Third Grade Showing Cooperation for the Final Week of School
The last week of school is always a bittersweet moment. Despite the mix of emotions, there is always one consistent feeling; you’re exhausted. Teachers, families, and scholars have persevered throughout the year learning weekly math and phonics skills, writing and researching final expedition products and preparing for SLCs, and the last thing you want to do is plan another celebration. However, the last week of school is really a time to celebrate because you have worked so hard, and scholars want to celebrate their relationships in Crew.
As a result, the third-grade Crews combined forces to plan a week of sustainable activities and celebrations for our Turtles and Frogs. We thought of ways families could easily contribute without having to purchase additional materials or supplies for our last week. We also wanted to bring in authentic perspectives from our scholars to celebrate their identities, and celebrate the activities they enjoyed throughout the year. By creating ways for both Crews to connect with one another throughout the week, we hoped to create connections amongst the third grade Crews for their last week of school. Here are a few ideas from our week!
LEGO Day: Scholars were invited to bring LEGOs to school to share with their Crew. The crew leaders of 3rd grade decided to host a LEGO competition between the two crews. Crews had to show cooperation and curiosity and creativity to build a city. Each crew brainstormed what a city needs, then they had two hours to build their part before putting it all together. At the end of the two hours, Crew leaders received an explanation of their city from each Crew and decided on the best LEGO city. At the end of the day, we cleaned and watched The LEGO Movie (available on Max or Disney+)! This was a great activity because some third grade students have participated in LEGO club this year but some students had never built with LEGOS. Therefore, it was a great opportunity to expose students to something new and allow families to participate by being aware of the theme a few days beforehand.
Yearbook Day: Scholars received yearbooks to capture their favorite memories and experiences from third grade. In order to make each book unique, we were able to use some unused art materials in our Crew rooms as well to decorate our books! At the end of the day, scholars exchanged books with both Crews to receive signatures and phone numbers from their friends. Families shared positive comments after school about the memory books during SLCs because students were positively impacted by the activity and were eager to share with families right after school. Teachers who visited the classrooms throughout the day all asked for a copy because they wanted to complete the activity with their crews. Feel free to make your own yearbooks or find premade ones from Teachers Pay Teachers.
Board Game Day: Scholars brought a board game from home and favorite snacks to share with the Crew. Crew leaders compiled a list of games, and scholars were able to choose the game that interested them most. Scholars and crew leaders then rotated around Crew rooms to play the games of their choice for three rotations. Everyone, scholars and crew leaders, loved sharing their favorite games!
As new teachers to Detroit Prep, we noticed the support and familial relationships students in Turtle and Frog had. Over time, we have learned from each other on how to make student’s experiences in crew memorable, safe, and inclusive. We have taught each other how to be authentic and collaborative with families within our crews and amongst the third grade. We look forward to planning more themed weeks next school year and asking for more family support instead of feeling like we have to financially provide everything. It’s cool to build community across the entire grade and expose students to new and old friends. We hope these ideas inspire you in the upcoming school year! Even though you’re exhausted, prioritizing the connections is worth it.