Stranger in the Woods
By Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick
The blue jay alerts the others. There's a stranger in the woods! Who or what will it turn out to be? This "photographic fantasy"
will be a winter favorite in your classroom.
Vocabulary:
Pale
buck
chatter
fawn
glimmer
doe
Plenty
Mourn
boast
sputter
twirl
curious
rustle
meadows
stranger
snort
twist
forest
Antlers
crisp
trail
scamper
encourage
Compound words:
Daybreak
snowflakes
bluejays
snowman
Evergreens
everything
someone
something
Prefix:
Dis-
Suffixes:
-ed
-ing
-est
Create a list of words that mean say or said:
Chirped, announced, whispered, chattered, etc.
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A Photographic Fantasy
Begin by reading in a whispered voice as the children capture the concerned mood of the animals when they become aware of
a stranger in the woods. A collective sigh will fill your classroom when they find out who or what the stranger really is. Stranger
in the Woods, which is subtitled as a “photographic fantasy,” is written and created by Carl Sams II and Jean Stoick. It is a
beautifully illustrated winter story for ages preschool through third grade. Use for a winter theme or on a snowy day.
Use Stranger in the Woods-inspired activities to do a sequencing assignment and to discuss ways to help animals in winter.
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After Reading the First Time
Begin a discussion.
Which animal was the first to notice that something was different in the woods? Why did the fawn say that he listens to wind
blowing, the leaves rustling and the sounds of the woods? Which animals were too busy or afraid to take the lead in finding the
stranger? Which two animals were the first to come face-to-face with the stranger? How will the children know when to stop
feeding the animals? List the signs of spring.
Sequencing Activity
You'll need white construction paper.
Prepare slips of paper with an animal name on each piece of paper. The animals in the book are: blue jay, Mother Doe, fawn,
owl, dove, muskrat, buck, squirrel, porcupine, rabbit, chickadee, mouse, cardinal. You may duplicate some of the animals so
that there is one for each student. Put one slip of paper with the word “snowman” on it.
Give every student a piece of white construction paper. Each student may choose one slip of paper from the container. The
assignment is to draw and color a picture of the animal. Make it almost as large as the paper. The students may look at the
book to get a better look at the animals.
Place the person with the snowman to one side of the room. Then read the book again and as you mention each person’s
animal they should come up and “act out” the animal’s reaction to the stranger in the woods.
Then have everyone sit down and ask them to put the story in sequence without you reading it. The blue jay begins. Each
person who comes up should tell what his or her animal did.
Animals in Winter
How do animals prepare for winter? Some curl up for a long sleep, some migrate and some adapt.
Depending on where you live, discuss with your class how you can feed the animals that are in your area. Also discuss safety
precautions to take when around animals in nature. There are also tips for what the animals should be given. Some food can
do more harm than good. Make sure there is water, especially for the birds, and that the water is not frozen over. They need it
to drink and bathe.
Here is a great website to use: The National Wildlife Federation (http://www.nwf.org/) has tips for what to do at home, school
and in your local area.
You may want to build a bird feeder. There are many ways to do it. Decide what is best for your yard. Can it hang from a tree
or does it need to sit on a tree stump or picnic table? That will determine how you make it.
Stranger in the Woods showed how two kids stayed involved in nature even in the winter. Stranger in the Woods-related
activities may inspire some of your students to do the same. Call you local Wildlife Federation office for other tips. They may
even be able to provide a guest speaker to visit your classroom.
Resource: The National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/
Image Source: www.barnesandnoble.com
Social Studies:
Stranger Danger
Students learn and discuss what to do when approached by a stranger. In this stranger lesson plan, students answer
questions based on a book that the teacher reads. They then participate in a discussion about rules and guidelines to follow
when it comes to strangers. They are then given a booklet to do over the course of a week that have to deal with strangers.
Math:
Compare the various size using attributes. Small, smaller, smallest
big, bigger, biggest
Fast, faster, fastest – students can draw and write about the animal that fits into the category.
Count the animals using the different attributes. How many have two legs? How many have four legs? How many fly?
Draw a math poster with the animals visiting the snowman. Example: Four birds visited the snowman in the morning, three
birds visited him in the afternoon. How many birds visited the bird on that day?
Science:
Discuss with students the idea of a food chain. Have then create a food chain using the animals in the story.
Discuss with students the way different animals survive during the winter. What does a bear do? A bird? A deer?
Learn how snow forms, what a blizzard is, different types of snow sports and more. Read on and enjoy
learning about snow with our fun facts and trivia.
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Snow forms when water vapor in the atmosphere freezes into ice crystals.
Snowflakes form in a variety of different shapes.
Snow is a form of precipitation, other forms of precipitation are rain, hail and sleet.
Light and fluffy snow is often called ‘powder’.
 Heavy snowfalls are often called ‘snowstorms’.
 Snowstorms with high winds are often called ‘blizzards’.
Snow reflects a high level of ultraviolet radiation and can cause snow blindness
(photokeratitis). Sunglasses,
goggles and other eye protection help absorb the ultraviolet rays.
A number of winter sports rely on snow, including skiing and snowboarding.
Recreational activities such as snowball fights, tobogganing and making snowmen are also
popular in the snow.
Skis, sleds and snowmobiles are useful transport options through snow.
Snow can lower visibility, making driving conditions dangerous.
The highest snowfall ever recorded in a one year period was 31.1 meters (1224 inches) in Mount
Rainier, Washington State, United States, between February 19, 1971 and February 18, 1972.
Make a Crystal Snowflake!
Learn how to make a snowflake using borax and a few other easy to find household items. Find out how crystals are
formed in this fun crystal activity, experiment with food coloring to enhance the look and keep your finished
crystal snowflake as a great looking decoration!
What you'll need:
 String
 Wide mouth jar
 White pipe cleaners
 Blue food coloring (optional)
 Boiling water (take care or better still get an adult to help)
 Borax
 Small wooden rod or pencil
Instructions:
1. Grab a white pipe cleaner and cut it into three sections of the same size. Twist these sections together in the center so
that you now have a shape that looks something like a six-sided star. Make sure the points of your shape are even by
trimming them to the same length.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Take the top of one of the pipe cleaners and attach another piece of string to it. Tie the opposite end to your small wooden rod or
pencil. You will use this to hang your completed snowflake.
Carefully fill the jar with boiling water (you might want to get an adult to help with this part).
For each cup of water add three tablespoons of borax, adding one tablespoon at a time. Stir until the mixture is dissolved but don’t
worry if some of the borax settles at the base of the jar.
Add some of the optional blue food coloring if you'd like to give your snowflake a nice bluish tinge.
Put the pipe cleaner snowflake into the jar so that the small wooden rod or pencil is resting on the edge of the jar and the snowflake
sitting freely in the borax solution.
Leave the snowflake overnight and when you return in the morning you will find the snowflake covered in crystals! It makes a great
decoration that you can show your friends or hang somewhere in your house.
What's happening?
Crystals are made up of molecules arranged in a repeating pattern that extends in all three dimensions. Borax is also known as sodium bora
it is usually found in the form of a white powder made up of colorless crystals that are easily dissolved in water.
When you add the borax to the boiling water you can dissolve more than you could if you were adding it to cold water, this is because warme
water molecules move around faster and are more spread apart, allowing more room for the borax crystals to dissolve.
When the solution cools, the water molecules move closer together and it can't hold as much of the borax solution. Crystals begin to form on
of each other and before you know it you have your completed crystal snow flake!