The Most Important Thing You’ll Learn in Third Grade #sol23

After consulting with a third grade teacher for two weeks,  I offered to come and teach literary essay writing  with her for a few weeks.  We have taught this unit together many times in the past.  This is a tough unit no matter how we approached it, so there we stood on a late Friday morning with a rug-full of third graders between us. 

Class, she said,  Mrs. Kennedy has come to help us with our literary essays.  

The two of us share a look over the top of the heads. 

I’m wondering what role she’ll have me take on my first day.  

She smiles.  Mrs. Kennedy is going to teach us.  

Oh,  I see how this is going to go.  

I move to the chart stand.  I glance at the paper with the thesis at the top.  I look up at the teacher.  She has an open marker in her hand.  

Ok,  let’s do this. I think as I inhale. 

Great,  where is one place in the story where Molly Lou is confident?  Let’s say each one aloud with our transition words. 

On we go, slowly and surely, until we find three places where Molly Lou is confident.  

What else do we need?  Yes,  This shows that…  

Wait a minute.  I need to tell you something.  Writers,  this is the most important thing you will learn to do in third grade.  

There is a pause in the room.  They look from the teacher to me to their teacher.  She confirms.  Yes, this is very important.  You will do this in fourth grade and throughout school and even in college.  

There is a boy sitting next to my feet.  He looks up at both of us.  No, he says, math’s way more important than writing.  You use math every day.  

(Sigh)

Ok,  I said let’s read our whole essay together.  What else do we need?  That’s right, the lesson in the story.  What is the lesson that Molly Lou learns?  

Let’s read our whole essay.  What might we say for our introduction?  Molly Lou is new at school.  She meets a bully, Ronald Durkin who challenges lots of things about her.  

Ok,  writers,  on Monday we’ll review our work, rehearse it, and then everyone will write.  Are you ready?  

Yes!  They say.  

Perhaps they would rather be doing math.