Grade 3 Brings Connecticut to Life Through an Interactive Visitors Center

Grade 3 students recently capped off their in-depth study of Connecticut by welcoming friends and family to an interactive Connecticut Visitors Center in the Lower School Library Learning Commons. The experience invited guests to explore people, places, and landmarks significant to the Constitution State, while students showcased the knowledge they had built through sustained research and hands-on learning.

Throughout the study, teachers Ellen Eagleton and Samantha Clark helped the class develop a strong understanding of the state’s features before asking each student to select a topic of personal interest to research more deeply. Eagleton and Clark intentionally assigned overlapping topics to encourage collaboration, discussion, and shared discovery. Using a structured research planner, students practiced identifying main ideas, paraphrasing information, summarizing content, and extracting key details from curated nonfiction sources.

Library Technologist Allison Sparks helped students synthesize information into brochures using Canva and create an accompanying quiz to further engage their audience. The project emphasized critical research and analysis skills that will continue to support students in future lessons as they apply these skills to persuasive writing and collaborative projects focused on environmental change.