By Lisa England
Media Coordinator
Morgan Elementary School
The annual North Carolina County Float Parade at Morgan Elementary was a big success this year! This is a collaborative project between media coordinator Lisa England and classroom teachers that culminates in an impressive display of floats created by the students to advertise their county.
Each fourth-grade student is assigned one of the 100 counties in North Carolina. To kick off the project, Mrs. England instructs the students during class on how to compose a business letter requesting information from each Chamber of Commerce. They are mailed, and soon the pamphlets and other items begin to come in. The students research their county in class, at home, and in the media center. Some of the families take a trip to the assigned county to learn even more.
Tourist destinations, sources of revenue, higher education, sports teams, and famous people are a few of the things that might just show up on a float. What begins as a shoe box for a student is transformed into a beautiful canvas of what makes their county a place you might want to visit.
Four faculty members at Morgan were the judges this year. Each of the five classes were awarded ribbons for first, second, and third, with several ties in each class. Honorable mention ribbons and media information awards were also given by Mrs. England.
Learning about our state in fourth grade is a long-standing strand in the curriculum. This project is far-reaching in how much the students learn from it. The sense of pride in their faces says it all.
