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Pond Calendar

School: Alice B. Beal Elementary

City/State: Springfield, MA

Grade(s): 3

Format(s): Calendar

Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science and Technology, Visual Arts

Project Overview

This calendar was created by 3rd grade students at the Alice B. Beal Elementary School in Springfield, Massachusetts as part of a Learning expedition on ecosystem, pond life and animal/plant classification.

Students did multiple rounds of fieldwork at a local pond to make observations and gather specimens. Their classroom housed more than a dozen aquariums in which they put their collects plants and animals – all of which was carefully returned to the pond. Students also worked with various local experts, including naturalists who worked at the park where the pond was located.

This calendar combines standard features of a calendar with aspects of a field guide. The combination creates a multipurpose product that helps orient people to the pond’s plant and animal life. Each month’s entry includes a carefully-crafted water color of a plant or animal that students observed and researched. The text accompanying each painting includes information about that organism’s habit, life cycle and other “interesting facts.”

Student work went through multiple rounds of drafts and critique.

Learning Targets are also included in this product, which helps the reader understand the range of skills students developed during this project. The Learning Targets content skills and concepts in science, research skills, writing skills and art skills.

Students worked on all aspects of this calendar, including the layout and design and scanning of their paintings.

How This Project Can Be Useful

  • Excellent Learning Targets – shows how the project addressed a broad range of academic skills, concepts and work habits
  • Highlights a product that nicely combines two product formats – a calendar with a field guide
  • Highlights a product with very strong aesthetic quality – the watercolor paintings are carefully done and are very engaging. See paintings of the Dragonfly (page 8), the Canada Goose (page 30), and the Crawfish (page 34) for examples
  • Includes well-formed Learning Targets on page 2 showing a range of what students worked on: content knowledge, technology skills and the development of an overall work ethic
  • Demonstrates the use of a common template for each entry (which adds consistency), while retaining students’ unique contributions
  • The structure of the book allows for individual accountability within a group product

Common Core State Standards

Standard Long Term Learning Target
W.3.2
  • I can write an informative/explanatory text.
W.3.4
  • With support from adults, I can produce writing that is appropriate to task and purpose.
W.3.5
  • With support from peers and adults, I can use the writing process to plan, revise and edit my writing.
W.3.6
  • I can use technology to collaborate with others on a piece of writing.
W.3.7
  • I can conduct a research project to become knowledgeable about a topic.
W.3.8
  • I can sort evidence into provided categories.
L.3.1
  • I can use grammar conventions to send a clear message to a reader or listener.
L.3.2
  • I can use conventions to send a clear message to my reader.
L.3.3
  • I can compare how people use language when they write versus when they talk.
L.3.6
  • I can accurately use 3rd grade academic vocabulary to express my ideas.
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