Pre-workshop assignments

In the past, NEH has requested that all Summer Scholars either write new, or revise existing lesson plans that they can use in their classrooms and share with others.  This is still a great idea and we hope that at least some of you will do so.

This year, NEH has given you some options.  We still ask that you leave something that you created during the workshop when you depart at the end.  That can be a lesson plan, or it can be some other work, including poetry, journal entries, or creative writing.  You might want to bring some of your existing lesson plans (or poetry or writing) that involve topics relevant to our workshop. Such topics might include "sense of place," civil rights issues, the Emmett Till case, Blues or other music (both as music and as poetry), the Mississippi River, literature dealing with the Delta, the geography of the Great Migration, or any other topic you think appropriate.  If you bring that kind of outline, you will have something specific to modify with your new experiences during the workshop (many past Scholars have taken many photos during their week in the Delta and used them extensively in the classroom, along with their journal entries describing their experiences and emotions).

Whatever you choose to do, we really believe that writing your thoughts down will help you reflect on your experiences, organize them in creative ways, and help you remember and use them after you leave the Delta.  We also want to post your thoughts on our web site, as we have with all the  lesson plans developed in the past.  Check them out!  There are some really creative approaches and we are proud of all our past NEH Summer Scholars.