Over a month of research, note taking, writing, organizing, and finalizing pays off in a “presidential” way for our elementary children this week. Each year on Halloween we celebrate "Historical Character Day." Costumes are worn, speeches are given,
and reports are shared. The ear-to-ear smiles on the children's faces indicate success.
Pride in their work is apparent as they confidently shared their reports before parents and peers. Each of the children stood tall just as our forefathers must have done 225 years ago
upon signing our Declaration of Independence.
In elementary the gears change from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." For much of the last couple of months, the children have been reading numerous resources about one of the first seven presidents of our country. Each child researched a former president of interest. They studied their president's childhood, family, their service in office, and retirement. Upon reading interesting and sometimes unbelievable facts (Did you know that John Quincy Adams had an alligator for a pet while living in the White House?), the children often couldn't contain their enthusiasm! Observing their excitement about their most recent finds and watching the children dive into more research just to see what else they could learn and share speaks volumes. One of my favorite quotes throughout this assignment was from a first year child who had just completed her final draft, “Wow! I can’t believe all those words came out of my pencil!” This project was more than just researching, writing, and presenting; it was a mark on the child's personal timeline in history.
and reports are shared. The ear-to-ear smiles on the children's faces indicate success.
Pride in their work is apparent as they confidently shared their reports before parents and peers. Each of the children stood tall just as our forefathers must have done 225 years ago
upon signing our Declaration of Independence.
In elementary the gears change from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." For much of the last couple of months, the children have been reading numerous resources about one of the first seven presidents of our country. Each child researched a former president of interest. They studied their president's childhood, family, their service in office, and retirement. Upon reading interesting and sometimes unbelievable facts (Did you know that John Quincy Adams had an alligator for a pet while living in the White House?), the children often couldn't contain their enthusiasm! Observing their excitement about their most recent finds and watching the children dive into more research just to see what else they could learn and share speaks volumes. One of my favorite quotes throughout this assignment was from a first year child who had just completed her final draft, “Wow! I can’t believe all those words came out of my pencil!” This project was more than just researching, writing, and presenting; it was a mark on the child's personal timeline in history.