Firefighters and police officers are stronger together — by working as a team, they solve problems, keep our community safe, and show us what it means to care for one another. Today we celebrate everything we have learned this week and begin looking ahead to how we can share our learning with the world.

Provocation Response: Two Helpers, One Scene (7 minutes)

As students arrive, they will notice the two side-by-side photographs on the provocation table — a firefighter and a police officer, both present at the same scene. Do not explain the setup. Simply smile and say: 'I wonder what you are thinking this morning.'

Once all students are gathered in the meeting circle, invite them to share what they noticed. Ask: 'What did you see at the table? Why do you think BOTH helpers are in the picture? What do you think is happening?' Take 3–4 responses, honoring each one warmly. Then ask: 'We have spent two whole weeks learning about firefighters and police officers separately. But what happens when they have to work TOGETHER? What do you think that looks like?' Allow students to turn and talk briefly with a neighbor before sharing with the group.

This provocation activates the synthesis thinking that is the heart of today's lesson — students are being invited to connect two bodies of knowledge they have built separately and see them as part of a larger whole. Do not rush this moment. Let students sit with the image and the question it raises.

Greeting Routine: 'Good Morning, Team Member!' (8 minutes)

Continue the arc greeting routine with a final Week 3 update to connect to today's theme of teamwork and cooperation. Model the greeting with a student volunteer: pick up their name card, look them in the eye, and say: 'Good morning, [Name]! You are a great team member!' That student responds: 'Good morning, [Teacher's Name]! You are a great team member too!' Then they pick up the next name card and continue around the circle.

Before beginning, briefly remind students of the two community agreements: look at the person you are greeting, and use a friendly voice. As the greeting travels around the circle, narrate what you observe: 'I love how Amara looked right at her partner when she said those words — that is what it looks like to be a real team member. Firefighters and police officers do this too — they look at each other, they listen to each other, and they work together. That is what makes them so good at keeping us safe.'

The progression from 'curious questioner' to 'grateful friend' to 'giving friend' to 'team member' across the four days of this week is intentional — it mirrors the arc's deepening movement from individual learning to collective action and community.

Sharing: What Did We Learn This Week? (10 minutes)

Transition from the greeting into a brief sharing circle using the toy fire truck as a talking piece. Pose the question: 'We have had an amazing week. We learned about police officers, we met a real police officer, we showed our gratitude, and we made a care package. If you could tell someone ONE thing you learned this week — one thing you will never forget — what would it be?'

Allow 5–6 students to share briefly. After each share, invite one follow-up question from the group: 'Does anyone have a wondering question for [Name]?' After sharing, make a brief connection to the arc's big idea: 'Everything you just shared — the facts, the feelings, the things you made — that is what learning looks like. And today we are going to put it all together by thinking about how firefighters and police officers work as a TEAM. Because the best helpers — just like the best learners — know that they are stronger together.' Record 1–2 student ideas on sticky notes to add to the KWL chart during literacy time.

Morning Message and Day Preview (5 minutes)

Direct students' attention to the morning message written on chart paper. Read it aloud together, tracking the words left to right with your finger (RF.K.1a): 'Today we celebrate our learning and think about teamwork!' Ask students to read it with you a second time. Point out the exclamation mark: 'What does this mark tell us about how to read this sentence?' (With excitement and energy.) Then briefly preview the day: 'This morning we are going to read a book about teamwork, practice our rhyming and syllable skills, do some counting, explore teamwork at our centers, add the final touches to our mural, and celebrate everything we have learned in Week 3. On Monday we start Week 4 — and that is when we get to share our learning with the whole school. But today, we celebrate US.'

KWL Chart Update: What Do We Know About Teamwork? (8 minutes)

Gather students at the whole-group meeting area in front of the KWL chart from Weeks 1–3. Read aloud the Learned column together, pointing to each entry as you read and tracking left to right with your finger (RF.K.1a). Ask: 'We have learned so much about firefighters and police officers this week. Today our question is about TEAMWORK — about how these two groups of helpers work together. What do you already know about teamwork? Have you ever worked as part of a team?'

Take 4–5 responses and write them verbatim in the Know column, reading each one back as you write. Then ask: 'What do you wonder about how firefighters and police officers work together? What would you want to know?' Add 2–3 student questions to the Wonder column. Celebrate every contribution: 'That is a beautiful wondering question — let's see if our book today helps us think about it!'

