DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM WITH PHONE OR TABLET INTRODUCTION It’s wintertime and snow is falling outside the preschool classroom. The children wish they could be outside playing in the snow. A few have their faces longingly pressed against the window, but James and Shemeca sit at the table with Mr. Jose, making snowflakes. “Have either of you ever built a snowman?” Mr. Jose asks. “No,” says Shemeca. “I have, I have!” says James. “Tell me about the time you built a snowman, James. Tell me what happened.” James eagerly begins his story: “One time I was outside in my cousin’s backyard, and it was snowing, snowing, snowing. My cousin said, ‘Let’s build Frosty the Snow- man.’ So we patted and patted and made a big ball of snow and then another one and another. And then we found some sticks for his arms, and we used rocks for his eyes and nose and mouth. And then it was finished!” “Wow, that sounds like a cool snowman, James,” Mr. Jose praises. “Well, Elsa made a snowman,” says Shemeca. “She made Olaf.” “If you could make a snowman, what kind of snowman would you make, Shemeca?” A ll teachers have hopes and expectations for their students, regardless of their students’ country of origin, ethnicity, or home language (the lan- guage or dialect a child speaks at home). For example, you may hope that by the time children leave your classroom, they will be able to ask and answer questions and follow the basic social graces for conversations, like not interrupting while someone is speaking. Or maybe you hope that the conversations you have in your classroom will provide a safe space for children to share their feelings and opinions. 1 COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL