Learning About Sharks in 3rd Grade - The Genius Of Sean Spencer and the Education of a Very, Very Slow Uncle #WalkMyWorld

Earlier this spring, as Henry was tucked away and the Percocets were placed back in the medical cabinet, my nephew Sean sent me his 3rd Grade Information Writing Project - a report on Sharks assigned to him in Fayetteville-Manlius, New York. I'm embarrassed to say that the envelope with his stellar composition fell the bottom of my to-do list and, EEKs, I only got to read it yesterday when I found it with the pile of bills I've haven't attended to either.

This is the world of a crazy professor. He walks two roads diverged in the woods and chooses the one with good intentions. This, of course, results in the age-ol' H...E...Double Hockey Sticks. You know the rest.

I am so glad that I discovered the writing project yesterday morning, however, while sipping coffee and filling out checks. I now see why his teachers are extremely proud and chose his information writing to be showcased by the district as exemplar. He is showing Fayetteville Manlius how to do it WRITE.

Sean wrote with a researcher's eye and composed four chapters to engage his readers about Selachimorphas (the Latin name for sharks): (1) What are sharks? (2) Habitat, (3) Myths, and (4) Sense of Smell. He reminds his readers the difference between pectoral, dorsal and tail fins, as well as educates them on the nostril, mouth, eye and gills.

Sharks live in oceans all around the world. That is something you learn about in this book. You will also learn about shark habitat, myths and their sense of smell. Lets dive into this book.

Sharks eat fish, seals and other animals.

A shark is a creature that roams the seas and is the biggest fish so far. Sharks have been on Earth since the dinosaur age. A shark is not a mammal. Sharks have five gills instead of the original one gill.

Most sharks like it deep in the oceans but they have been found on shore. Scientists have found tiger sharks in lakes. They were eating catfish and they weighed about 600 pounds.

Great White sharks live near all continents except Antarctica. Many species of sharks live in warm water. If you go fishing for a shark in a pond, you won't find one! A Tiger shark spends its day in deep water, then goes to shallow to hunt at night.

People think sharks are really dangerous to us, but that is not true. Many sharks only attack people because they get confused with there original prey, or they are just really really hungry. You can ride some sharks...they won't care.

Before I continue sharing Sean's prose, I need to interject that this is good news. My little sister, Sean's mom, shared with me once on the beach of Long Island that she wasn't afraid of sharks. She said if they ever attacked her, she'd simply bop it on the head, grab its dorsal fin, and ride the shark (like a rancher rides a horse). It is good to know that sharks wouldn't care about my sister's underwater Bronco abilities as she rides them. Still, I remain perplexed at how long my sister would be able to hold her breath under water as she harnessed a shark.

The Barnwells on vacation at a beach where sharks live.

People are hunting sharks for their body parts! Shark attacks are very rare!

Sharks have incredible sense of smell. They can smell one drop of blood in 65 gallons of water. A Great White shark can smell a group of seals from two smiles away. A shark does not smell with its nose. Two thirds (2/3) of a shark's brain controls its sense of smell. The two nostrils on a sharks snout are filled with cells. I hope you now realize how a shark smells.

Sharks have been living on earth for 200,000,000 years before the first dinosaur. It would be a shame if they become extinct. Sharks are very important animals in Earth's habitat. Sharks keep the ocean food chain in balance because it eats its prey so the oceans don't overflow with fish. I hope you this book is fishy.

People go on vacation at beaches where sharks live. 

Glossary:

habitat - natural home for an animal or plant

prey - an animal's food that it naturally eats

extinct - when an animal dies out 

Works Cited:

Holmes, Kevin. Shark. Mankato, Minnesota, Bridgetone Books, 1998. Print

Sean's work also includes drawings (even from the movie Finding Nemo) and descriptions of their huge jaws. What I loved most about his work, however, is the reflective letter (BEST PRACTICE) that Sean wrote his teacher, describing the writing processes he used in his report.

Dear Ms. Nugent,

Sean (impersonating a shark?) in a hot tub.

I taught readers information about sharks. I hooked my reader. I wrote an ending that drew conclusions. I grouped my information into parts. I put punctuation at the end of every sentence.

I'm working on using expert words to teach readers a lot about the subject. I'm also working on writing in ways that helped readers read with expression.

From,

Sean.

In the materials, too, was self-evaluation (via a rubric) and peer feedback on post-it notes, including Mrs. Feulner's comment, "You did an excellent job elaborating on your facts and made you information very clear! I loved your connections to fractions! Bravo!"

Yes, I was late getting to Sean's excellent work, but now I see why his teachers and parents were so proud. Next year I will be working with elementary schools in Trumbull and I hope to find a way to celebrate this piece of writing as what is possible in 3rd grade.

Congratulations, Sean! You need to be sure to thank your teachers and principal for encouraging writing instruction in the classroom

You Gotta Write! A'ight?