In House 23, we decided to focus on one landmark in particular: perhaps one of the most impressive, famous, and beloved landmarks in our entire city - the Empire State Building (or, as many House 23-ers call it, the ESB!). 

To begin this study, we considered what we already know about the Empire State Building. Learning that research begins with questions, students came up with a number of “wonderings” to help guide their study. Students were then split into partnerships where they learned about what it means to be a beginning researcher through zooming in and researching one particular part of the Empire State Building’s “story.” For instance, one group focused on the demolition of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in preparation for the ESB, while another focused on the construction of the ESB itself, and another, what happened when the ESB was completed. After students rewrote the story of the Empire State Building in their own words, they revised, edited, and finally, published their paragraphs by typing them up and creating an illustration to accompany their pieces. 

What did we do with all of this information, you may wonder? Well, we thought all of our newly-learned knowledge would be good to spread to others, and thus began the creation of “House 23 News” - our class newspaper. As a group, we decided what kinds of other work should be displayed in our newspaper, ultimately creating a personalized crossword puzzle, a riddle, advertisements, and even a QR code that leads readers to a New York-themed playlist.

Our final newspaper is a reflection of all of the hard work and dedication that House 23 Second Graders put in over the course of 6 weeks. Click here to view. We hope you enjoy learning more about this beloved NYC building!

Submitted by Emma Banta