Grade 7 English Students Bring “Coming of Age” Learning to Life
Is social media good for your emotional and mental health? Are children more creative than adults? Should students be able to choose their classes?
Questions like these guided Indian Creek’s Grade 7 English students as they explored the theme of growing up during a recent unit on coming-of-age novels. While reading, students examined how characters changed over time and looked closely for the “marks of maturity” that signaled growth and self-discovery. As a class, they identified common signs of maturity and developed thoughtful questions about how people evolve as they get older. Each student then selected one of these questions, reflected on its meaning, and conducted polls with participants across four different age groups determined by the class.
The results were transformed into interactive posters, which students proudly presented to the community last month at the public library in the Annapolis Mall. The posters invited visitors to reflect on the students’ questions and participate in the survey themselves.
When the posters returned to the Creek, Grade 7 students invited members of the school community to visit the upstairs hallway around the stairwell to view the displays and take part in the project. Visitors responded to each question with a YES or NO using red and green dot stickers, placing them on the posters according to their age group.
This engaging project allowed students to combine literary analysis, research, and community involvement while giving the broader ICS community a chance to reflect on how we grow and change over time.
Indian Creek School
Indian Creek school is a co-educational, college preparatory independent school, located in Crownsville, Maryland. Students in Pre-K3 through grade 12 receive a vibrant educational experience based on excellent academics steeped in strong student-teacher connections.
