Author in Residence program brings spoken word poetry to LS, MS
On Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22, two poets from Project VOICE, a nationally-renowned organization that seeks to educate, entertain, and inspire students with spoken-word poetry, visited USN as part of our annual Author in Residence program.
By Kate Pritchard, Library Director
Back
Poets Sarah Kay and Adam Falkner from Project VOICE visited USN recently to share their program with lower and middle school students. Kay and Falkner performed for the entire Lower School and Middle School, sharing poetry about topics as varied as a school dance, a surprise encounter with a raccoon, and a toothbrush that has fallen in love with a bicycle tire. Students were enthralled, laughing and groaning in all the right places, and asked all kinds of engaging (and sometimes off-the-wall) questions.
Kay and Falkner also held workshops with every student in fourth and eighth grades, drawing out students’ thoughts and feelings and demonstrating ways to turn those ideas into poetry. Fourth Grade Teacher Skyler Moots ’07 said, "The students loved the workshop and came up with some very creative and clever poetry of their own. It was an awesome opportunity, and hopefully, it inspired students to write more poetry and express themselves in new ways."
Eighth Grade English Teacher Christine Park appreciated the tie-in to her own curriculum, saying, "It was so fun to see each student slowly warm up to the idea that they could write poetry. This was an amazing introduction to our spoken word unit at the end of the year, and I can't wait to see each student tell their story through verse."
Eighth Grade English Teacher Christine Park appreciated the tie-in to her own curriculum, saying, "It was so fun to see each student slowly warm up to the idea that they could write poetry. This was an amazing introduction to our spoken word unit at the end of the year, and I can't wait to see each student tell their story through verse."
Finally, Kay and Falkner gave a free workshop for educators after school on Thursday, March 21, which attracted not only many teachers from USN but also teachers from seven other schools around Nashville, including public, private, and charter schools. Participants learned useful techniques for incorporating poetry into their classes across a wide range of grade levels and helping students become more comfortable sharing their work aloud.
The Author in Residence program is an annual event sponsored jointly by the English Department and the Hassenfeld Library. We want to give a special thanks to Fall Book Frenzy for the funds it raises for the library every year, a large portion of which supports the Author in Residence program.
More USN News
List of 3 news stories.
-
Spirit Store flash sale November 18-22
Get your holiday shopping done early at the USN Spirit Store, where everything is 20% off.Read More -
5th and 6th graders compete in Quiz Bowl tournament
USN's Middle School Quiz Bowl Team hosted the third annual Welcome to Quiz Bowl tournament at the school, as students continue a strong start to the season.Read More -
Cum Laude Society welcomes 22 seniors
Congratulations to the Class of 2025 inductees of the USN Cum Laude Society: Lucy Elisabeth Callen, Collin Hamilton Chan, Ophelia Cherry-Pulay, Tessa Chomsky, Penelope Kathleen Graham, Daniel Guo, Anna Hulan, Caroline Alice Keiper, Kareena Banerjee Kloek, Stella Olivia Liebeskind, Lillian Brantley Martin, Margaret Woods McKay, Eleanor Igo Molvig, Joshua Hans Muellenbach, Rhea Nachnani, Elizabeth Seabury Nichols, Rohan Ramachandran, Elena Rothman, Bronson Royce Schmidt, Saul Sharfstein, Amelie Cormier Soslow, and Katherine Adriane Tong.Read More
Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
USN Mission:
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.