Teacher: Christie

I was wishing for a huge snowstorm. On this day we would not be able to go to school or academy. All students, you would think, would be very happy if this actually happened. But if you really thought about it deeply, it would not be as good as you imagined. It made me question myself about what I would do if I got a sudden snow day. At first you would think that I could play a lot, but I would not enjoy playing in the snow so much as before, after all I am not so young any more. Also, I could not go outside to play soccer, baseball, or basketball, either. You would probably say, "You could also play in the house". Maybe the young children can play in their house a lot but if you’re older, you would do not have as much to play with in the house. Older kids like visiting with their friends. If they can't visit with their friends than they would not be very happy. I would not want to spend my time bored and of course I would not want to study in my precious time off.

If I were to have a snow day I would probably put on a concert for my parents. My sister Judith and I would play a song on the piano, for example Pachelbel's “Canon D”. I would play the right hand and Judith would play the left hand. My parents would love it and would tell us how awesome we did. This idea that I just talked about would be good because my parents would get to rest and we would have fun, too! It would be like killing two birds with one stone. I think I might actually like a snow day. I could do what I wanted to do and have fun doing it. Would you like a snow day, too?

Discussion questions:

Tell me about what you understood from the story!

1. Why does Samantha wish for a snowstorm?

2. What are Sam's problems with having a snow day?

3. What are the differences in snow day activities for younger and older children?

4. What is her favorite snow day idea?

5. What is the meaning of "killing two birds with one stone" in this writing?