3rd Grade Writing Celebration

‘Changing the World’ Through Writing

Cutchogue East recently held a writing celebration to showcase a unit called Changing the World in which third grade students utilized speeches, posters, petitions and written arguments to inspire change. The writing unit aimed to teach students to use writing to advocate for change in their school, community and world, and culminated in a final song performance, “Together We Can Change the World,” which was attended by board of education trustees, administration, school leaders and parents.

Students worked collaboratively in “cause groups” on topics they were passionate about, such as adding signs in different languages to the school, protecting animals and the environment and helping those less fortunate. To prepare, the students watched TED Talks by children advocating for changes and practiced writing skills through using boxes and bullets to organize their arguments. They also rehearsed speeches, shared ideas with school leaders, and researched their topics in the library and on Chromebooks.

The students’ final presentations included written work, posters and artwork, as well as interactive stations with petitions for guests to sign during the culminating celebration.

The Changing the World writing unity taught the students to develop and support claims with strong reasons and evidence; to write persuasively using speeches, letters and arguments; and to conduct research, quote sources and cite evidence. Most importantly, the event emphasized the power of writing to inspire change and brought together the school community to celebrate the students’ creativity and hard work.