Upper School Seniors Begin Writing Collaboration With Early Childhood Students

Students in the Upper School’s short stories class began a three-day project this semester serving as writing mentors to Tartans in the Early Childhood School.

 

“We are hoping that students in both divisions can explore the elements of a story, learn how to plan and organize creative works like a short story, and understand the importance of sharing individual voices in writing,” said Upper School English IV teacher Meredith Schumacher, who is collaborating with Early Childhood teachers Carole Magaldi and Tammy Pipitone on the project.

The first session took place last week. The early childhood students greeted their writing mentors with a snack and a song before organizing in small groups to get acquainted and begin brainstorming story ideas. The seniors acted as scribes for the young Tartans, who shared their interests and told personal anecdotes as their mentors took notes and wrote down quotes.

Future visits will take those ideas and organize them into a short story, then work together to illustrate the story. During the last meeting, the students will share their stories and reflect on their time together.

The short story project is one of several new cross-divisional collaborations planned for this school year, part of a school-wide strategic priority to embrace the school’s unique early childhood through grade 12 campus and its opportunities for community connection and learning.

This summer, school leaders offered innovation grants for teachers interested in developing new curricula to introduce in the classroom. The grants encouraged teachers from different divisions to collaborate and write curriculum that connects students across multiple age groups through shared learning experiences.