Before moving to the read-aloud, briefly acknowledge the week's journey: 'Look at how much we have added to our Learned column since Monday. On Monday, we were just starting to wonder about police officers. Now look at everything we know! That is what a whole week of learning looks like.'

Read-Aloud: 'Officer Buckle and Gloria' by Peggy Rathmann — Book Features and Teamwork Focus (22 minutes)

Hold up 'Officer Buckle and Gloria' by Peggy Rathmann. Before reading, invite students to lead the book orientation rather than the teacher modeling it first — this is a deliberate shift that honors their growing fluency with RL.K.5.

Ask: 'We have been practicing how to look at a book's features all week. Who can help me find the TITLE?' Invite a student volunteer to come up and point to it. Read it aloud together while tracking left to right. Then ask: 'Who can find the AUTHOR?' Another volunteer points to Peggy Rathmann's name. 'And who can find the ILLUSTRATOR?' A third volunteer points to the illustrator credit. Ask: 'Is the author and the illustrator the same person or different people in this book?' (Same person — Peggy Rathmann wrote AND drew this book.) 'We have now looked at the title, author, and illustrator of many books this week. Why does it matter to know who made a book?' Take 2–3 responses.

Set a dual purpose for listening: 'As I read today, I want you to do two things. First, listen for words that RHYME — give me a quiet thumbs up when you hear a rhyme. Second, think about how Officer Buckle and Gloria work as a TEAM. What does each one bring to the partnership? What would happen if they tried to do the job alone?'

Read the book aloud with warmth and expression. Pause at key moments:

• When Officer Buckle is presenting alone and no one is listening: 'What is happening here? Why do you think no one is paying attention? What is missing?'
• When Gloria starts performing behind Officer Buckle's back: 'What is Gloria doing? Is this teamwork? What do you think Officer Buckle would say if he knew?'
• When Officer Buckle sees the video and feels hurt: 'How does Officer Buckle feel? Have you ever felt left out of a team? What does it feel like?' (30-second turn-and-talk)
• When they reconcile and present together: 'Now what is different? How does the audience respond? What changed when they worked as a REAL team?'

After reading, ask: 'What did Officer Buckle bring to the team? What did Gloria bring? Could either of them have done the job as well alone?' Take 3–4 responses. Then make the connection to the arc: 'Firefighters and police officers are like Officer Buckle and Gloria — they each bring different skills, and together they are stronger. That is what teamwork looks like in the real world.'

Finally, ask: 'Did you notice any rhyming words in the story?' Take 3–4 responses. Write the rhyming pairs on the board as students share them, pointing to each word as you write.

Rhyming and Syllable Awareness with Teamwork and Community Helper Words (15 minutes)

This activity directly addresses the Week 3 pacing priorities: RF.K.2a (rhyming) and RF.K.2b (syllable awareness). Today's focus is on fluency and synthesis — students should be moving toward more independent application after four days of supported practice.

Part 1 — Rhyming pairs with teamwork and community helper words (8 minutes):

Display the rhyming picture card pairs on the board or in a pocket chart, face-down in a mixed pile. Remind students of the rhyming concept from Monday through Thursday: 'We have been practicing rhyming all week. Today is our last rhyming practice for Week 3 — let's see how much stronger we have gotten!'

Hold up one card at a time and ask: 'Can you find the card that rhymes with this word?' Work through all 8 pairs: team/dream, work/perk, help/yelp, safe/chafe, brave/wave, care/share, fire/hire, badge/cadge. For each pair, say both words chorally and ask: 'What sound do they share at the end?'

After completing all pairs, do a fluency challenge: 'I am going to say a word, and I want you to call out a rhyming word as fast as you can — no picture cards needed! Ready?' Call out: TEAM, BRAVE, CARE, HELP, SAFE. Accept any phonologically correct answer, including nonsense words. Celebrate phonological flexibility: 'Team and cream rhyme! Team and dream rhyme! Team and gleam rhyme! You are rhyming experts — you have been practicing all week and it shows!'

Part 2 — Syllable clapping with teamwork vocabulary words (7 minutes):

Return to the syllable clapping chart and add four new words from today's vocabulary: team-work (2 claps), co-op-er-ate (4 claps), com-mu-ni-cate (4 claps), to-geth-er (3 claps). Work through the full list together, clapping and counting syllables chorally. For each word, students clap and hold up the matching number of fingers.

After clapping all words, do a quick synthesis challenge: 'Which word from our WHOLE WEEK of vocabulary has the most syllables?' (appreciate and communicate — both 4) 'Which has the fewest?' (brave, care, heart, team — all 1) Then make a connection to the arc: *'When firefighters and police officers work together, they have to COMMUNICATE — that is a 4-syllable word that means they talk to each other and share information. That is one of the most important parts of teamwork!'

