Planning a trip to the United States? You could visit a travel agent, or you could ask one of Fay’s third grade state experts! This month, students launched their state presentations with a whirlwind tour of the Northeast, showcasing weeks of research, note-taking, and organization. Each student researched a specific state and compiled their findings into an engaging presentation to teach their classmates about its unique geography, culture, industries, places, and people.

Third grade teachers Katie Buteau and Rachel Lipkin guided students through the research process by teaching them how to locate and evaluate information using a variety of resources, from classroom books and the library to online databases and trusted sources like National Geographic Kids. Along the way, students learn how to distinguish reliable, credible sources from information that may appear in a Google search, building digital literacy. 

Using structured research packets, students gathered key facts such as population, area, and landmarks, and recorded interesting details that sparked their curiosity. For example, in her presentation on Connecticut, Grace L. ‘32 shared that the state is home to the Pez Candy Factory and that a restaurant in New Haven claims to have created the first hamburger! 

The project provides meaningful practice in both research and presentation skills. “Students are working on note-taking, compiling research into complete sentences, extracting information from text, graphs, maps, and photos as they try to find out as much as they can about their state,” says Katie. “As they move on to research additional states, they’ll be able to compare and contrast the cultures of states across the country.” 

After each student presentation, the class takes the time to fill out their state scrapbooks, discussing and deciding together which facts best capture what they learned. This collective reflection reinforces comprehension, collaboration, and critical thinking. 

The state study gives students multiple opportunities to strengthen their presentation skills. For the Northeast region, they shared their learning through posterboard presentations; for the Midwest, they’ll design Google Slides; and for the final region, they’ll choose the presentation format that best showcases their strengths. As they confidently present their research and respond to classmates' questions, the third graders demonstrate a growing sense of ownership, expertise, and pride in the knowledge they’ve built.