Grade 6 Students Shine at the Innovators in Action Biography Expo

On Tuesday, June 9, Grade 6 students showcased months of learning during Far Hills Country Day School's annual Innovators in Action Biography Expo. The project challenged students to study the life of an inventor or innovator, become experts on their chosen individual, and share what they learned through writing and presentation.

Before spring break, each student selected a scientist from a curated list of notable innovators. To introduce the biography genre, Grade 6 was guided through short biographical readings and a class novel about Albert Einstein. Along the way, students practiced annotating texts, identifying key details, and analyzing the events that shaped a person's life.

Students then independently read and annotated their own biographies, gathered important information, and transformed their research into biography papers. After multiple rounds of writing, editing, and peer review, they condensed their work into engaging two-minute presentations.

The project helped students strengthen a variety of skills, including reading comprehension, research, writing, organization, time management, and public speaking. Students also made cross-curricular connections through History and Art. In History, they created timelines that explored both their innovator's life and the important world events of the same era. In Art, they designed creative postage stamps featuring their chosen innovator, which were displayed at both the Art Show and the Expo.

During the Expo, each student delivered a presentation highlighting the life, accomplishments, and impact of their innovator. While all students followed the same process, each presentation reflected the student's unique perspective and understanding of their subject.

Reflecting on the experience, Upper School English Teacher Vicki Lawton shared, "Not only did each 6th-grader become an expert on their individual biography, but together as a class, including myself, we had the opportunity to learn about the lives of 25 different famous innovators. By learning how their innovators persevered and worked through challenges, my students gained their own skills in annotating, writing, presenting, and persevering. I am very proud of all my students."

The Expo was a celebration of both the remarkable innovator students studied and the growth they experienced as readers, writers, researchers, and presenters throughout the process.

Click here to view the photo gallery!