Students will explore how their families and diverse communities celebrate winter through picture books, family photos, and stories from ELL families and the North Tonawanda Library. Beginning with “How does your family celebrate winter holidays?” they will compare traditions and consider how celebrations shape identity, community, and shared culture. Groups of four will create, critique with a star and a wish, revise with teacher feedback, and display a poster about one winter holiday tradition in a school common area. A closing circle share will invite each student to show or name a favorite family tradition and identify one similarity or difference with a classmate’s tradition.

Students will use picture books, photographs, and stories from the North Tonawanda Library and families of English language learners to identify winter holiday traditions. They will explain a family celebration and compare it with another tradition by naming one similarity or difference. In groups of four, students will create and revise a poster using drawings, symbols, and simple labels, guided by peer “star and wish” feedback and teacher criteria. Students will reflect in a circle share and communicate how families and communities celebrate winter through a school display of their posters.

Students will create a drawing showing how their family celebrates a winter holiday or special winter day. After exploring picture books, family photos, and stories shared by the North Tonawanda Library and families of ELL students, groups of four will create a poster explaining one winter holiday tradition. Groups will revise their posters using peer “star and wish” feedback and a teacher criteria check, then display the finished posters in a common school area. Students will complete a circle reflection by sharing or showing a favorite family tradition and naming one similarity or difference with a classmate’s tradition.

Invite a North Tonawanda Library partner and family members of ELL students to share a picture book, family photos, or an object connected to a winter holiday tradition. Students rotate through a brief photo-and-object gallery, noticing what families do, eat, wear, make, or share without handling fragile items. Ask, “How does your family celebrate winter holidays?” and allow students to speak, draw, or share a special winter day if they do not celebrate a winter holiday. Gather their observations on a class chart, then introduce the question, “How do families and communities celebrate winter in ways that are special to them?”

Create a “Winter Traditions Gallery” in a school common area, featuring each group’s poster under the question, “How do families and communities celebrate winter in ways that are special to them?” Posters will use ideas from picture books, family photos, and conversations with families of ELL students and the North Tonawanda Library. After peer “star and wish” feedback and a teacher criteria check, each group will briefly explain its tradition to visiting classmates and families. Close with a circle share in which students show or name a favorite family tradition and identify one similarity or difference with a classmate’s tradition.