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Mother, may I go to school to meet Polly?" asked Peter. "Tim has gone away. I have played with Wag-wag all the afternoon."

"Why, yes," said mother.

"Then may Polly and I take a walk? We will not go far."

"Yes," said mother again. "Be home before dark, please. It grows dark very early now. Next month will come the shortest days of the whole year."

Peter went over to the schoolhouse. The children were just coming out.

One of the big boys said to him, "Hello, Peter. Did you think that you would come to school again? Have you grown big enough now? "

Peter only said, "I am waiting for Polly and there she is."

"Polly, Polly," he called, "come with me. Mother said that we might take a walk. I know where to go."

"Where?" asked Polly.

"To the place where the brook runs under the road. Let us go under the road today. Will you?"

"All right, I will," said Polly. "I always meant to. But I forgot about it. It will be fun. Isn't it cold?"

"Yes," said Peter. "My fingers are cold. But I do not care. Only I wish that I had on my new mittens."

"Look at this," said Polly. "Come out in the road. See how it is frozen into ruts. I am going to walk on the ridges."

"That isn't very much to look at," said Peter. "It has been that way for a few days."

"Yes, it has," said Polly. "But look in the ruts. There is ice. It is thin. Let us step on it. Hear it crack."

"There is a puddle," said Peter. "It has ice on it, too. See me step on that."

"Keep off the middle," said Polly. "You do not know how deep that puddle is. If the ice lets you down, you may get your feet wet."

"All right," said Peter. "There is the blacksmith's shop, Polly. Do you think that the blacksmith is inside?"

"Perhaps he is, Peter. See! He has closed his big door. That is because it is cold weather.

"He has it closed in winter. I like it to be summer better. Then I can see into the shop."

"Here is the brook, Polly. Let us climb down the bank and look under the road."

"There is ice on the edges of the brook, Peter. I think that the boiling spring is colder than ever now. Let's break off pieces of this ice."

"Can we walk through under the road?" asked Peter. "I told Tim about it. He said that we could not."

"I think that we can," said Polly. "Come on. We will try. Keep close to the wall. Do not step into the water."

"It is quite dark," said Peter. "I am glad that it is not far."

"You must bend down now, Peter. I have to bend down. Do not push me. I shall slip in, if you do."

"Oh, there is the end," said Peter. "I can see the field. I do not like this place. It is hard walking on the stones. It is cold here, too."

"I am out," shouted Polly. "Come on, Peter. Oh Peter, Peter, Peter!"

"What, what?" called Peter. "Have you fallen in?"

"No, no!" shouted Polly. "But look at this! Don't you know what it is?"

"A snowflake, a snowflake!" cried Peter. "And here is one on my sleeve, too."

"There are more in the air, Peter. See them! See them! Do you suppose that it will be winter right away?"

"Of course it will, Polly. It is winter when the snow comes. Let us run home and get our sleds. You may take my new one part of the time."

The children were at home before it was dark.

At supper time, when father came, Polly said, "Will you please get our sleds out for us tomorrow, father? How much has it snowed now?"

"Not much," said father. "You see, that was just a little flurry of snow. We shall have many such before there is a good storm. You must wait a little longer for your sliding."

Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the story multiple times.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

As Peter and Polly take a walk, Polly observes that ice covers the ruts in the road. A thin layer of ice also covers a puddle. As the children walk, they see their first snowflake of the fall season. The children are excited and ask their father to get out the sled. He tells them that this is only a flurry. Sledding must wait until there is a big snow.

Vocabulary

Rut: A long deep track made by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles.
Ridge: A narrow raised band running along or across a surface.
Sled: A vehicle on runners that slides or is pushed over the snow.
Crack: A line on the surface of something along which it has split without breaking into separate parts.
Snowflake: A feathery ice crystal.
Flurry: A small swirling mass of something, especially snow or leaves, moved by sudden gusts of wind.
Solid: A substance that does not change its shape when placed in a container.
Liquid: A substance that takes the shape of its container.
Gas: A substance that takes the shape of its container and fills its entire container.

Concepts

In the story, the children see that some of the liquid water in a puddle has changed into ice.

  1. In our everyday lives, we encounter matter in three states - solid, liquid, and gas.
  2. The state of matter depends in part on the temperature of the matter.
  3. At room temperature, water is a liquid.
  4. If liquid water becomes cold enough, it becomes ice, a solid.
  5. If liquid water becomes hot enough, it becomes water vapor, a gas.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: States of Matter

Objective:

Investigate three of the states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.

Materials:

Ice cubes, cup, saucepan, plastic baggie.

Procedure:

Experiment 1: Frozen Water

  • Take a few ice cubes (frozen water) from the freezer and place them in a cup.
  • Examine the frozen water and determine whether they change their shape when placed in the glass.
  • Examine the frozen water and determine whether it is solid, liquid, or gas.

Experiment 2: Melted Water

  • Melt the ice cubes at room temperature for a few hours, or instructors can place the ice cubes into a pan and heat them until melted. Pour the water back into the cup.
  • Examine the water and determine whether the melted water changes its shape when placed in the glass.
  • Examine the water and determine whether it is solid, liquid, or gas.

Experiment 3: Boiled Water

  • Instructors pour the water into a pan, and heat the water until it boils.
  • Observe the water vapor rising from the pan as the water boils.
  • (Don't do this due to the risk of burns.) If you placed a cup over the vapor, the vapor would fill the whole cup.
  • Examine the water vapor and determine whether it is solid, liquid, or gas.

Review

Question 1

In the story, what happens to the water in the puddle?
1 / 4

Answer 1

The water in the puddle has turned into ice.
1 / 4

Question 2

What do the children see floating down from the sky?
2 / 4

Answer 2

The children see snowflakes floating down from the sky.
2 / 4

Question 3

What do the children ask their father to do?
3 / 4

Answer 3

The children ask their father to get the sled.
3 / 4

Question 4

Why won't the children's father get out the sled?
4 / 4

Answer 4

The children's father tells them there is not enough snow yet for sledding.
4 / 4

  1. In the story, what happens to the water in the puddle? The water in the puddle has turned into ice.
  2. What do the children see floating down from the sky? The children see snowflakes floating down from the sky.
  3. What do the children ask their father to do? The children ask their father to get the sled.
  4. Why won't the children's father get out the sled? The children's father tells them there is not enough snow yet for sledding.

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