“A Short Ride through English History” was the title of the workshop that the fourth-grade class from the Steinmühle Bilingual Elementary School was able to attend at the invitation of Class 7i. It was a four-hour journey through English history, lovingly and energetically prepared by the seventh graders under the guidance of Theresa Großer.
A theme at each station
At six stations, the girls and boys learned about English history: The Plague, The Battle of Hastings, Roman Life in Britain, The Industrial Revolution, The Great Fire of London, and The British Empire. Working in small groups, the fourth-graders learned from the seventh-graders at each station what happened back then.
At the end, certificates were handed out
The children had a lot of fun learning through the visual descriptions, short texts, and presentations, as well as the short worksheets and fun games. “Everyone had to speak English, which they did exceptionally well,” says Lorraine Herrmann, the assistant principal of the Bilingual Elementary School. “It was a really good example of collaboration across grade levels and certainly an inspiration for the fourth graders in terms of what awaits them in the next Steinmühlen classes.” At the end, all the fourth graders played a game together to test their newly acquired knowledge. The fourth-grade class proudly received their certificates.
Personal Expectations for the Tasks
“The idea for the project came about as part of a British History unit, during which the students could choose from a range of topics,” says Theresa Großer, describing the start of the workshop preparations. They developed the content largely on their own, using books and selected online materials. In addition, they conducted occasional independent research, completing the entire project in just three weeks, with two double periods each week. And they wanted to do it really well: The seventh graders repeatedly gave each other feedback so that everyone could further refine their stations.
Schedule planned with great dedication
The overall effort was no small feat. The students in class 7i created all the posters, quizzes, and game ideas on their own with great dedication during class and in their free time, full of anticipation and excitement for the workshop. They planned the program for the fourth graders very professionally—complete with station cards and stamps. The idea for a certificate of completion also came from the young organizing team, which designed it themselves.
Linguistically proficient
The focus of the day was on English history and the English language. As a result, the seventh-graders conducted the entire workshop in English. None of the participants were deterred by the sometimes difficult terms and topics. “It was an impressive achievement by the elementary school students, who presented themselves excellently and were incredibly engaged, but also by the students in class 7i, who demonstrated real linguistic confidence,” summarized Theresa Großer.
The final feedback session revealed a great deal of enthusiasm and pride—even among the 7i students. This creates the ideal conditions for repeating a workshop like this.
Theresa Großer is the head of the International High School Division at Steinmühle. The workshop for the 4th-grade class was organized by the 7th-grade class (7i).
