How A Simple Snowman Project Sparked Joy At Deer Park Middle School

DEER PARK, N.Y. — Christy Villalobos’ English as a New Language (ENL) students at Robert Frost Middle School recently took part in a meaningful cross-classroom collaboration that celebrated language, creativity, and community.

Students authored a wordless book titled “The Snowman,” allowing them to tell a complete story through illustrations and sequencing skills. After completing their books in Villalobos’ class, the students visited Rachel Burkel’s life skills classroom to share their work, reading and discussing the stories together with their peers.

To extend the experience, the ENL class then led a hands-on craft activity in which the life skills students created their own “melted snowman.” Working side by side, students practiced social language, encouraged one another and strengthened communication skills throughout the project.

The collaborative lesson created an engaging, low-stress opportunity for both groups to practice English in an authentic social setting while building connections across classrooms. The activity concluded with cupcakes and cookies to celebrate the students’ hard work and enthusiasm, with smiles, learning, and teamwork on full display.

“It is so important for students to have opportunities to practice English in a nonthreatening, supportive environment,” Villalobos said. “Experiences like this allow students to build confidence while learning from one another. Collaboration between teachers also strengthens our school community and helps students see that their voices and ideas matter.”