Poetry in America, led by Professor Elisa New in collaboration with Harvard University, is pleased to offer another course designed specifically for K-12 educators, Poetry in America for Teachers: Earth, Sea, Sky.
Like Poetry in America’s popular first course for teachers, The City from Whitman to Hip Hop, Poetry in America for Teachers: Earth, Sea, Sky is designed to support educators across a wide range of grade levels and disciplines. The course provides a rich survey of American cultural and environmental history, as well as opportunities to consider poetry among the visual and performing arts. Especially recommended for teachers of English Language Arts and the sciences, Earth, Sea, Sky offers a four-pillared approach to reading poetry—or any literary text: in addition, the course is aligned with national ELA standards and includes opportunities for pedagogical practice.
Poetry in America for Teachers: Earth, Sea, Sky includes archivally rich video lectures and tutorials, roundtable conversations, and one-on-one conversations with poets, scholars, scientists, activists, curators, designers, and performing artists. Featured guest interpreters include Vice President Al Gore, evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson, climate activist Tom Steyer, photographer Laura McPhee, composer and multimedia artist DJ Spooky, businessman Ray Dalio, and many more.
Poetry in America courses are filmed on location whenever possible. Course participants will make virtual visits to historic sites and natural habitats from Cape Cod to Oregon to California, and to classrooms across the country, observing teachers at public, independent, and charter schools in New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Connecticut, and California.
Poetry in America for Teachers: Earth, Sea, Sky will empower English Language Arts, Science, and History teachers nationwide to work across disciplines to address challenges confronting the natural world.
All Poetry in America participants can enroll via the Harvard Extension School for undergraduate and graduate credit (4 credits), or professional development hours (noncredit option; 90 PD hours). This course is entirely online, and allows participants to fit weekly coursework into their own schedules. There are no regularly scheduled class sessions.
Generous support for this project was provided by The Poetry Foundation, The Harvard University Center for the Environment, NextGen America, and the Favorite Poem Project.
For nearly 100 years, the Harvard Graduate School of Education has prepared smart and passionate individuals to become transformative leaders in education.
Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally.
The Poetry Foundation elevates poetry, and promotes communities of poets through Poetry magazine, readings and events, partnerships and programs.
The Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE) encourages research and education about the environment and its many interactions with human society.
NextGen America acts politically to prevent climate disaster, promote prosperity, and protect the fundamental rights of every American.
For more than 25 years, Conservation International has been protecting nature for the benefit of everyone on Earth.
Nautilus is a different kind of science magazine that delivers big-picture science by reporting on a single monthly topic from multiple perspectives.
The Emily Dickinson Museum is a historic house museum consisting of two houses: the Dickinson Homestead and the Evergreens.
Boston Pulse Poetry is a spoken word youth organization founded in 2015 by Tony DelaRosa (Executive Director) and co-led by Professional Spoken Word Artist, Dana Ruff (aka D-Ruff). Modeled off sister organization Indy Pulse, Boston Pulse serves as an in-school and after school program that empowers youth through spoken word poetry, public speaking, and sparking critical dialogue within the community.
Founded in 2006, Success Academy Charter Schools is the largest and highest-performing free, public charter school network in New York City.
The rigid and linear design of the traditional U.S. education system does not provide an effective ladder to social and economic opportunity for all learners and is not responsive to the rapidly evolving needs of society.
ASU’s Learning Enterprise exists to foster and grow universal access to social and economic opportunity at every stage of a person’s life. This aim’s fulfillment requires innovative, high-scale education enabled by ASU’s robust knowledge core.
