Were you one of the tens of millions of Americans in the path of the winter storm last weekend that brought snow, ice and brutally cold temperatures to dozens of states?
If so, what was your experience? How are you spending the cold and snowy days?
If you’re not in a place that gets such winter weather, are you ever envious of those who are? Or are you happy to watch it from afar?
In “Scenes From the Winter Storm,” New York Times photographers documented snow-covered streets from New York to Texas. Here are some of the images they captured:
In the guest essay “The Peculiar Magic of a Winter Snowstorm,” Megan Craig, a professor of philosophy, reflects on why snow can feel so enchanting:
During the past several weeks, the ground in Bethany, Conn., where I live, has been pocked with wildlife tracks, a ledger of activity made visible by snow. Unlike last year, when hardly a flake fell or stuck, this year we wake to white drifts and forecasts of more on the way. Significant snowfall arrives overnight into days as hushed as prayer. The blanketed evergreen boughs hang heavy, and the twinkling lights winding up the driveway eke out their glow from under milky domes. The dog wakes early to bark at a dry ball of hydrangea blowing across the white canvas of the lawn.
After snowfall, for a moment, everything is different than it was the day before. Each shape softens, as if the world has been converted from all caps to lowercase. The outdoor palette simplifies into fewer hues; the muddy footprints and paw prints and the mangy doormat on the front step are buried, as if erased. A blanket of forgiveness.
Students, look at the photos and read the rest of the essay. Then tell us:
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How do you feel about snowstorms? Do you enjoy them or dread them? Why?
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What do you do on snow days? Do you like to stay inside and keep warm? Or do you adventure into the outdoors?
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Do you experience snow as magical, as Ms. Craig does — or something else? When you think about snow, what images or analogies come to mind? Use the two paragraphs from her essay above as a model to describe what snow looks, sounds and feels like to you.
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Share a memorable experience of snow. Perhaps it was the first time you ever saw snow, a huge storm that canceled school or a harrowing icy journey that you’ll remember forever. Why do you think this moment sticks with you?
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If you live somewhere where it doesn’t snow, do you ever wish you could experience a snowstorm like the one that spread across the United States this weekend? Why or why not?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
Natalie Proulx is an editor at The Learning Network, a Times free teaching resource.
The post How Do You Feel About Snowstorms? appeared first on New York Times.
