The Intersection of the Mountain and Emerald Campuses
Mountain Connection, November 14th, 2022
Last week, Kevin’s Spanish 4 students traveled to the Lower School to present stories they had written to 2nd graders in Josh’s Spanish class. The event was a culmination of a weeks-long project in Spanish 4, for which students had been dissecting the narrative techniques and structures of published children’s stories, devising their own original narratives, drafting, and redrafting, all in Spanish. What better test audience for their manuscripts than a group of real, live kids who are currently getting their feet wet in the same language? Moreover, while commingling the different age groups were necessarily mindful of complex modes of delivery such as tone, facial expression, and eye contact, the sorts of ‘soft skills’ that are immensely important for conveying meaning in any language. And, of course, they simply enjoyed each other’s company. ‘Twas a brilliant means of interaction across campuses, and while the younger students were enraptured by the older students’ presence and stories, they also helped the older students to recall the joy of childhood innocence in learning something new.