For an hour on a recent April morning, the Assembly Room at Santa Catalina Lower and Middle School was overtaken by athletes, inventors, adventurers, and other significant people past and present for Grade 3’s Biography Day.
Third-graders researched important people who have made a positive impact on the world, and on Biography Day they shared their findings. They created posters to display key moments in their person’s life, along with fun facts, quotes, photos, and illustrations. Most students also dressed up as their subject.
Athletes were the most popular choice, from Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci to soccer stars Pelé and Lionel Messi to American sports legends Joe Montana and Michael Jordan. There were also lesser known historical figures, including Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the telegraph, and World War I hero Sgt. Alvin York.
Students read about, researched, and learned how to write a report about their important person. This included writing paragraphs detailing their lives, their successes, and the challenges they may have faced. Students also wrote timelines and learned how to cite their sources. Finally, they learned how to present what they had discovered. The students were eager to share their knowledge.