Sixth-grade students at Cuyahoga Heights Middle School brought the excitement of March Madness into the classroom through an engaging and creative writing project in Nate Bryk’s and Lindsay Russell’s English classes.
As part of the assignment, each student selected a team from the NCAA Men’s or Women’s March Madness tournament and wrote either an argumentative or informational essay centered on their chosen team and university. Students who chose the argumentative route developed claims about why their team would win the tournament, supporting their ideas with evidence such as points per game, standout players, and coaching experience. Others explored informational writing by highlighting interesting facts about their team or university, including history, academic offerings, and unique details about mascots.
To bring their work to life, students also designed posters representing their teams, now proudly displayed throughout the sixth-grade hallway.
This hands-on project allowed students to connect classroom learning with a nationally recognized event while strengthening their writing skills and ability to support ideas with evidence. The creativity and effort demonstrated by the sixth graders made this a standout learning experience for all involved.