South Windsor High School students presented their original written stories in Spanish on December 10, 2025, in Profe Ruiz and Mr. Ramos’ classroom in the Annex.
Students worked together in small groups for two weeks prior to the presentation to create their stories. The assignment required a structured narrative, including a beginning, middle, resolution, and ending. The beginning introduced the characters and set the scene, the middle established the conflict, the resolution showed how the characters overcame the challenge, and the ending concluded with the story’s moral.
Groups were divided so that each student had a specific responsibility. In a group of four, one student handled the beginning, the second the middle, the third the resolution, and the fourth the ending. For groups with only three students, the final person was assigned to write both the resolution and the ending.
“The most challenging part about writing a story in Spanish is translating your ideas into Spanish,” said freshman Emma Boothroyd.
For the written component, each student had to contribute three to four sentences on their assigned slide in Google Classroom and memorize their part for the presentation. Groups were allotted a strict five-minute time limit to tell their entire story.
The project also included a visual component. After writing their part, students drew three to four pictures representing their segment and taped them onto a shared cardboard poster, which also displayed the story’s title. The poster itself contained little to no writing, though students were permitted to add speech bubbles containing only a single word.
Profe Ruiz explained the value of the collaborative structure: “I got to understand student learning (progress) based on what students produce using the vocabulary and sentence starters to communicate in Spanish! Some students will write more, others less and it’s ok, because students learn at different speeds.”
During the presentation day, the two classes acted as audience and peer reviewers. Students in Profe Ruiz’s class listened to four groups from Mr. Ramos’ class, and vice-versa. While listening, students completed a worksheet that required them to write down five important keywords, summarize the beginning, middle, and end of the story, draw two pictures representing the narrative, and ask the presenting group one question. Everything on the worksheet, including the question, had to be written in Spanish. Students were given five minutes to complete the worksheet for each group they listened to.
The project was complex, requiring students to use their time wisely and efficiently while creating a challenging and creative assignment. Freshman Nibha Bala Gowda reflected, “If I had to do something different, I would add a sentence to my part.”
