Writing the Community: Teaching Poetry in the Schools is a one-semester, three-credit service learning course with the goal of creating community cultural development (or an advocacy tool for the arts) to help the Poetry Center, the College of Humanities, and the University of Arizona as a whole extend its reach into the community and support the critical and creative thinking skills of K-8 learners. Based on a similar program at Kent State University, students enrolled in this course will deliver 6-8 week creative writing residencies at local K-8 schools in Tucson and creative writing workshops at the Poetry Center’s Saturday morning Family Days program. Undergraduate students will most likely work in pairs to deliver service; graduate students may do their work alone or as advisors/mentors with a team of undergraduate students. The purpose for this community work is to help students develop creative and critical thinking skills, promote a love of reading and writing, and empower students to develop their voices and use language to express themselves. The broader implications for this service include improving and enhancing the educational experiences of K-8 youth and inspiring social change.

To learn more about the course requirements, download this sample syllabus. Note: this is a sample only, indicative of what to expect overall in the course; the calendar and other logistical information is not up-to-date.

To learn more about the programs that students help to create content for and facilitate, visit our Family Days page and the main Writing the Community page.

Questions? Contact course instructor Renee Angle at angler@email.arizona.edu.