Stretching to challenge every student

A group of fifth graders approached a familiar lesson from a new angle yesterday.

 

Autobiography assignments pop up at every age level at Gordon, changing each year but always helping to bring each student's lived experience into the classroom conversation.

 

These students were tackling their memoirs en Español, as part of the new Spanish Language Arts curriculum.

 

Spanish Language Arts is a new class, four days a week and piloted this year in fifth grade, tailored for students who speak Spanish at home.

 

These students will have advanced spoken proficiency, but their written skills may not be as far developed as a native Spanish speaker.

 

It builds on the weekly Heritage Language program, now in its fourth year, which is for children in Young Kindergarten to fourth grade who speak Spanish at home.

 

With Heritage Language and Spanish Language Arts, Gordon's faculty continue to stretch their practice to ensure that every Gordon student sees themselves reflected in the school's curriculum.

 

In turn, these students are stretching themselves, taking the words that come so quickly and learning to capture them on paper.