By Quraysh Ali Lansana, Applied Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing
I truly valued the time and experience working with this remarkable group of TPS teachers. The passion they exuded about their work was humbling. Their commitment to the student populations they serve was profoundly reflected in the care and detail put into their curricula. I was moved by this deeply. Their curricula are inventive, inclusive and engaging. I have selected brief excerpts from their curricula below that I found the most rewarding:
Shaunteka Curry: “’Aya: Poetry as a System of Resistance’ invites every student—across identities and experiences—into a space where their cultural backgrounds are reflected and honored. By connecting poetry to universal themes of resilience, liberation, and identity, the unit fosters a sense of inclusion, belonging, and transformative possibility.”
Julie Macy: “’Bridging Cultures: Boosting Reading Skills and Awareness with Poetry’ is organized into two main sections that address essential aspects of reading comprehension and cultural understanding through poetry: 1) What clues can we find in poems to help us understand their meaning and connect them to our own experiences? 2) How can reading and understanding poetry from different cultures help us to learn about the experience, traditions, and feelings of others? When students feel that their identities and experiences are recognized in the classroom, they are more engaged and motivated, and this positively impacts their reading comprehension and overall growth in literacy. Poetry is one strong way to enhance reading comprehension and make connections between the text and personal experiences.”
Kirstin Purtell: “’Weaving Words: How Young Students Use Poetry to Connect Culture and Self’ will focus on using poetry from diverse cultures; specifically, selecting works that reflect the varied cultural backgrounds of my students. By exploring these poems, students will be encouraged to reflect on the differences and similarities between cultures, fostering a sense of empathy and global awareness.”
Trina Goodbeer: “’Haiku Poetry with a Purpose’ asks students to create a Haiku from personal experiences, nature, current events, a moment of observation, or historical events. Whether set in the present, past, or future, students will state whether the poem was of the Japanese or of the Western-style perspective and influence. Students will also create a painting or create an art form to illustrate the poem.”
John Anderson: “’Amid Poetry: A Path to Discuss Diversity, Experiences, and Culture’… Poetry embodies imagination, awareness, and emotion, capturing life’s encounters through language, sound, and rhythm. I believe that school too often restricts creativity. For this reason, the unit will be divided into four sections to address students’ creativity: 1) Students in the 9th and 10th grades will learn how poetry aligns with their current interests. 2) They will utilize collaborative learning, differentiated instruction, and direct instruction to foster a supportive learning environment. 3) They will have the opportunity to use poetry to express their life experience. 4) They will develop critical thinking, communication, literacy, and writing skills while expressing their cultural history.”
Akela Leach: “’Poet’s Delight’… Our greatest American export is culture, arts, entertainment, and fashion. My friends who were not Black Americans also felt connected to exhibits because Black American culture is American culture. The message in the art is universal. In this unit, I will use poetry and song lyrics from Black artists that students will analyze. We will discuss what the artists are expressing, and message the authors are communicating to the world. The poems will not solely focus on the struggle and trauma Black Americans have faced, but also the joy, resistance, and universal human experiences. All students will be able to see themselves in some of the poems and empathize with the speaker’s thoughts… I chose to concentrate on having a diversity of styles while focusing on similar themes throughout the unit. The key themes of all of the poems are rising above, struggle, overcoming, and joy.”
