Description
“Snow” by Julia Álvarez is a poignant short story about a young immigrant girl named Yolanda experiencing snow in New York City for the first time. Excerpted from Álvarez’s novel How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, this text is a quick read at just 435 words, making it ideal for close reading and discussion.
Through Yolanda’s perspective, Álvarez captures the emotional complexity of adapting to a new culture during a time of national fear and uncertainty. Set against the backdrop of 1960s America and the Cuban Missile Crisis, the story explores how language, misunderstanding, and cultural difference shape a child’s experience. Álvarez shows that immigration involves far more than learning new customs; it requires navigating layered challenges tied to identity, language, fear, and belonging.
This lesson guides students through meaningful analysis while building historical and cultural context. Students begin with a before-reading activity designed to activate prior knowledge, followed by background information on the author and setting to ground their understanding of the story. As they read, students work with vocabulary terms using a graphic organizer and respond to literary analysis questions that require close reading and textual evidence. After reading, students participate in discussion questions that encourage reflection and deeper connection to the text. Complete answer keys are included to support instruction and assessment.
This resource includes a teacher guide and answer keys in PDF format, student activity pages available in both editable Word document and print-ready PDF formats, and a PowerPoint presentation covering vocabulary, setting, and author background. “Snow” is an excellent addition to any middle school ELA curriculum and works especially well during Hispanic Heritage Month, while remaining relevant and impactful throughout the school year.