-themed vocabulary and hit a lot of other language goals!
Research Discussing Story Comprehension and Sequencing
We want to know the best techniques and strategies to help a child understand a story. Are they comprehending what is being read to them?Event knowledge is an important part of story comprehension because it involves layers of language components such as vocabulary, grammar, working memory, inference, and background knowledge.
In this study, the researchers measured the preschooler’s event knowledge to see which measures were related to comprehension. They found that reenacting the story with props and telling the story in their own words was most beneficial. They found that sequencing the story did not have a high correlation with improved comprehension skills.
So, this tells us that when using short stories we need to embed story reenactment and tell the story in their own words. That doesn’t mean we can’t use sequencing pictures as a visual cue or embed practice with using transition words. It just tells us that using story sequencing in isolation isn’t going to give us the BIG impact we want with improved comprehension.
Plus, creating short stories with winter sequencing tasks can also be easy to create a reenactment of the story. For example, if you use a short story about building a snowman (Get Epic has some good ones) you can then have students reenact the story while making a playdough snowman.
Winter Sequencing Short Stories
What winter activities do your students have the opportunity to do? Pick a sequencing task that your students can relate like dressing for colder weather. Many students have experienced colder weather, so this sequencing task is familiar. And, if they live in a warmer climate, you can show them books or videos of what it’s like in these climates. By picking a sequencing task that they do in their daily life, your students have a context in which to learn the new vocabulary. Plus when a parent asks them to go get dressed for the snow, they will better understand the directions and vocabulary!
Once you pick your sequencing task, you can create a short story to go along with it. For example, you can create a short story using a YouTube video of children dressing for snow or use the winter sequencing short story set in my store.
Make a Sequencing Short Story with Real Photos
If you are able to take pictures of yourself or your students doing the winter sequencing activity, you can turn that into a short story. To make your short story, you can upload the images to a Google Slide or use one of these story creator apps. For example, you can make hot chocolate with your students during a small or whole class lesson. Take pictures of your students doing each step. Then, create a short story based on their language levels and use that for comprehension, retell, and vocabulary.
Hot Chocolate Sequencing Short Stories
Making hot chocolate can make for a great winter sequencing short story idea. There are easy ways to provide reenactment of the story using pretend play or sensory bins.
Plus, you can even make real hot chocolate while also talking about what happened in the short story. After making hot chocolate, students can tell what happened in their own words.
If you struggle with writing a hot chocolate short story, there are 3 and 4 picture sequencing short stories in this winter set.
The four picture sequencing short story has a more in-depth story and provides pictures to help cue students that need visuals.
Here are some short story ideas you can create using making hot chocolate:
-Mom making hot chocolate for kids after playing in the snow.
-Snuggling up on the couch to read books with a cup of hot chocolate.
-Making hot chocolate for a friend on a play date.
-Selling hot chocolate at an event.
-Spilling hot chocolate or making a mess in the kitchen.
To reenact a hot chocolate short story, you can use a sensory bin or kitchen items to pretend. See the pictures below for examples.
More Winter Sequencing Task Ideas to Create Short Stories
If you are trying to think of other winter sequencing tasks you can use to make short stories, here are some ideas:
- Building a snowman
- Getting ready for a snowball fight
- Shoveling snow in the driveway
- Building a fire in the fireplace
- Hanging up your wet clothes after playing in the snow
- Sledding, skiing down a slope, or snowboarding
- Going ice fishing
- Having an ice skating birthday party
- Going snowshoeing
- Scraping snow off your car to go to work/school
- Walking home in the snow
- Getting a Christmas Tree
- Lighting a Menorah
- Planning a New Year’s party
- Wrapping a present
- Baking cookies
Snow Day Short Stories for Speech Therapy
If you struggle with creating 4-5 word short stories, I have a set of Snow Day Short Stories that are NO PREP! This resource also includes leveled worksheets, so that you can use the same story with students at different language and comprehension levels. You can snag this resource HERE or click the images above.
Digital Sequencing Materials to Build Language
If you are needing more digital sequencing activities that have a focus on teaching tier II vocabulary and have extension activities, check out these sequencing Boom Cards™. There are sequencing activity sets for a winter theme. You can work on wrapping a present, building a snowman, baking cookies, or making hot chocolate. You can also grab a winter sequencing set for getting dressed for the snow and a snowball fight HERE.
What resources and materials do you use for winter short stories? I would love to know of any apps, books, or websites that have winter themed short stories. Share in the comments!