Dear Eighth Graders

The Practice of EmpathyUnit of study for the skill of empathy. Focused on Chad Fowler’s “Most Important Skill” essay, but includes many optional texts.

The Practice of Empathy

The first skill emphasized in our course — and in the real world — is empathy, and we spent part of the second semester reading and writing toward a deeper understanding of the role empathy plays in our community.

There is an excellent resource page for this unit that includes our work on The Bean Trees and short fiction. The focus, that we are part of an everyday network of others, also led to a more creative writing assignment for seniors: A Letter to Eighth Graders.

These letters are presented as the students created them. Some are anonymous, while others are signed. Some include a photo of the author in eighth grade. Some tell stories; others offer advice.

The students chose the format, structure, and audience. Everything from their font choices to the mechanical errors that survived a few rounds of revision are left intact. Each link is the first line or so of the letter to give you a sense of what it says.

Senior Letters: Set 1

Senior Letters: Set 2

Senior Letters: Set 3

The Prompt

Writing the Letter

The writing process for this sort of letter is part of a universalized, modular approach to writing that is worth highlighting here:

The Writing ProcessAn overview of the makerspace writing process, from its current iteration back to its origins. Focused on universal languages and adaptability.

Writing Guides: http://tinyurl.com/sisyphus-writes or https://tinyurl.com/sisyphus-writes-small.

Reaching Out to Eighth Grade

In May, these letters to eighth graders were added to the Menu of Choices alongside schoolwide opportunities to work with the middle schoolers, like the Senior College and Career Fair.

Below is a link to the Brewster High website for the Fair, plus an example from one of the Seniors of the kind of presentation that was given there.

Senior College and Career FairThe 2023 BHS Senior College and Career Fair will be held on May 18th during P. 4 - P. 8 in the BHS gym. All freshmen and sophomores are invited to attend during their lunch or PE classes.

Elizabeth Bodansky — My Journey to Flagler College

These letters are also one of the second-semester project options, as seen in the post on Addressing an Audience:

Addressing an AudienceLetter- and speech-writing prompts based around specific audiences. Includes instructions and models for writing a commencement address for the graduating class.