Adventure awaits between pages
The English Department and Hassenfeld librarians share their summer reading lists for rising grades K-12 and AP courses. View their suggestions at usn.org/reading.
By Freya Sachs '00, HS English Teacher & Department Chair
You can imagine, each spring, the English Department gathered, starting our conversation about summer reading, and the many books we are excited about, that we think our students might also enjoy. Each year, we come up with ideas based on our own reading lives; ask students for input of their favorite, recent reads; get great suggestions from our librarians. We work to come up with wide-ranging lists of texts, hoping each student can find books they will enjoy. There are so many books we love, or that our students might love, that can’t fit in the confines of the academic calendar — so, here they are, just waiting for you this summer. Research shows, after all, that the best way to grow as learners is to grow as active, engaged, consistent readers.
You can imagine, each spring, the English Department gathered, starting our conversation about summer reading, and the many books we are excited about, that we think our students might also enjoy. Each year, we come up with ideas based on our own reading lives; ask students for input of their favorite, recent reads; get great suggestions from our librarians. We work to come up with wide-ranging lists of texts, hoping each student can find books they will enjoy. There are so many books we love, or that our students might love, that can’t fit in the confines of the academic calendar — so, here they are, just waiting for you this summer. Research shows, after all, that the best way to grow as learners is to grow as active, engaged, consistent readers.
Each year, the question arises: why do we ask students to do this summer reading at all? We believe that reading is the key to growth — as humans, learners, citizens. Our department has worked, and will continue to work, to create reading lists that allow each student to not only see characters like themselves, but also to find moments and texts that enable them to read with empathy and discover experiences of others; we strive to have a range of texts in terms of subject, challenge, and interest; we want summer reading to be enjoyable, interesting, fun.
So, consider this an invitation to take a break from our moment and enter another, to find experiences that help us understand our own, that deepen our understanding of the world we inhabit — or of another, imagined, world entirely. If you need help finding books you might enjoy, ask your teacher, our librarians, friends — and look for opportunities to share what we are reading, what inspires us, on the horizon.
Happy reading!
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Music Night inspires Howl Owl Howl
Grammy Award-winning artist Darius Rucker told "The Today Show" and Rolling Stone that his 2019 performance at a school fundraiser with USN parent of alumni Steve Gorman led to the creation of their new band.Read More -
Boys XC finishes season as state runner-up
Congratulations to our cross country teams as they wrapped up their seasons at the state championship in Memphis and to the boys bowling team for defeating Ensworth.Read More -
HS English classes bringing video games into classroom
HS English Teacher Michael Hansen was recently recognized by the National Association of Independent Schools for a new initiative that uses video game storytelling to help students engage in literary analysis.Read More
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Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
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2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
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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.
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.