Welcome to Third Space English. Third Space is an English Composition course, designed by Columbus State Community College and central Ohio high school instructors, as a bridge to higher-level learning. The course, greatly inspired by Linda Christensen’s book, Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching About Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word, seeks to foster, build, and develop skills in composition that are rooted in welcoming all and making them feel a sense of belonging. Assignments completed in this course facilitate practice with and independent thinking in various composition genres, such as personal narrative, critical lens analysis, academic research, and reflection. The assignments in this course are designed to guide and support students through a recursive writing process that celebrates the voices and collaboration of students. Third Space allows students to prepare for and experience college-level curriculum while also building upon community and the skills necessary for success beyond high school.
If you have any questions about the curriculum and/or you are a high school interested in partnering with Columbus State on this class, please reach out to Rachel Brooks-Pannell at rbrooksp@cscc.edu and/or Whitney Larson at wlarson3@cscc.edu. Thank you.
"Third Space was a great experience that I needed to prepare for college English. I was able to learn to manage time. I was also able to learn how to write and structure an essay, and not just ramble on (like I maybe used to). Because of Third Space, I was able to succeed in my college Composition I and II courses."
- Buray Abdullahi, Student at West High School
"Third Space English was very essential to my success in Composition I due to many of the assignments being similar. In addition, it prepared me for the new standards required by my college courses when it came to formatting and due dates. Lastly it improved my writing style so that I was more comfortable with lengthy papers and descriptive writing with strong structure."
- Grant Burns, Student at West High School
"Third Space is a very fun and interesting class. However, it can be quite startling at first, because it is a complete change from my previous classes taken. My advice to any newcomer is to try your best, even when it feels overwhelming. Even when it gets hard, remember the only way to grow by learning is to challenge yourself. "
- Katherine Alvarez Mejia, Student at West High School
"This is one of the most helpful classes I have ever taken. The assignments all share a common theme: understanding perspective. Whether it was watching films for the Critical Lens Essay or learning about Tulsa, the class was all about understanding what we’re watching and being able to explain our thinking and the thought process behind it. This caused me to think more deeply. It helped me form more ideas on how to express myself, so others can feel or think the same way I do. For that, I can say I am truly grateful for Ms. Spears and this class."
- Hamit Kassim, Student at Franklin Heights High School
"Third Space was the perfect bridge class into college English. The class helped me in so many ways. I've learned many skills that helped improve my writing process and helped me become a better writer, in general. I am grateful for my classmates and instructor (Mrs. Turchan) for creating a safe and happy space to learn."
- Laila Hassan, Student at West High School
“I love teaching this class, and overall, this year went much better than I could have expected. We’re starting to build a broader community of writers at Northland [High School] through various initiatives, and this class has been instrumental in my recruitment of students who want to push their writing further. Third Space should be implemented in every Columbus public high school.”
– Chris Monteiro, Instructor of English at Northland High School
“Why did I choose to take dual credit English? I fell in love with Third Space and wanted to keep going with English classes and working on my writing.” – Fanta Nabe, Student at Franklin Heights High School
“This class is a pleasure to teach. Students like Fanta, who write with so much heart, make my job fantastically fun.” – Molly Spears, Instructor of English at Franklin Heights High School
Except where otherwise indicated, this Third Space curriculum was developed by Rachel Brooks-Pannell and Whitney Larson from Columbus State Community College, along with English Language Arts instructors from Central Ohio high schools. It is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. This license does not extend to the contents of external web pages.
