The Symmetry of Snowflakes
Celebrating the change of season with science and language arts activities.
By Rachel D
Whether or not you live in a place that snows, there’s no better way to get into the winter spirit than by making your own snowflakes to hang in the classroom. Creating snowflakes with your class is a great way to discuss symmetry in math or science class as part of a winter theme. However, teachers can take it one step further by adding in a language arts lesson on haiku poetry. After creating their snowflakes, students can write their own haiku in language arts.
Snowflake Symmetry
Snowflakes are intricate, delicate, complex and symmetrical. Snowflakes emulate the internal order of water molecules as they become solid during the process known as crystallization. When water molecules are in the solid state (ice or snow) they form hydrogen bonds to connect to each other. This process results in the symmetrical and hexagonal shape of the snowflake.
Making Snowflakes
There are many ways to make a snowflake. My favorite one, which requires less prep time and is affordable, is to use coffee filters. Coffee filters are already in a perfect circle, and the transparent material makes the perfect, delicate snowflake. You may also use a regular white piece of paper or cardstock, cut in the shape of a square or circle.
It may be helpful to demonstrate the following steps for students before you let them loose, or do each step along the way with your students. First, fold your coffee filter or paper in half. Then, fold it again in thirds. Some students may need help folding the paper equally into thirds. Now, your snowflake will have six different “arms” to create its hexagonal shape. Lastly, cut out your desired pattern, using a template or freehand.
The following websites have great patterns for snowflake making:
- Dave's Snowflakes
- Marcel's Kid Crafts
- Paper Snowflakes
- All Season Snowflakes
Students will enjoy unfolding their snowflakes to reveal their unique and symmetrical snowflake. These are fun to hang around the room, in order to create your own classroom winter wonderland.
What is a Haiku?
If you have more time, try combining this science activity with a fun language arts activity too!
A haiku is a very short form of Japanese poetry. A traditional English haiku consists of seventeen syllables and three separate lines. The first line must contain five syllables, the second has seven, and the third has five. Due to the various translations from Japanese to English, some English haikus contain
between eleven to seventeen syllables.
Writing Haikus
After your students create their snowflakes, give students time to write a simple haiku to go along with their symmetrical creation. You may want to brainstorm some good snowflake descriptors on the board to help students with their haiku, for example: symmetrical, delicate, shapes, cold, ice, pretty, snow, winter, hexagon, etc. Below are two examples of snowflake haikus:
The snowflake forms fast
from a liquid to solid
a hexagon shape
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My snowflake is nice
it’s a symmetrical shape
it hangs on the wall
After your students’ own haikus are completed, have them type or write it neatly to display, along with their snowflakes.