Inside the Classroom: Ness Eaves - Berkshire Elementary

Inside the Classroom is a series that visits Northwest ISD campuses throughout the year and highlights the magical moments that happen between teachers and students each and every day across the entire 234 square miles of NISD.

Photo Album

All rise for the Honorable Judge Eaves – court is now in session! 

The latest edition of Inside the Classroom takes us into a third-grade classroom transformed into a courtroom, where presenting evidence was the key to the case.

Typically a third-grade teacher at Berkshire Elementary, Ness Eaves traded in her usual attire for a judicial robe as her students prepared to take on the roles of prosecutors and defense attorneys. And the defendant? The Big Bad Wolf, of course.

This creative lesson focused on helping students make claims and support them with evidence — essential skills for the third-grade STAAR Reading Language Arts assessment.

With tables draped in black cloths, a courtroom backdrop on the whiteboard, and signage throughout the room, Ms. Eaves’ classroom looked the part, thanks to parent volunteers who helped transform all third-grade English classrooms at Berkshire.

The lesson began with a review of the previous day’s debate: Is a hot dog a sandwich? Students revisited the evidence they had generated, then discussed with partners which points were most convincing and why.

From there, it was time to dive into The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, a retelling of the classic story from the Big Bad Wolf’s perspective and the centerpiece of the day’s trial.

Students had previously read the book and formed their opinions on the wolf’s innocence or guilt, and next it was time to comb through the text and find evidence to support their claim.

Each student crafted a written response in their journal while Ms. Eaves checked in, ensuring their arguments were clearly structured and supported. Sentence stems helped students transition between ideas and strengthen their reasoning.

After their responses were written, it was time to gavel in the courtroom. Judge Eaves reminded students of the rules of the courtroom, then called prosecutors and defense attorneys who had been “focused and writing like scholars” when they were writing in their journals.

Unbeknownst to Judge Eaves when scheduling the trial, the day also happened to be a campus-wide pajama day — leading to a courtroom full of attorneys dressed for both trial and bedtime. Regardless of attire, each student presented their case with energy and confidence.

The courtroom even erupted with “oohs” and “aahs” when one defense attorney produced Polaroid photos as evidence from her briefcase.

After a few attorneys made their cases, Judge Eaves asked the class to lay their heads down for an anonymous vote. Although the prosecution won and the wolf was found guilty, the defense did flip a few votes from a poll of jurors that took place earlier in the class.

To close the lesson, Ms. Eaves brought the focus back to the day’s learning target, reinforcing the importance of supporting claims with strong evidence — whether in a courtroom or on the STAAR test.

Ms. Eaves’ creativity made writing constructed responses more engaging than ever. The level of excitement she brought to the courtroom brought out the same in her students. With a teacher willing to go the extra mile, these third-grade Bears are ready for anything that lies ahead of them.

Check back regularly all year as we continue to visit students and teachers throughout Northwest ISD and offer a rarely seen look Inside the Classroom.