Math Warm-Up: Counting the Teamwork Way (15 minutes)

Gather students at the meeting area. Open with the same counting routine from Monday through Thursday to reinforce the predictable structure that builds mathematical confidence. Say: 'Every day in math, we start the same way — because practice makes us stronger, just like firefighters and police officers practice their skills every day so they are ready to help when someone needs them. Today we are going to count with a TEAMWORK twist — because today we are thinking about how firefighters and police officers work together!'

Routine Step 1 — Whole-body counting with a teamwork theme:

Count from 1 to 10 together, this time alternating between firefighter and police officer movements to represent the two helpers working as a team:

• 1 — firefighter: mime putting on a helmet
• 2 — police officer: mime putting on a badge
• 3 — firefighter: mime holding a hose
• 4 — police officer: mime directing traffic
• 5 — both together: high five! (students high five a neighbor)
• 6 — firefighter: mime climbing a ladder
• 7 — police officer: mime writing in a notebook
• 8 — both together: thumbs up! (students give a double thumbs up)
• 9 — firefighter: mime rescuing someone
• 10 — both together: arms wide open — 'We keep our community safe!'

This movement-based counting reinforces K.CC.1 while connecting the math routine to the inquiry theme in a joyful, embodied way. Repeat the count twice — once slowly, once faster. Then count backward from 10 to 1 together, reversing the movements.

Routine Step 2 — Count the mixed team:

Display a mixed set of 10 community helper picture cards (a combination of firefighter helmets and police badges) on the board one at a time. As each card goes up, count aloud together: 'One helper... two helpers... three helpers...' Point to each card as it is counted. After placing all 10, ask: 'How many helpers did we count altogether?' Reinforce cardinality: 'The last number we said — TEN — tells us how many there are altogether. It does not matter if they are firefighters or police officers — when we count ALL of them together, we find out how many helpers are on the team!' (K.CC.4a–b, K.CC.5)

One-to-One Correspondence and Cardinality Focus: Counting Mixed Teams (30 minutes)

This section directly addresses the pacing priority for Week 3: K.CC.4a–b (one-to-one correspondence and cardinality). Today's context — counting mixed sets of firefighters and police officers — adds a layer of complexity that challenges students to apply cardinality to heterogeneous groups.

Whole-group modeling (10 minutes):

Distribute 10-frame mats and a MIXED set of counting manipulatives (firefighter helmets and police badges together) to each student. Remind students of the key concept: 'This week we have been practicing two very important math ideas. The first is ONE-TO-ONE CORRESPONDENCE — we touch each object ONCE and only once when we count. The second is CARDINALITY — the LAST number we say tells us how many there are altogether. Today we are going to count MIXED teams — some firefighters AND some police officers together. The rule is the same: touch each one once, and the last number tells you how many!'

Model the strategy explicitly: 'Watch me carefully. I am going to count out a team of 7 helpers — some firefighters and some police officers. I will place them one at a time in the boxes on my 10-frame. I touch each one ONCE as I say the number — one (touch and place), two (touch and place), three (touch and place)...' Continue to 7. Then ask: 'How many helpers do I have on my team? The last number I said was SEVEN. That means I have SEVEN helpers. I do not need to count again — the last number tells me how many!'

Repeat the model with 9 objects, this time making a deliberate error — count one object twice — and ask: 'Did I count that right? What did I do wrong? How can I fix it?' Students love catching the teacher's mistake, and this metacognitive moment reinforces the importance of touching each object once.

Guided practice with teamwork story problems (12 minutes):

Pose a series of story problems that connect to today's teamwork theme. For each problem, students count out the matching number of manipulatives on their 10-frame and state the total:

• 'At a big community event, 4 firefighters and 3 police officers are working together. Can you count out 4 helmets and 3 badges? How many helpers are there altogether?' (7)
• 'A fire truck has 5 firefighters on it. A police car has 2 officers in it. They are all going to the same place to help. How many helpers are going altogether?' (7)
• 'Our class made thank-you cards for 6 firefighters and 4 police officers. How many cards did we make altogether?' (10)

For each problem, circulate and observe: Are students touching each object once? Are they placing objects in the frame one at a time? Are they able to state the total after counting without recounting? Narrate what you see: 'I notice Marcus is touching each helmet and badge as he counts — that is exactly the right strategy!' Reinforce cardinality after each problem: 'The last number you said tells you how many. You do not need to count again!'

