Team C and Team D middle school students were greeted with a surprise on Friday, December 7th, when SHS AP Language and Composition students visited the 7th graders to offer help with editing and revising their historical narratives. A positive opportunity for all students, Catherine Hall’s SHS juniors were able to teach 7th graders what they have learned in class this year. Hall’s English students called the day “rewarding,” as it reminded many of the time they spent in middle school.

During the writing workshop, high school students were split up and assigned a group of 7th graders. They listened to their stories and extended any possible changes they would make to their writing. Using a strategy called the “compliment sandwich,” Hall’s high school students made an effort to provide a combination of positive and constructive feedback in the most genuine way possible.

Kyle Whippen, one of the SHS juniors who worked with Team D students, called the day a “unique experience.” He said, “I thought it was interesting to see how much I have grown and matured since I was in middle school five years ago.” According to junior Erin Logan, the 7th-grade project was very impressive, as the students were able to include extra details in their stories from their social studies research.  

Team D English teacher Ruth Yasin shared similar feelings with the high school students. She believed it was a great learning experience for the juniors: “It is so valuable to have older students be mentors to younger students. It is a great opportunity for older students to reflect back on who they were, and now how much they have grown.”

7th graders have been working on this writing assignment for over a month, making it one of the most extensive projects to date for them. The project was not only designed to intertwine their studies in English and social studies class but to demonstrate that a good story does not evolve overnight.

According to Yasin, “Many students think, I did it and now I’m done. But the whole idea is no– you’re not done. Revising is important and ultimately what makes it great. You don’t get to great without spending the extra time, and you guys (juniors) are the key to encouraging kids to keep going to make it great.”

This collaborative learning experience for the 7th graders was also a glimpse into what they can expect in future: Juniors were ultimately able to give back and learn just how far they have come since middle school.