As the temperature drops outside, the classroom becomes a warm place for learning. Since students are indoors more, there is a golden opportunity to explore more reading and writing skills. Teachers always work hard to find fun and creative ways for students to learn reading and writing content. Luckily, winter is the perfect time for incorporating fun! There is so much to study, from snowflakes and reindeer to candy hearts and chocolate. Thankfully, these free winter activities for upper elementary have fun themes for practicing essential skills!

Winter Reading in Upper Elementary

The extremities of winter vary so much across the globe. For instance, while some places see freshly fallen snow often, others only feel mild temperatures during winter. Many students may be familiar with winter animals, while others may not know they exist. Combining these winter topics with reading skills is a fantastic way to increase student knowledge!

Several reading skills can be challenging to master without practice. For instance, upper elementary students always need to practice identifying the main idea and supporting details. Students often confuse the main idea with the summary, while others can’t seem to grasp the concept. 

Winter activities are perfect for reviewing this skill. By mid-school year, students are at least familiar with the main idea and will be excited to show all they know! Luckily, the Winter Main Idea and Supporting Details with Nonfiction Text are excellent for reviewing this concept. Best of all, it’s FREE for teachers to snag below!

FREE Winter Main Idea Nonfiction Passages

Students will love showcasing their knowledge while working through this free winter activity for upper elementary reading. In total, there are four pages of festive winter-themed activities for main idea and supporting details. 

Specifically, there are two nonfiction passages for students to learn all about reindeer and snowflakes! Students will love learning all about the life cycle of snowflakes and how reindeer adapt to their environment. These fun winter topics will hold student interest while they use strategies to find main idea and supporting details. 

There are also two main idea graphic organizers to help guide students when finding the passage’s topic, main idea, and supporting details. Graphic organizers are also included next to each passage. This makes it easy for students to jot down the main idea and supporting details they identify. 

Also, implementing this free winter activity into your classroom is a breeze! There are so many ways to use this resource. For example, this is great for morning work, small groups, or even whole class review! Best of all, these winter printables are completely no-prep, just print-and-go!

For more great winter activities for upper elementary reading, check out the full version of Winter Main Idea and Supporting Details Nonfiction Passages. It will surely bring the magic of winter to your classroom with over 20 winter-themed passages!

Winter Writing in Upper Elementary

Winter can be a crazy time for teachers! From winter breaks to state test prep and benchmarks, it sometimes feels like there is never time to teach it all! Writing is one subject that always gets pushed to the side. That is because writing takes time! It requires time to teach proper strategies, time to allow students to write, and time for feedback. Thankfully, the Winter Writing Choice Board is a quick and easy way to incorporate writing into your plans. Make sure to grab it for FREE below!

FREE Winter Writing Choice Board

This fun writing activity for upper elementary will fill the room with creativity and winter whimsy! This resource has over 16 winter writing prompts for students to choose from. Students will feel confident knowing they can choose the writing prompts they will do best at. 

From opinion writing to creative stories, there is an exciting winter topic for every type of writing. For instance, students can write about the sensory details of winter, why conversation candy hearts are better than chocolates, facts about penguins, and many more! Students will love sharpening their writing skills using this free winter activity for writing. Honestly, this no-prep winter writing choice board will help teachers get through the busiest months of the year. 

Winter may be dreary and cold sometimes, but with fun winter activities for upper elementary, teachers can bring the magic into their classrooms! Reading and writing skills are essential. Students will be so thankful they are practicing important material in a fun, wintry way!

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Save this blog post to your favorite winter Pinterest board for teaching! You’ll be able to come back here when you’re ready to incorporate free winter activities into your lesson plans.