Students Study Poetry, Oaths for Inauguration Day
When National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman recited her poem "The Hill We Climb" on Inauguration Day, a group of Barstow juniors paid close attention.
In preparation for Wednesday's presidential inauguration, juniors in Ms. Ganter's American Literature class read past inaugural poems by Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, Elizabeth Alexander, Miller Williams and Richard Blanco, and tried their hand at writing their own.
Students discussed the importance of purpose, audience and tone of each work. They identified common traits, including acknowledgement of the past, present and future moment, exploration of American values and ideals, and a tone of celebration and hope, which they incorporated into their own original works.
Lower School Lesson
In lower school, Ms. Thompson's first grade students read a passage about the history of Inauguration Day and discussed what an oath is. Students reviewed vocabulary words frequently used in the Presidential Oath and completed an activity where they wrote down characteristics they want to see in a good friend. To make the oath formal, students placed their left hands on the paper, raised their right hands and recited the friendship oath.
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Students discussed the importance of purpose, audience and tone of each work. They identified common traits, including acknowledgement of the past, present and future moment, exploration of American values and ideals, and a tone of celebration and hope, which they incorporated into their own original works.
Juniors submitted their poems to the Academy of American Poets’ Inaugural Poem Project to be judged by Blanco, who read at former President Barack Obama’s second-term inauguration in 2013. Five poems were also selected by middle and upper school English faculty to be shared with Barstow students. Maddie Bauman, Divya Dendi, Audrey Huston, Isa Herrera and Selena Spurrier recited their original works on BTVN this week.
Lower School Lesson
In lower school, Ms. Thompson's first grade students read a passage about the history of Inauguration Day and discussed what an oath is. Students reviewed vocabulary words frequently used in the Presidential Oath and completed an activity where they wrote down characteristics they want to see in a good friend. To make the oath formal, students placed their left hands on the paper, raised their right hands and recited the friendship oath.
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Poet Amanda Gorman recited "The Hill We Climb" during the presidential inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (CNN)
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First grade students created and recited a friendship oath while learning about Inauguration Day.
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