Just before the spring holiday the students in Class 2o had their first experiences of working with much younger children from Mme Morand's class.
The first shared activity was reading to and sharing books with their younger buddies. For some members of the class, this new experience was clearly the cause of some trepidation, but as I observed the interactions which took place I could see that the apprehension soon subsided, as the two classes got to know each other.
I was really impressed by the confident and caring way Class 2o engaged with their buddies, and I think that this opportunity to use reading skills in a purposeful way proved to be both successful and enjoyable.
The slide show will give you an idea of the happy and comfortable atmosphere in which this sharing and reading took place.
The second "buddy" experience was to work together to create Easter Bunnies. This activity was relatively easy for the class 2o students but they really enjoyed having a chance to be supportive as the younger children developed skills which were much more challenging for them. As each group completed the activity Class 2o were able to delve into the picture books in their buddies' classroom and read the ones they chose to their buddies.
When the bunnies were cooked, all golden-brown, they came home with the children for you to admire, although perhaps some of them were eaten before you had the chance to have a look!
Have a look at the second slide show to see how much fun all the children had.
Keep an eye on the blog to observe more buddy experiences.
