Regional Guest Speakers Visit Third Grade

The Peck School third graders are making their way around the country without leaving their classroom!

As a part of the third-grade curriculum, students learn about the 50 U.S. states, region by region—a months-long journey that culminates in the springtime. Third Grade State Spectacular, where students each showcase their “adopted” state chosen in the fall.

As students travel throughout regions, faculty and staff who hail from that geographic area are invited to the third grade for a talk about their home state. It’s a valuable learning opportunity, especially for a student who adopted a state in that region—to hear all of the unique things about life in that state from a one-time resident.

Guest speakers share fun facts about the state while also sharing personal stories and pictures of their own experiences growing up in that area. These presentations are not only educational, but also foster personal connections between third-graders and Peck adults who aren’t their own homeroom teachers.

The third grade is currently studying the Northeast, and three Peck teachers volunteered to share their home state stories: Upper School Woodworking Teacher Mark Mortensen (Maine), Lower School Art Teacher Christine Walker (New York), and Upper School Science Teacher Tim Loveday (New Hampshire.)

As the year progresses and students study different regions, other faculty and staff are on board to share their stories from around the country—Director of Community Connections and Belonging Cymone Williamson (Michigan), Second Homeroom Teacher Erin Ceder (Kansas), and Upper School Math Teacher Laura Rose (Florida), to name just a few!