Students in Sarah Hartman and Laura Martin’s fourth grade students at Pinebrook Elementary have been studying North Carolina colleges and universities.

Students started the unit by taking surveys to help them decide what careers might interest them and then they picked a university or college that they might want to attend to earn that degree. Some had personal connections with the university such as a sibling or family member attending and this influenced their decision.

They wrote letters to the schools and many received replies. These replies included materials to share with others about their university and sometimes shirts or pens.

Each day was exciting as they waited for the mail to arrive.

Students worked with a partner to gather information about the history of the school, the admission requirements, the cost, and school life. They had several guest speakers who attend college come to share with them. These speakers were Grace Rauen, Ellen Tutterow and Taylor Davis. The fourth graders had lots of questions.

One parent works for Wake Forest University and made it possible for these students to visit the campus. They toured the microbiology lab, walked through Wait Chapel, explored the campus, and met the Demon Deacon mascot and a WFU cheerleader, Madi Whitlock.

At the end of the unit, students created tri-fold display boards representing their college or university which they shared at a school College Fair. Each student wore a t-shirt from their school when they presented their boards to third and fifth graders.During and after the unit, several students went to the campus of the university they researched.