Lessons & Units :: Snowflake Bentley 3rd Grade Unit

Paired Text Questions: Snowflake Bentley & "Cool Prize"

Lesson Plan

Snowflake Bentley | AD830L

Snowflake Bentley
Learning Goal
Integrate information from the non-fiction passage “Cool Prize” and the book Snowflake Bentley to describe the importance of snowflake photography.
Duration
Approximately 20 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided:
  1. Questions
  2. Non-fiction reading passage “Cool Prize”

Not Provided:
Snowflake Bentley
 
  • Questions 1 and 2 refer to the non-fiction passage “Cool Prize.” Questions 3 and 4 refer to the book Snowflake Bentley. Questions 5 and 6 refer to both the passage and the book.
  • Student versions of the questions are in the 'Texts & Materials' tab.
 
Part 1: "Cool Prize"
 
Read the passage “Cool Prize” out loud to your students. Alternatively, students can read the passage independently or as a group.
 
Question 1: According to the passage, why does Kenneth Libbrecht take snapshots of snowflakes?
 
Sample student answer: Kenneth Libbrecht takes snapshots of snowflakes to learn more about how the flakes get their shapes.
 
Question 2: In 2010 Kenneth Libbrecht received the Lennart Nilsson Award. What reasons did the awards committee give for honoring him?
 
Sample student answer: The awards committee said that Kenneth Libbrecht’s images "open our eyes to the . . . beauty of nature." They also said that his photos turn "mathematics [and science] into images of great beauty."
 

Part 2: Snowflake Bentley

 
Question 3: Why did Willie Bentley take photographs of snowflakes?
 
Sample student answer: Willie Bentley wanted to share the beauty of snowflakes with the world.
 
Question 4: Did other people think that Willie Bentley’s photos of snowflakes were important? Explain why or why not.
 
Sample student answer (may vary):
  • Some people thought Willie Bentley’s photos of snowflakes were important. A professor told him that he was doing great work. Also, Willie’s village set up a museum in his honor after he died.
  • Some people did not think Willie Bentley’s photos of snowflakes were important. They saw no need to take pictures of snow, because it was as common as dirt.
 

Part 3: "Cool Prize" and Snowflake Bentley

 
Question 5: How are Kenneth Libbrecht and Willie Bentley alike?
 
Sample student answer (may vary):
  • Kenneth Libbrecht photographs snowflakes, and so did Willie Bentley.
  • Kenneth Libbrecht spends hours outside during snowstorms to catch flakes, and so did Willie Bentley.
 
Question 6: Why are the snowflake photos taken by Kenneth Libbrecht and Willie Bentley important?
 
Sample student answer (may vary):
  • The photos teach people about snowflakes.
  • The photos show people how beautiful snowflakes are.
  • The photos show people how different each snowflake is.
  • The photos are works of art.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

User Comments

So easy to access...thank you!

Submitted by kimberly.buford_1765001 on 12/4/15

Thank-you so much. This will be a perfect paired reading piece to have on hand to supplement our curriculum.

Submitted by cayoung12 on 2/25/15

Perfect timing! We read Snowflake Bentley today then went out to look closer at snowflakes using black paper & magnifying glasses as suggested in the book: Going to read "Cool Prize" for comparing & contrasting - Thanks so much!

Submitted by kpatterson on 1/21/15

Awesome! Thank you so much, and just in time because we have so much snow.

Submitted by mbrothers_1 on 12/10/14

Thank you for the passage "Cool Prize". We have been using the book, "Snowflake Bentley" in our school for the last three years as a community book. This year I wanted to pair it with another text to give the students practice in comparing and contrasting. I was looking for a text to use for comparison and ReadWorks.org had just what I was looking for. Thanks!

Submitted by lortiz15 on 11/4/14