Ms. Reynolds' Third Grade Class
Flat Stanely Project
We do many fun projects in the third grade, but one of my favorites is Flat Stanley. We do the Flat Stanely project in conjunction with our Social Studies unit on maps and globes. First, we read the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. In the book, Stanley Lambchop is flattened by a bulletin board during the night, and while he's flat he gets to experience things in a new way. For example, Stanley's parents send him to visit a friend in California, but since he's flat they send him in an envelope through the mail. Following Stanley's example, we make and dress our own Stanleys and each child gets to mail his or her Stanley to a friend or relative. I encourage my students to mail their Stanley somewhere outside of the Buda or Austin area so we can really get to know more about other cultures and places around the world.
While Stanley is visiting the new place, we ask that his caretaker take pictures of Stanley while he's out and about so that way we can see everything Stanley saw. We also ask that Stanley's keeper write the student a letter that chronicles Stanley's time spent in that new place. Students love reading about where Stanley went, what Stanely saw, and what Stanley did! Since Stanley is so flat and small, he sometimes gets to experience things the students cannot!
Below is an example of a Flat Stanley I sent out last year to a friend of mine who works for NASA at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. I dressed Stanely in an astronaut outfit and sent him on his way. He returned with these pictures as well as with NASA stickers and JPL pencils that my students refused to use (they wanted to keep them as souvenirs!). Thanks to Mr. Harp for all his help with this project!
While Stanley is visiting the new place, we ask that his caretaker take pictures of Stanley while he's out and about so that way we can see everything Stanley saw. We also ask that Stanley's keeper write the student a letter that chronicles Stanley's time spent in that new place. Students love reading about where Stanley went, what Stanely saw, and what Stanley did! Since Stanley is so flat and small, he sometimes gets to experience things the students cannot!
Below is an example of a Flat Stanley I sent out last year to a friend of mine who works for NASA at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. I dressed Stanely in an astronaut outfit and sent him on his way. He returned with these pictures as well as with NASA stickers and JPL pencils that my students refused to use (they wanted to keep them as souvenirs!). Thanks to Mr. Harp for all his help with this project!
