This week, TCA third graders hosted their annual State Fair, which was a culmination of nearly six weeks of research, note-taking, writing, revising, organizing and planning. Each student was assigned one of the 50 states, and spent time each week learning about their chosen state as they developed their research and note-taking skills. The children had to complete an outline, adhere to mini-deadlines along the way, rewrite their notes and outlines into paragraphs, print and organize information and create a three-panel visual presentation.

The second graders were invited to view the state projects and were provided with graphic organizers to complete as they walked through the fair. This gave the third graders opportunities to talk about their state, and the second graders not only learned something from their upper grade schoolmates, but they got a sneak peek into what they have to look forward to in third grade, as well as get an idea of what an oral presentation entails, as they will be starting their own research project on animal habitats soon.

The third graders worked very hard, learned so much and are grateful to their amazing teachers for guiding them and teaching them the skills required for a major research project.