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Snowflake Bentley

English Language Arts (NYS P-12 Common Core)

Elementary, Pre-Kindergarten

The student will be able to name something a scientist does and contribute to the class book.

Buffalo Public Schools Prekindergarten Curriculum Committee

20 minutes for each group time. One morning to take the photographs and make the class book. 10 minutes to read the class book.

Can I express an opinion verbally?

This lesson would work well in a unit on snow, weather, winter, science, or biography.

In this lesson, children will learn what a scientist does and create a class book. During the first group time read the books What Does A Scientist Do? by Marcie Bovetz and What is a Scientist?by Barbara Lehn.
Brainstorm with the children a list of all of the things that a scientist does. Record their answers on a chart. During the next group time, explain to the children that Wilson Bentley was a scientist. Read the book Snowflake Bentley by Mary Azarian, stopping at points you have chosen along the way, and refer to and edit your list. You may add to it as a class, subtract from it, or discuss the fact that something on the list such as "a scientist cures diseases" may not be something Wilson Bentley did, but it is something other scientists do.
Have each child tell you something that a scientist does.
Take a picture of that child doing that scientific action. You might want to use props.
Mount each picture on a heavy sheet of paper and scribe the following sentence under each picture: Scientist child's name can scientific action.
At the next group time, read the class book with the children.