A+ school White Oak Elementary in Carteret County transforms classrooms using arts-integrated curriculum woven throughout daily lessons. In the article below, third-grade teacher Tiffany Morris shares a recent learning experience that helped students discover and celebrate their unique qualities. Third-grade teachers collaborated to design a meaningful, arts-integrated project that incorporated many of the A+ Essentials—an example of A+ practice in action throughout an entire school community. Well done, White Oak Elementary!
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As an A+ school, White Oak Elementary transforms classrooms using arts-integrated curriculum woven throughout daily lessons. Teachers meticulously create unique learning experiences allowing student growth to soar! Each year, White Oak Elementary focuses on a theme that encompasses A+ philosophy and helps drive our rigorous instruction in our classrooms. During the 2024-2025 academic year, our theme is “Wildly Unique,” setting the tone for our school climate from staff to students!
At the start of each school year, White Oak educators focus on social and emotional learning, encouraging students to make responsible decisions, manage their learning, and build confidence. During the month of November, our third-grade teachers incorporated lessons on self-awareness and self-esteem by teaching the importance of assessing one’s strengths and limitations and by helping students capture a sense of confidence and optimism. Third-grade teachers collaborated to design a thematic unit on being “self smart,” one of Howard Gardiner’s multiple intelligences. Using the book “The Best Part of Me” by Wendy Ewald as the anchor text, students began gathering ideas about what makes them special. Students worked in small groups to brainstorm all the things that make them unique, which led them to begin thinking about and celebrating the best qualities of all of us!
During this unit, some third-grade teachers used poetry as a way for students to share their favorite parts of themselves and explain the reasons they are special. Parents received secret letters from teachers with an invitation to write their own poems, and they gladly participated by creating poems to express their favorite parts of their children. Other teachers used the book by Wendy Ewald as a model for students to write their own version. They also photographed students showcasing their unique qualities.
Each month a different grade level works on projects, and teachers share examples of student work during staff meetings and displayed throughout the building for the community to see. Our third-grade teachers proudly displayed students’ “self smart” work in the hallways and on the school’s Facebook page to allow others to see the wonderful things we are learning at White Oak Elementary. Students, parents, and teachers alike enjoyed this activity, and we look forward to incorporating it into future students’ learning for years to come!