Third graders learned about Cherokee life, The Trail of Tears, and researching primary sources during a recent trip to the Tennessee State Library & Archives.
By Kyleen Shyer, Third Grade Teacher
In third grade social studies, students learn about the earliest Tennesseans through the Native American Tribes. Throughout the year, they travel to various places including the Tennessee State Museum and Mound Bottom State Archaeological Area.
As part of their social studies unit on Native Americans in Tennessee, third graders had the opportunity to travel to the Tennessee State Library & Archives for their new program, The Cherokee in Tennessee, 1500s-1839.
Students learned about primary and secondary documents, studied transcribed letters between John Ross and Andrew Jackson, and wrote on copies of maps to show how the size of the Cherokee Nation physically shrunk over time. Students worked with sources, including maps, letters, quotes, and images.
It was both a meaningful and powerful experience for the third-grade researchers.
During a powerful field trip to the Tennessee State Library & Archives, students in Klyeen Shyer's third grade class learned about the history of Cherokee Nation in Tennessee.
Over the summer, the Operations staff worked to prepare the Edgehill Campus for the year ahead, beginning with the Back Lawn renovation, installing new carpet in classrooms and the Hassenfeld Library, replacing furniture, painting, updating lighting, improving HVAC systems, updating the Sperling Gym concession area, and replacing a part of the floor in Cheek Gym.
Expect to see an active construction site as students, families, and faculty return to the Edgehill Campus. Progress continues on USN's most anticipated campus improvement of summer 2026.
University School of Nashville is excited to announce the return of curricular travel opportunities. Student applications for the 2026-2026 school year will open Friday, August 21, 2026. Additional details, including, financial aid processes, and application timelines, will be shared with families soon.
Please contact K-12 Director of Experiential Learning Kalee Barbis with any questions, kbarbis@usn.org.
USN Mission: University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.