“It’s Just Really Fun Being Together.” 8th Grade/Kindergarten Experience Highlights Powerful Collaborative Moments

At the regular Board of Education meeting on January 9, Lincoln Hall principal Mark Atkinson introduced 8th grade STEM teacher Kenji Mori and 8th grade social studies teacher Travis DuPriest. The pair recounted the 8th grade/kindergarten team-up event that took place this past November.

Now in its second year, this collaborative experience brought together the District’s oldest students and some of the youngest for an afternoon of fun and learning. According to Mori, 8th graders took on the role of teachers and prepared lessons with a focus on social studies and math, to embody the District’s mission: one campus, one community … preparing, inspiring, and empowering learners, one moment at a time.

“I’d like to give you a sense of the power of these small moments and the impact they have on our students,” Mori said, before introducing this video.

To pull off a meaningful experience for all involved, Mori described how the process required strong communication between the two grade-level teams to ensure the lessons were developmentally appropriate and aligned with curricular standards. “Our work always starts with understanding where students are in their learning journey,” he said.

But beyond the content of the lessons, the experience was also about cultivating a sense of community. “In the back of all of our minds, this was really about building relationships and connections [between the students],” DuPriest said.

This team-up was one of three planned for this school year. See photos here and learn more about past team-ups here.