Recently, third graders at Westwind put on their hard hats and entered the construction zone for an exciting educational experience. The idea behind the activity was to enhance writing skills in an imaginative, hands-on environment. The lesson was led by teachers Jillian Parker and Samantha Peacock, who each transformed their classrooms into working construction zones complete with vests, hard hats, and learning tools. 

"I was looking for something that connected to building. I wanted to build up their skills and confidence. Construction seemed like the perfect way to do that," said Parker. 

The activity focused on revising and editing, using the RACE (Restate, Answer, Cite, Explain) strategy, and strengthening sentence structure.  

"We repaired sentences while revising and editing, constructed responses to practice our RACE strategy, and built strong sentences to practice our writing skills," Parker said. 

The activity not only brushed up on their writing skills, but also helped students re-energize their enthusiasm for learning. 

"What I noticed most was that spark of enthusiasm coming back to them. The kids are really starting to get burnt out at this time of the year. I knew we needed a little creativity and fun to liven them up," said Parker. 

Peacock echoed the impact the activity had on her students’ engagement and growth. 

 “One of the activities I had my students do was repairing constructed responses. This allowed them to break down the writing, identify what was missing, and determine what was needed to make it a complete response,” said Peacock. “Working collaboratively, they revised and improved the original writing. After completing this station, students selected one of four prompts and wrote their own responses. They appeared more confident in their writing after having the experience of improving someone else’s work.” 

The immersive theme helped students approach writing from a fresh perspective.  

“Writing can be challenging, but when our students took on the role of construction workers, their confidence grew,” said Peacock. “During this activity, they didn’t feel the pressure of preparing for a big test. Instead, they focused on making repairs and building up their writing, which made the process feel more manageable and engaging.” 

Through creative teaching and interactive learning, these third graders are more confident in their writing skills.  

Great work, Westwind Elementary School!