PIERRE — Staff from the South Dakota Department of Education (DOE) are excited to help welcome students to South Dakota’s Largest Classroom at the State Fair in Huron, Aug. 27 – 29.
South Dakota’s Largest Classroom is an interactive educational experience for South Dakota schools and homeschool families to kick off the school year. The “classroom” consists of a variety of educational learning centers, which include a diverse array of topics including agriculture, science, technology, and history.
New this year will be a literacy booth, which will feature materials connected to the South Dakota Literacy Initiative, which will be available for teachers to use in their classrooms. Secretary of Education Joe Graves and other DOE staff will be at the fair to read “The Monster Who Ate the State,” a children’s book that features South Dakota.
“The State Fair is a great place to meet with people from across the state,” said Graves. “I’ll be reading to students, of course, but I’m also looking forward to watching education in action at each of the learning centers. We are going to be able to see all of the displays in the Education Building, which will feature work by students from across the state. It’s wonderful to see the work of students at every grade level.”
Students who attend the fair on Aug. 28 will be able to take part in a re-enactment of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at the Freedom Stage beginning at 12:45 p.m. At that event, students will be able to sign their own Declaration of Independence with State Historian Ben Jones.
South Dakota’s Largest Classroom will be open to students and educators from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. The DOE will feature readings at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. Educators are encouraged to register as soon as possible. For more information, visit the State Fair website.