It’s wonderful to discover a new book that quite unexpectedly becomes a mentor text for a group of young writers. A few weeks ago I was sent some books from Chronicle Books to review for our state’s Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award (for more on this go to www.ksrapa.org and click on Teacher Resources). One of the books was Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner. This remarkable book, reminiscent of the classic Owl Moon, tells the story of a child’s cross-country ski outing with her father. When the little girl notices how a red squirrel quickly disappears in the snow, her father tells her of the “secret kingdom under the snow.” She then goes on throughout the rest of the book to compare what she is doing “over the snow” to what is happening “under the snow.”
On my first read I was struck by the poetic language which helps to create the child’s sense of wonder and discovery. I loved the way Messner compares and contrasts the activities over the snow and under the snow. And, I was not disappointed to find that the author continues to delight us even after the story is finished. In the author’s note she gives a more scientific explanation for the secret kingdom, gives more information about each of the animals mentioned, and suggests resources to find out more about animals in winter. I couldn’t wait to share it with some young readers and find out what they thought!
At school, I gave the book to first grade teacher, Connie Harker, who shared it with her class. As you can expect, her students loved it as much as we both did. In fact one little girl, Willow, suggested that the class could make a book just like that. Together with Connie they brainstormed how that might look, and it wasn’t long before words and ideas were shared and recorded. Over and Under the Snow served as an important mentor text, providing the right scaffold for these young writers to share what they knew or learned.
When students are a part of a writing community, they help to shape the curriculum. When their ideas are honored, they feel a connection to what is going on, and they move forward as writers and learners.
On my first read I was struck by the poetic language which helps to create the child’s sense of wonder and discovery. I loved the way Messner compares and contrasts the activities over the snow and under the snow. And, I was not disappointed to find that the author continues to delight us even after the story is finished. In the author’s note she gives a more scientific explanation for the secret kingdom, gives more information about each of the animals mentioned, and suggests resources to find out more about animals in winter. I couldn’t wait to share it with some young readers and find out what they thought!
At school, I gave the book to first grade teacher, Connie Harker, who shared it with her class. As you can expect, her students loved it as much as we both did. In fact one little girl, Willow, suggested that the class could make a book just like that. Together with Connie they brainstormed how that might look, and it wasn’t long before words and ideas were shared and recorded. Over and Under the Snow served as an important mentor text, providing the right scaffold for these young writers to share what they knew or learned.
When students are a part of a writing community, they help to shape the curriculum. When their ideas are honored, they feel a connection to what is going on, and they move forward as writers and learners.
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