At Fair Grove Elementary, third grade students have the opportunity to learn about a famous Missourian of their choice. They then get to show other students what they learned by dressing up as that person and giving a speech about who they are.
Third grade teacher Dani Kepler said the project is much more than just dressing up. She stated, “This is a very comprehensive project for our third graders, and has so many different opportunities for learning. The presentation is just the final step.” She also said that students take part in the full research process, which involves reading sources, taking notes, creating a speech, and making a poster board with the information on it.
This project helps students build skills they will use throughout school. Kepler mentioned, “The goal is for our students to learn more about Missouri history and people who have made a positive impact, while also practicing life skills like researching, synthesizing information, paraphrasing, writing, technology, and public speaking, to name a few.”
Students are able to choose which famous Missourian they want to be. Kepler said, “I believe it is very important for my kids to make the choice, because I want them to be interested and invested in who they are learning about.”
Students say the project helped them connect to the people they studied. Conor Jefferson (3) chose Dick Van Dyke because of his love for acting. He stated, “I have seen Mary Poppins and like that movie. I also like to act, and he was an actor.”
Drake Overstreet (3) was inspired by baseball legend Stan Musial. He said, “He was the most interesting person to me because he was a good baseball player and was a kind teammate.
Whitney McGuire (3) chose Jane Froman because of her passion for performing. She said, “She was a singer and dancer, and I love to do both of those things.”
Karlie Crandall (3) picked Rose O’Neill because of all the drawing contests she won. She mentioned, “I chose her because she was an artist and I like drawing.”
On presentation day, the third grade students get to showcase all of their hard work that they put into the project. Kepler said, “My favorite part about the presentation day is when their nerves go away, and they confidently deliver their speech filled with pride. I love when they recognize their accomplishment and learn that hard work pays off.”
