Dows Lane Elementary School Kindergartners Explore the Wonders of Winter Literacy

Dows Lane Elementary School kindergartners in Liz Winnegar’s class. Photo courtesy of the Irvington Union Free School District

Dows Lane Elementary School kindergartners in Liz Winnegar’s class have been engaged in a magical winter wonderland of literacy. Through a variety of captivating lessons, they’ve explored the formation of snowflakes to different types of winter weather and fictional stories with a winter setting, recently diving into a reading of “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats.

“They examined if the weather that the character experienced classified as a blizzard,” Winnegar said. “They also considered how the character, who put a snowball in his pocket, hadn’t yet learned the properties of water.”

The lessons sparked engaging conversations as students debated whether the snowfall in the book was more than a flurry or a blizzard. They drew on their previous knowledge about blizzard conditions to support their opinions. The activity seamlessly tied into the district’s Portrait of a Graduate, which nurtures students to become courageous learners, effective communicators and engaged citizens.

“This example of the beginning stages of our Portrait of a Graduate work, that begins in kindergarten, demonstrates how students begin to think critically and look at their world more deeply,” Winnegar said.

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