Third Graders Throw an International Festival

Kol hakavod to all the third graders, who just completed their "International Festival" General Studies presentations! In groups, the students have been learning in depth about different countries (including Japan, Mexico, Greece, and more). They have been reading nonfiction texts, finding out all the things to appreciate about each country and culture, and learning about the complex geography of each location. They synthesized their research into notes in their own words, organized their newfound knowledge into speeches and posters, and even learned how to label maps.

That wasn't all! In art class, they learned the histories and styles of masks around the world and created a mask in the style of their chosen country; in the Innovation Lab, they constructed models of famous sites in each country, including the Eiffel Tower, Machu Picchu, and more; and, they mastered public speaking to present to the parents who came to the festival! After the main presentation, the students stood with their posters and models and stamped the passports of parents who visited their table. Parents asked the students questions about the countries, such as climate or daily life, and each student proved their knowledge as they answered detailed questions on the fly.