Independent practice with comparison (8 minutes):

Ask students to count out two separate sets of objects — one set of firefighter helmets and one set of police badges — and place them in two rows on their mat. Then ask: 'Which group has more? Which has fewer? How do you know?' (K.CC.6) Circulate and ask: 'How many firefighters? How many police officers? Which team is bigger? How can you tell without counting again?' For students who demonstrate strong cardinality, invite them to count a third set and compare all three.

Number Writing Practice: Numbers 0–5 (Continued) and Week 3 Synthesis (15 minutes)

Transition to tables. Distribute math journals and pencils. Explain: 'Today is our last number writing practice for Week 3. We have been practicing numbers 0 through 5 every day this week — and today we are going to show how much stronger we have gotten!'

Whole-group modeling (5 minutes):

Using large number cards and a whiteboard or chart paper, model writing each number 0–5 one at a time, using the same verbal paths from all four previous days of this week to build muscle memory and consistency:

• 0: 'Start at the top, curve around, and close it up — like a big grateful hug!'
• 1: 'Straight line down — like a community helper standing tall and proud!'
• 2: 'Curve around, slide across — like a thank-you card sliding across a table!'
• 3: 'Curve in, curve in again — like two smiles stacked on top of each other!'
• 4: 'Down, across, then down again — like a card folded in half!'
• 5: 'Down, around, and put a hat on top — like a firefighter's helmet!'

Independent practice with a teamwork twist (10 minutes):

Students open their math journals and write each number 0–5 in a row, using the verbal paths as a scaffold. Then invite them to draw a TEAM of that many helpers next to each number — for example, draw 3 helpers (a mix of firefighters and police officers) next to the number 3. This connects the number writing practice to the day's teamwork theme and gives students a meaningful context for the abstract task of number formation. Circulate and provide individual support. Provide dotted number outlines for students who need additional support with formation.

Center Overview and Rotation Introduction (5 minutes)

Before releasing students to centers, gather them briefly on the carpet. Walk the class through each station using the visual center board. Remind students of the inquiry question for the day: 'As you work at your centers today, keep thinking about our big question: How do firefighters and police officers work together to help our community? Every center today is connected to that question — see if you can find the connection!'

Remind students of the 'inquiry voice' expectation — quiet enough to think, loud enough to share with a partner. Assign students to starting stations using color-coded name cards or table groups. Signal the rotation with a gentle chime. Tell students: 'Today is a celebration of everything you have learned in Week 3. As you work, think about: What do I know now that I did not know on Monday? What am I still wondering? What am I most proud of?'

Station 1: Teamwork Dramatic Play Station

Expand the dramatic play setup from earlier in the week with new scenario cards focused on firefighters and police officers working together. Set up the station with police officer and firefighter costume pieces and four illustrated teamwork scenario cards.

Each scenario card shows a simple picture and has a sentence read aloud by the teacher during the center introduction:

• 'A car has crashed near a building that is on fire. A firefighter and a police officer arrive at the same time. What do they each do? How do they talk to each other?'
• 'A child is lost at a big community event. A police officer is looking for the child's family. A firefighter is helping keep the crowd calm. How do they work together?'
• 'A fire alarm goes off at a school. Firefighters come to check the building. Police officers help keep everyone safe outside. What does each helper do?'
• 'A big storm has knocked down a tree and blocked the road. A firefighter needs to move the tree. A police officer needs to stop traffic. How do they cooperate?'

Students draw a scenario card, assign roles among themselves, and act out the scenario. The teacher circulates and asks: 'What did the firefighter do? What did the police officer do? How did they communicate? What would have happened if only one helper had come?'

This station develops oral language, vocabulary use in context, perspective-taking, and synthesis of learning across the arc. It also gives students a safe, playful way to demonstrate their understanding of the teamwork concept that is the heart of today's lesson.

Station 2: Rhyming Word Play Station — Week 3 Synthesis

This station directly reinforces the RF.K.2a rhyming pacing priority in a hands-on, playful format. Set up a table with the rhyming picture card pairs from the week (a selection of the best pairs from Monday through Friday) spread face-down in a pile, plus a set of blank cards and crayons.

Students play a rhyming memory game: turn over two cards at a time and decide if they rhyme. If they rhyme, the student keeps the pair and says both words aloud. If they do not rhyme, the cards go back face-down. Students play with a partner, taking turns.

