The Snowman (Barbour Christmas Advert 2018)

The story of a girl who believes in the magic of Christmas, and what happens when she wakes to a snowy Christmas morning…​​

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

English

• Explore our huge bank of ideas related to Raymond Briggs’ wonderful book The Snowman.
• Stop the video at 0:17 and discuss the dedications at the beginning of the book. Why are there two? How are they linked?
• Stop the video at 0:24 - write a thought bubble for the girl as she sees the snow. What might she be thinking? How might she be feeling?
• Stop the video at 1:11. Why doesn’t the girl want to play with the dog?
• Discuss the line“Maybe, just maybe” - what does it mean?
• Write the story from Dad’s point of view.
• Write some dialogue between the characters.
• Make a storyboard of the story.
• Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for cold, e’g’ nippy, freezing.
• Write a character description for the girl.
• Draw a map showing the girl’s emotions throughout the story. How do they change?
• What happens next? Write the next part of the story.
• Write the girl’s diary entry for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Science

• Watch the section from 0:55 to 1:09 and observe how the shadows change. Make your own snowman (perhaps out of a large piece of cardboard if you are not lucky enough to have snow!) and observe how the shadows change during the day.
• If you do have snow, try this melting snowman experiment.
• Try making some snow slime.

Computing

• Use an animation program to make an animation of a flying snowman.

Design Technology

• Use our templates to build a snowman.
• Design a jacket to keep the girl warm.

Art

• Make your own paper snowman.
• Finish the snowman picture in this template.

Music

• Learn and sing “Walking in the air”.
• Listen to some different versions of “Walking in the air”. Which do you prefer? Why?

History

• 2018 is the 40th anniversary of the publication of the book. How were things different in 1978? Research on the internet and ask friends and family. How would a 1978 Christmas be different from one today?

Physical education

• Make up a dance to “Walking in the air”. ​

Religious education

• The book dedications say “Always believe in Christmas Magic.” What is belief? What do you believe in?​

Languages

• Find out the words you need to describe snow and cold weather in the language you are learning.​

PSHE

• What qualities does the girl show in the story? Why are those qualities important? When have you been determined, for example?​