8th grade cross-curriculum project a fun (and fiery!) learning experience
Eighth grade Spanish students recently participated in a “burning” interdisciplinary project, learning a lot about satire in the process.
“Whenever possible, we as teachers look to make natural connections across the curriculum,” explained Spanish teacher Kevin Olson. “The ‘On Fire’ unit that we just completed achieved just that, connecting civics, English, art and Spanish classes.”
According to Olson, the project began in April when 8th grade students studied the topic of satire in civics and English classes and were challenged to create an original satirical skit, video or article.Next, 8th grade Spanish students worked with Ms. Burroughs in the art room to create a visual representation, like a miniature float, of these satirical topics. At the same time, Spanish students studied a festival in Valencia, Spain called “Las Fallas.” During this festival, communities build enormous floats, satirical in nature, and burn all but one to the ground.
On May 24, the morning of Greenstock, 8th grade Spanish students celebrated their own Greenhills version of “las fallas” by voting on the class’ best satirical mini-float and, under the supervision of faculty and staff, burning the rest to ashes.*
“This was a really fun project and different from others because it included multiple classes,” said Maddie DeRose. “I liked how in each class we would learn something new about satire, like how in English we learned how to make a skit funny by using pauses, and in civics we learned about the political aspect of satire. Learning this way helped us understand satire better.”
“It was nice to focus on one thing in each class but to also see it from the different perspectives of civics, English, art and Spanish,” echoed Dylan Gilbert. “Seeing all the different views of satire really helped me understand the topic.”
*Note:
1. Safety precautions were taken during this event. Students kept a safe distance from the fire, and Mr. Klamik had a fire extinguisher available if needed.
2. Ms. Burroughs made a point to choose a material for the students’ fallas that is non-toxic when burned.
3. Students were given the option of saving their fallas from the fire if they did not want to see their artwork destroyed.