For students who finish the memory game early, provide blank cards and invite them to create their own rhyming pair using a teamwork or community helper word as the starting point. A prompt card at the station reads (with pictures): 'Can you think of a word that rhymes with TEAM? With WORK? Draw both words and share them with a friend!'

This station builds phonological awareness in a playful, social context while reinforcing the vocabulary students have been building across the arc. It also provides a lower-stimulation option for students who need focused, quiet work.

Station 3: Mural Observation Station — What Do We Notice?

This is a new station introduced today as a Friday synthesis experience. Set up the collaborative mural from Weeks 1–3 in a space where students can walk along it and observe it closely. Provide sticky notes and pencils at the station.

Students walk along the mural and look for:

• A firefighter and a police officer in the same scene
• Something they drew or added themselves
• Something a classmate added that they find interesting or beautiful
• Something that shows a community helper helping someone

A prompt card at the station reads (with pictures): 'Look at our mural. Find something that shows teamwork. Put a sticky note next to it and draw what you see.'

Students place a sticky note next to the part of the mural they want to highlight and draw a simple symbol or write a word on the note. The teacher or aide circulates to ask: 'What did you notice? Why did you choose this part? What does it show about community helpers?'

This station provides a structured metacognitive experience — students are looking at their own collaborative work with fresh eyes and noticing patterns and meaning. It also reinforces the arc's documentation practices and gives students a sense of ownership and pride in what they have built together.

Station 4: Inquiry Journal — Week 3 Synthesis Drawing

At this station, students open their inquiry journals to the next blank page and respond to a prompt displayed with pictures: 'Draw a picture of a firefighter and a police officer working together. What are they doing? How are they helping the community? How do they feel about working as a team?' Crayons, colored pencils, and pencils are available. The full set of vocabulary picture cards (Weeks 1, 2, and 3, plus today's teamwork words) is displayed at the station as a reference.

Students draw freely, focusing on capturing a specific moment of teamwork between the two types of helpers. The teacher or aide circulates to ask: 'Tell me about your drawing. What is the firefighter doing? What is the police officer doing? How are they working together? What would happen if only one of them was there?' Scribe the student's words below their drawing if they wish, or encourage them to write letters or words they know using invented spelling.

This station produces the final Week 3 inquiry journal entry and provides a formative window into how students are synthesizing their learning about both types of community helpers. Compare these entries to Monday's journal entries to document the arc of learning across the week.

Community Helper Song: 'Helpers in Our Town' — Full Song Review with New Teamwork Verse (15 minutes)

Gather students back to the meeting area. Today is the first time the class will sing ALL the verses of 'Helpers in Our Town' together — a powerful synthesis ritual that gives students a felt sense of how much they have learned since Week 1.

Point to the chart paper with all the verses and say: 'We have been adding to this song all week — and all month! Today we are going to sing the WHOLE song from the very beginning. Every verse we have ever added. Ready?'

Sing all verses together, pointing to each word on the chart paper as the class sings (RF.K.1a — left-to-right print tracking):

'The firefighters in our town put out the fire, put out the fire, put out the fire. The firefighters in our town put out the fire, to keep us safe!'

'The police officers in our town help us stay safe, help us stay safe, help us stay safe. The police officers in our town help us stay safe, all through the day!'

'The police officers in our town keep things fair, keep things fair, keep things fair. The police officers in our town keep things fair, for me and for you!'

'We say thank you to our helpers, to our helpers, to our helpers. We say thank you to our helpers, with our hearts full of care!'

'We made a package full of love, full of love, full of love. We made a package full of love, and now we give!'

After singing the familiar verses, introduce the new teamwork verse written on a second chart paper:

'They work together every day, every day, every day. They work together every day, to keep us safe!'

Sing the new verse twice — first with the teacher modeling, then with the whole class joining in. Add a new movement: for 'they work together,' students link arms with a neighbor and sway together. After singing, ask: 'What does it feel like to sing all those verses together? How is that like teamwork?' Take 2–3 responses. This song will be sung in full during the Week 4 culminating celebration.

Final Mural Additions: Teamwork Scene (20 minutes)

Unroll the community mural from Weeks 1–3 and display it on the floor or a long table. Remind students of what they have built so far: 'In Week 1, we added the fire station and the firefighter team. In Week 2, we added more firefighter details. In Week 3, we added the police station, police officers, and gratitude scenes. Today we are going to add one final thing to our mural before Week 4: a TEAMWORK scene — a place where a firefighter and a police officer are working together.'

