Irvington High School, Middle School Students Collaborate In Spanish Classes

IRVINGTON, NY — Irvington High School students, who are taking Advanced Placement and Honors levels Spanish classes, and Irvington Middle School eighth-graders, who are also studying Spanish, recently worked together to write persuasive essays on a topic.

The students, who have been studying health and well-being, debated whether or not government should control the quality of food in public schools, according to a district spokesman.

In order to prepare, they studied vocabulary, viewed authentic sources from varying viewpoints on the topic and talked with their classmates about the issue.

Afterward, they surveyed each other about their opinions in order to write a persuasive essay on the topic, while supporting their opinion with evidence from their peers and other sources.

Allyson Tempest, a Spanish teacher and department chairwoman, said everyone was proud of how the students performed.

“The older students are models for what our eighth-grade students will be capable of in a few years, and the younger students showed the kind of effort and risk-taking skills needed to become fluent speakers,” she said.

Ann Marie Testa's AP classes interviewed Maritza De Almonte's Level 3 Honors classes at the high school and Victoria Romano's eighth-grade Spanish class at the middle school. The collaboration allowed the students to learn from each other and spend a full 40-minute class immersed in Spanish.

Photo credit: Irvington Union Free School District.