Groups of Oakview Middle School eighth-graders visited four different elementary schools in an action-packed morning on Feb. 8, in celebration of Literacy Day.
The event is geared towards spreading literacy through the area.
Blanche Sims, Pine Tree, Paint Creek and Webber elementary schools were the participated in the service-learning project.
The 190 participating Oakview students read in small groups to roughly 400 elementary students in the four buildings.
‘We do a unit on literacy and they came up with the idea to spread it through the community,? said Oakview teacher Jillyan Scarborough. ‘It’s fun for everyone.?
Scarborough and fellow language arts teacher Caroline Thompson were in charge of the project.
Scarborough said that many of the eighth-graders enjoyed going back to their elementary schools to see siblings or their favorite teachers.
Paint Creek third grade teacher Heidi Boyer said that the whole concept was neat.
‘Our third-graders just love it,? she said.
The eighth-graders started by reading to the elementary students for about a half an hour. Then they created a language experience story.
At Webber, this process involved brainstorming a topic and creating a storyline.
The eighth-graders were responsible for putting the words on the page, while the elementary students provided the illustrations in the final draft.
‘I love seeing them as little teachers,? said Oakview teacher Sarah Hunter, accompanying the Webber group.
The visit was capped by lunch before the eighth-graders returned to Oakview for the afternoon.