Whole-group launch (5 minutes):

Using a thick marker, sketch a simple scene in a new section of the mural: a firefighter and a police officer standing side by side, both helping at the same scene. Ask: 'What should our teamwork scene show? What are the firefighter and police officer doing together? What is happening in the community?' Take suggestions and sketch 2–3 details. Then invite students to add their own contributions.

Small-group mural work (15 minutes):

Divide students into small groups of 4–5. Each group has a section of the mural to work on. Today's focus: adding community members who are being helped by the firefighter and police officer team, and adding speech bubbles showing the two helpers communicating. Each student draws at least one detail that shows teamwork — two helpers talking, two helpers working on the same problem, or a community member being helped by both helpers at once.

Circulate and ask questions: 'What are your two helpers doing together? What are they saying to each other? How does the community member feel when they see both helpers arrive?' Encourage students to add speech bubbles if they wish. Photograph the completed mural at the end of the session to document its growth from Week 1 to Week 3.

'What We Learned in Week 3' Class Summary Chart (10 minutes)

Bring students back together. On a large piece of chart paper, write the heading: 'What We Learned in Week 3.' Ask: 'If you had to tell someone who was not in our class what we learned this week, what would you say? What are the most important things?' Take 6–8 student responses and write them verbatim on the chart, reading each one back as you write and tracking left to right with your finger.

After completing the chart, read it aloud together. Then ask: 'Look at everything on this chart. Is there anything that surprised you — something you did not know at the beginning of the week that you know now?' Take 2–3 responses. Celebrate the growth: 'This is what a whole week of learning looks like. And next week, we are going to share all of this with the whole school. How does that feel?' Take 2–3 responses. Post the chart near the KWL chart for reference during Week 4.

KWL Chart Final Weekly Update (7 minutes)

Gather students in the meeting circle. Bring out the KWL chart and read aloud the full Learned column together, pointing to each entry as you read and tracking left to right with your finger. Ask: 'Is there anything else you want to add to our Learned column from today — or from the whole week? Did you learn something new about teamwork or about how firefighters and police officers work together?' Invite 3–4 students to add a new entry to the Learned column. Then read the Wonder column together: 'Look at all the things we were wondering about at the beginning of the week. Did we answer any of these questions?' Take 2–3 responses and draw a star next to questions that were answered.

Then ask: 'Are there any NEW wondering questions that came up this week — things you are still curious about?' Add 1–2 new questions to the Wonder column. Celebrate the growth: 'Look at how much we have learned! And look at how many new questions we have — that is what real learners do. They never stop wondering. Next week, we are going to share all of this learning with the whole school. I cannot wait to see what you do!'

Friday Exit Reflection (8 minutes)

Distribute exit reflection slips to each student. Explain: 'Every Friday, we take a moment to think about our learning for the week. Today I want you to do two things on your slip. First, circle the face that shows how you feel about your learning this week — did you learn a lot (smiley face), a little (neutral face), or are you feeling confused (sad face)? Second, draw one thing you learned this week that you want to remember forever.'

Give students 5 minutes of quiet drawing and reflection time. Circulate and observe — note any students who circle the sad face and follow up with a quiet check-in: 'Tell me about your drawing. What did you learn this week?' After 5 minutes, invite 3–4 students to share their drawing with the group: 'Tell us what you drew. What is the one thing you want to remember from Week 3?'

Collect all exit reflection slips at the end of the circle. Review them before Monday to identify any students who need additional support or re-teaching before Week 4 launches. These slips are a key formative assessment artifact for the arc.

Week 3 Celebration and Week 4 Preview (5 minutes)

Close the week with a brief celebration ritual. Ask students to stand in a circle and place one hand over their heart. Say: 'This week, you learned about police officers. You met a real police officer. You showed your gratitude. You made a care package. You added to our mural. You practiced rhyming and counting and writing. And today, you thought about teamwork — about how helpers are stronger together. That is an amazing week. Give yourselves a round of applause!' Students clap for themselves and each other.

Then preview Week 4 with genuine excitement: 'Next week is our last week of this inquiry arc. We are going to share everything we have learned with the whole school — our mural, our class book, our museum. Families are going to come and see what you have made. You are going to be the experts. How does that feel?' Take 2–3 responses.

Close with the goodbye song from Weeks 1–3, singing all the verses one final time: 'Goodbye, goodbye, we'll see you on Monday — we learned so much, and we're ready to share!' Students clap the rhythm together. Dismiss by table groups, reminding students to think over the weekend about what they are most excited to share with their families in Week 4.