Image of world's tallest snowperson with wreath eyes and red tire mouths
CHRIS DAGDIGIAN (Olympia); Cavan Images/Alamy Stock Photo (Olympia’s Face); Shutterstock.com (Hat)
Picture This,

Tallest Snowperson Ever

From the December 2024/January 2025 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will get information about the tallest snowperson ever made from text and an image.

Lexiles: 380L
Featured Skill: Key Details,
Topic: Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.3 Decoding RI.1.1 Key details RI.1.3 Connecting information RI.1.4 Vocabulary RI.1.5 Text features RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and images RI.1.7 Use visuals SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative discussions with peers and adults SL.1.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read-aloud
TEKS Standards
  • Science
    (6) Matter and its properties. The student knows that objects have physical properties that determine how they are described and classified. The student is expected to: (B) explain and predict changes in materials caused by heating and cooling. (9) Earth and space. The student knows that the natural world has recognizable patterns. The student is expected to describe and predict the patterns of seasons of the year such as order of occurrence and changes in nature.

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Meet Olympia. She is the tallest snowperson ever made. 

Her mouth was made with tires. Her eyelashes were skis. Her arms were trees!

Olympia did not last forever. Over time, she melted. But maybe someone will build an even taller snowperson this winter.

Olympia was made in 2008 in Maine. She was 122 feet tall. Will there ever be a taller snowperson?

Olympia is made of:
  • ski eyelashes
  • wreath eyes
  • red tire mouth
  • tree arms
  • black tire buttons
video (1)
Games (1)
Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
video (1)
Games (1)
Activities (3) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Nonfiction Text Features: Photographs & Labels

Social Studies Focus

Arts and Culture

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

  • Whole group
  • Small group

Pairings and Text Connections

  • In this issue: "Lost Hat"
  • From the Storyworks 1 archive: "Picture This!: Frozen Castle" (December 2023/January 2024); "Picture This!: The Tallest Sandcastle" (May/June 2023)
  • Suggested book: The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll; The Biggest, Best Snowman by Margery Cuyler; Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright and Stephen Gilpin

Before-Reading Resources

  • Video: What Do You Know About Snow? (5 minutes) Build background knowledge on this chilly topic.

Suggested Reading Focus

Getting information from text and images/labels (20 minutes)

  • Begin by reminding children that we get information from pictures. Take a close look at the photo of the snowperson. Ask children to share what they notice about it.
  • Put your finger on a label, and have children do the same. Ask children what labels do. (They point to a part of the picture and tell us more about it.) Have children follow the arrows with their fingers. Then read the labels together.
  • Read the mini article photo caption aloud for more information about the tallest snowperson ever made. What was she made of? How tall was she?
  • Finally, discuss what children learned from the picture and the words in the article. What was most interesting?

After-Reading Skills Practice

Skills: Complete sentences; Labeling (15 minutes)

Text-to-Speech