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The Jefferson Springs Project and Middle Tennessee Schools

This project is not limited to writing a children's novel. We have decided to involve the local students at area middle schools to be involved in our process. We hope to raise the excitement of literature in the classroom by revealing the entire process of writing a book. For the fall semester of 2000, we will be presenting our project to area seventh and eighth grade students. Hopefully, this will prove to be enriching for them 'the readers' and us 'the writers.'
To achieve this dynamic, we have enlisted some of the top education majors, who will be navigating our schools visits, and also writing a curriculum guide to serve as an educational supplement to our text. We hope that this project will provide years of education and entertainment.
In addition to our schools visits, we had a field visit, where students may came to the university and witnessed the writing experience first-hand. This experience allowed the students to move past the classroom for a full understanding of the writing process. It occurred on October 31, 2000, and below are some highlights of the days events.

1. Music: We had a presentation of period music from a local string band in the MTSU KUC Theatre. The Old Crow medicine show (String Band) demonstrated period music, various playing styles, and even accompanied while several brave eighth graders tried out some of the dancing styles of the period.

2. Baseball Activity: Students at this station made old-fashioned baseballs out of newspaper and yarn. After the baseballs were made, several games were set up around the room for students to try out their new creation. Games, such as throwing the ball through a single hole, provided obstacles as well as prizes for the best pitchers. Each session ended with a discussion of sporting events, players, etc. of the twenties.

3. The Price Is Right: In this activity, a "general store" was set up consisting of grocery and miscellaneous items that were common in the 1920's. Items, such as a can of corn, meat, mouthwash, and shoes were included in the store. The students were given a paycheck in the same amount that someone would have received during the twenties to spend at the store and choose items close to that amount without going over. Complete price lists from the period were based on store ledgers found in the Albert Gore Research Center. After the students made their choices, prices were revealed and students left with a better understanding of economics of the period.

4. Travel Brochures: This station featured the resort aspect of Jefferson Springs. Students were given information about Jefferson Springs and then were asked to make "travel brochures" advertising the Springs. Magazines, markers, paper, crayons, and pencils were provided to assist students in making a mixed-media collage.

5. Meet the Characters: Dressed in period clothing, three students in the MTSU class dressed up as the main characters from our book: Bessie, Levi, and Zeke. A short skit was performed and the eighth graders were allowed to ask questions about the characters, the creation process, etc. This station was arranged so that the students would become more familiar with our three main characters and could give informed feedback when given samples of our writing at a later date.

6. Slang Activity: This interactive activity allowed students to apply slang of the 21st century to language used in the twenties. The students were given a short paragraph written in 1920's slang (featuring such words as "hepcat" "the cat's meow" and "the bee's knees") and were then asked to "translate" the paragraph in to language appropriate for today. This activity produced positive and often hilarious results.

7. Printing Press: At this station, MTSU Art Professor Janet Higgins and University Library Special Collections Librarian Alan Boehm gave a demonstration of an early-twentieth-century printing press. The students were also allowed to make their own print (???).