Edgemont Teamwork: Eighth Graders Lend Expertise on Podcasts and Poems to Fourth Graders
Middle schoolers teamed up with young students to mentor them in creating a poetry podcast using equipment that was purchased thanks to a grant from the Edgemont School Foundation.
Eighth grader Joya Ishak watched her fourth grade mentee, Avery Klein, read her poem “Beach Music,” packed with imagery and ending with the line, “Beach music is life.”
“I love it!” the older student exclaimed. “It’s really great. I love the way you read it.”
The fourth graders producing a poetry podcast at Seely Place Elementary School were mentored by eighth graders from Edgemont Junior Senior High School, thanks to a project brainstormed by teachers Jennifer Borella and Jeremy Levin. They created the podcasts with four specialized microphones funded with a grant from the Edgemont School Foundation.
Borella contacted eighth grade English teacher Christine Cecere, who put the word out to her students. Twenty-three eighth graders jumped at the chance to volunteer.
“This project is an example of the great things that occur when innovative teaching, school district spirit and community generosity blend,” said Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton. “We thank the Edgemont School Foundation for its grants, and congratulate Ms. Borella and Mr. Levin on a great idea. Special thanks to the eighth graders who volunteered to mentor younger students.”
Before the recording, the younger and older students workshopped the poems together. Fourth grader Casey Yee, who also wrote about beaches, said, “They gave me feedback on what was great and what I needed to fix.”
Eighth grader Juliet Sayer helped fourth grader Elise Velez, suggesting that she change the word “fun” for something more engaging. Velez came up with “entertaining.”
“She made my poem stronger. More descriptive,” Velez said.
Elyse Blumberg, another eighth grader, said she enjoyed helping the younger students.
“When I was in fourth grade, I would have loved to have had someone help me,” she said.