We Do Language: Help Students See the Power of Poetry
My students need exposure to the power of language and the multiple benefits of spoken-word pedagogy through a week-long poetry residency hosted by Southern Word.
In 2014, less than 3 out of every 100 Juniors scored “college-ready” on the ACT in East and North Nashville. In the face of these odds my students continue to prove what's possible in our vibrant community by producing over four points of tremendous growth between their 9th and 10th grade years.
From leading Socratic seminars on the ways in which systemic racism is reflected in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" to exploring Homer's "Odyssey" through a lens of feminist criticism, my students are extraordinary, brilliant, hungry minds.
My Project
In her Nobel Lecture, Toni Morrison writes, "We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives."
My students see the world in such beautiful and unique ways; they deserve to learn how poetry can give voice to their stories, because they deserve to know that their stories are worth telling.
In an effort to ensure students are ready to persevere to and through college, my school has prioritized student exposure to complex texts. Our students grapple with a diverse array of writings, from Homer to Leslie Marmon Silko, from Plato to Shakespeare, from Achebe to Morrison herself. With such a intense focus on rich and rigorous literature, our students have little time to explore the beauty of creating their own narrative or experimenting with language using their own wordplay to share their immensely diverse experiences.
In an effort to allow over 115 students to find their own literary voices, we are inviting Southern Word (Nashville's very own spoken word and community youth initiative) to host a week-long poetry residency at our school.
In an independent assessment completed by Vanderbilt University, researchers found that Southern Word's Residency Program "provides greater student engagement, greater perceived emotional safety, strengthened writing and speaking skills, active social and emotional learning, and improved classroom climate" as reported by teachers, and "increased engagement, greater confidence, a more proficient command of language, confidence in writing ability, improved classroom climate, greater connection to peers, improved relationships with teachers, and a better understanding of their classmates" as reported by students.
Help our students reap the benefits of exposure to language in all its varied and phenomenal forms.
More than a third of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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