This week, Grade 9 students worked with their Grade 8 peers in an English Language and Literature Service as Action project. Grade 9s taught their peers a series of lessons on rhetorical devices used in persuasive advertisements and analytical writing structures that will be used in essays written by Grade 8s. This student-centered learning activity produced excellent results that demonstrate the power of learning through service and action.
The activities led by the Grade 9 students focused on (1) writing strong introduction paragraphs to analytical essays that contain engaging hooks, important context, and focused thesis statements; and (2) writing PEAL-structured body paragraphs. These techniques and structures support learning across the curriculum and provide students tools that support higher-order thinking and communication.
