The week, the second grade classes were introduced one of our grade level core works, Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts. In the story, the main character, Jeremy, really wants a pair of popular sneakers. With winter coming and new boots needing to be purchased, his grandmother reminds Jeremy that in their household, "There is no room for want, only need." When he purchases a pair of "those shoes" from a thrift shop with his own money, he has to squeeze his toes into the too-small shoes. However, even with his disappointment that the shoes do not fit and cannot be worn, he notices a friend in school needing a pair and he makes the decision to give him his pair. Moved by the kindness of the character, students engaged in meaningful conversations about that which we need and that which we want. Classes considered what is important in life and questioned certain items that may seem quite important, but in reality, are a bonus to our basic needs. They wrote letters to a character or the author which were sent to you as an artifact through Seesaw. The students engaged in further discussions to enhance their social and emotional intelligence as well as respond to questions in writing to develop their reading comprehension skills.