Before this snow fall, our local forecasters said that it would be a nice fluffy snow. How did they know that? What are the different categories of snow and what causes these types of snow? What temperature and atmospheric conditions are needed for different categories of snow? (I found five categories and they have very descriptive names that kids will like!)
And if this project turns into an essay on the perfect snow for building a snowman and a photo-journal of snowmen…that is authentic learning!
The Educational Journey 
What makes an essay on the perfect snow for building a snowman “authentic?”
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Authentic means it is real and it counts. That doesn’t mean that to plan for the perfect snowman you need to build the perfect snowman. Doing worksheets where you fill in the blank or match the definition for each type of snow is how historically children were taught. They completed the worksheet and moved on. When they are able to work on a real topic that interests them the learning is internalized. A child who is interested in building the perfect snowman will be engaged and want to learn more.
The kids I worked with on a Martian Colony project didn’t go to Mars, but they researched and planned and were totally engaged in learning about Mars. They worked on topics that interested them. It was real to them. It was authentic. Hope that helps clarify a little for you. Ellie
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