Stories
Third Graders Explore Identity Through Storytelling
December 15, 2025
Aspen Country Day School Third Graders took a deep dive into a rich exploration of identity inspired by their recent class novel, The Year of the Dog. In the book, the main character spends a year trying to discover what she is good at. Her journey eventually leads her to writing and to telling stories rooted in her Chinese culture. This idea sparked a class conversation about where our own stories come from and how identity is shaped by the passions, experiences, and connections that matter most.
Students initially looked up their Chinese zodiac signs to find commonalities with their own personalities. “It was interesting to see students in the process of creating these big webs,” said ACDS Third Grade teacher Aleda Deuble. “They dug deep to explain what mattered most to them.” Students then created identity webs that highlighted the many facets of who they are. From those webs, each child selected three meaningful elements to explore more deeply. The next step was to think of a single personal story that illustrates why one of these identity pieces is important. With three ideas brainstormed, students chose the one that resonated most and began shaping it into a narrative.
For weeks, the classroom was filled with planning sheets, thoughtful discussions, and bursts of creative energy as students drafted outlines, wrote rough drafts, and revised their work. They focused on using vivid language to help their stories come alive and learned how careful editing strengthens a piece of writing. Their final drafts show voice, clarity, and a growing confidence as young authors.
The project blended literacy, reflection, and creativity, giving students a meaningful way to see themselves as storytellers. To celebrate, each student designed a cover for their story collection and then students from the Early School were invited into their classroom so Third Graders could share their work aloud, honoring the idea that everyone has a story worth telling.
