Every Thursday, the seventh-grade students in Indian Hill Middle School teacher Sandy Gemmel’s Discovery class travel the length of Drake Road that connects their campus to Indian Hill Primary School. The students are not only ready to learn, but also ready to help teach Indian Hill Primary School kindergarten students about space.
“What started as an opportunity for my kindergarten students to access information they were wondering about space turned into so much more!” said Indian Hill Primary School kindergarten teacher Liz Smallwood. “Having the older students visit each week has been an incredible experience. They are learning from and with each other and it's truly powerful.”
The partnership is designed to provide Discovery students experience in service and leadership, allowing older students to lead younger students in project-based opportunities.
“This has benefitted both our seventh-grade students and our kindergarten students tremendously,” said Gemmel. “I have seen such growth in students’ leadership skills over the course of the semester. My Discovery students began unsure of how to lead, and now they are planning the activities and running the class independently. I am so proud of their hard work!”
Gemmel isn’t alone.
Down the Indian Hill Primary School hall, Indian Hill Middle School teacher Kelly Blom leads her seventh-grade Discovery class in mentoring second-grade students on service-learning projects.
“The second graders are happy and excited to learn with ‘big kids’ – and my middle school students are so excited to visit with their former primary school teachers, and practice their leadership skills,” said Blom.
To develop the unique curriculum for the younger students, the Discovery students took the lead. Working as a class, students brainstormed activities that support the current learning goals of their second-grade friends. They created and mapped out all plans and supplies needed for their lessons. They worked together to create worksheets and presentations, even making spreadsheets to delegate responsibility and track progress.
“The opportunity for students to learn together across buildings and grade levels has been powerful,” said Blom. “I think experiences such as this promote empathy, team building, and positive relationships. Students learn to be more effective learners and take responsibility in their community.”
Photo caption: Indian Hill Middle School seventh-grade Discovery students connect with Indian Hill Primary School second-grade and kindergarten students for a new learning challenge.