
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.