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Teaching American History
FREEDOM PROJECT: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR 2009-2010
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BILL OF RIGHTS INSTITUTE WORKSHOP
Reading the Founding Documents
On Friday, September 11th, teachers in RPS#205 will have the opportunity to attend a workshop conducted by the Bill of Rights Institute. Master teachers from the Bill of Rights Institute will work with district teachers on “Reading the Founding Documents: Structure and Organization.” Participating teachers will learn research-based and classroom-tested strategies to assist them in leading students to understand the roots of our fundamental freedoms, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and the role that the law and the courts play in their daily lives. Teachers will also receive valuable classroom materials as part of the workshop. The event will be held at NIU Rockford from 8 AM until 3:30 PM. Substitutes will be provided through TAH Grant funds. 6 CPDUs. Limit 35 teachers. |
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OPENING SYMPOSIUM FOR 2009-2010: THE LIVING CONSTITUTION
Agenda for Living Constitution
The Freedom Project's opening symposium for 2009-2010 will be held on Saturday, September 12th at NIU Rockford from 8 AM until 3:30 PM. “The Living Constitution” will feature two of the nation’s top scholars on Constitutional Law. Keynote speaker Louis Fisher is the head of the Law Library at the Library of Congress and author of many books, including his recently published The War Power: Original and Contemporary. Also speaking will be Paul Finkelman, professor of law at Albany Law School and author of a number of publications, including Dred Scott vs. Sandford: a Brief History with Documents. The first 40 teachers to register for the symposium on Saturday will receive a copy of each of the books mentioned above. After a catered lunch, the afternoon session will be on “New Ideas for Teaching the Constitution” —a pedagogical session conducted by Dr. Aaron Willis of Social Studies School Service. Teachers who attend the symposium will receive newly published classroom materials after being instructed in various strategies for teaching the material.
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WEBLESSONS TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP
Accessing WebLessons
As a partner in the Freedom Project, E-Learning Systems Inc. will be conducting a two-hour workshop at NIU Rockford on Tuesday, September 29th from 4:30—7: 00 PM. This workshop is open to anyone in RPS #205 who teaches US history and it is absolutely free! On top of that, participation in this workshop will provide you and your students free access to the 200+ US history lessons at grades 5, 7, 8, and the high school level. You must attend the workshop, however, to receive this offer.
Not only do the WebLessons contain outstanding background articles, links to primary sources, and webquests, they also provide management and reporting tools for teachers, as well as assessment pieces for each lesson. This workshop will provide teachers with the instruction necessary to utilize this outstanding resource for use in the classroom as well as for students to use for research and homework assignments. Teachers who are interested in attending this workshop which will enable you to access hundreds of lessons in US history for your grade level may go to the WebLessons website at www.weblessons.com and sign up for a free trial. This is an incredible resource that you won’t want to miss out on!
Plan on spending a couple of hours after school on Tues., September 29th at NIU Rockford and you will find it very worth your while—and that of your students! (A light dinner will be served!) Register now! |
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CONFERENCE AT NIU: New Ideas in American History
More information forthcoming on this conference at NIU. |
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THE CULTURE OF ISLAM - Sat., October 24th at NIU Rockford
Agenda for Workshop
On Saturday, October 24th, the Freedom Project and NIU will conduct a special workshop on "The Culture of Islam: Teaching and Understanding Islam" for teachers K-12. Conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, the workshop will help teachers "build bridges of understanding between the Muslim world and the West by addressing stereotypes of Islam and Muslims and issues and questions concerning compatibility and modern life." This workshop will address the needs of teachers giving them confidence, providing content knowledge and helping them integrate the content into their curriculum and standards. Each topic covered will be paired with teaching materials with all resources meeting accepted guidelines. Two sessions will be conducted simultaneously--one for elementary teachers and one for middle and high school teachers. Open to all teachers in RPS #205, there is no registration fee and both breakfast and lunch will be served on site at NIU Rockford. Contact Betsy at Roosevelt (815-966-3250 ext 4341) or betsy.homewood@rps205.com to register. Limit of 40 teachers. 6 CPDUs will be given. |
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2nd Symposium: THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION: CONTEXT AND CULTURE
Agenda for Sat., November 7th
On Sat., November 7th, the symposium on “The American Revolution: Context and Culture" will feature author and historian Carol Berkin as the keynote speaker. Her book, Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence, will be given to each of the first 40 teachers to register along with a copy of Edith Gelles’s latest book on the letters of Abigail and John Adams, Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage. Unfortunately, Edith is unable to make the trip to Rockford, but in her place will be Margaret Hogan, director of “The Adams Papers” at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Rounding out the event will be Karen Quinones who will present “A Virtual Walking Tour of Revolutionary Era New York.” The afternoon sessions will feature document-sharing by the three guest speakers and a grade level lesson plan sharing session for teachers. Books will be available from Wonderland Books and book drawings will be held throughout the day. 6 CPDUs will be given. No cost for registration. Breakfast and lunch included.
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IMMIGRATION: THEN AND NOW
On January 23rd, the third symposium for Freedom Project will be conducted at NIU Rockford. The topic is "Immigration: Then and Now" and features outstanding history scholars on the subject. Coming to Rockford to share their expertise will be Roger Daniels, author of "Coming to America: A History of Immigration and Ethnicity in American Life," the suggested reading for the event, David Reimers of NYU, and Neil Foley, University of Texas. Teachers who register in advance for this symposium will each receive a copy of Dr. Daniels book. Registration is free; breakfast and lunch will be included and each participant will receive 6 CPDUs. |
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GOOD TIMES AND BAD: ROARING '20'S TO GREAT DEPRESSION
Please note the change in date!! The fourth symposium for Freedom Project will be held on Saturday, March 20th, 2010, rather than on the 27th as previously stated. Mark your calendars now for this will be a most informative event featuring Susan Ware, independent historian formerly with the Radcliffe Institute who will speak on "Women and the Great Depression," Bob Korstad of Duke University who will present content on African Americans during the Depression, and Taylor Atkins of NIU who will discuss the importance of oral history and its place in studying an era such as the Great Depression. As all other grant activities, this event will be held at NIU Rockford from 8 AM until 3:30 PM. Each person who registers in advance will receive a copy of David Kyvig's book "Daily Life in the United States 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the Roaring Twenties' and the Great Depression." No cost for registration; breakfast and lunch will be provided and 6 CPDUs will be given to each participant. Book drawings will also be held throughout the day! |
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INDUSTRIALIZATION AND THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT
The final symposium for 2009-2010 will be held at NIU Rockford on Saturday, April 24th on "Industrialization and the Women's Movement." Key speakers for this event will be Dr. M. Roe Smith of MIT who will discuss "Technological Revolutions in American History," Sylvia Cook of the University of St. Louis and author of "Working Women, Literary Ladies"--one of the suggested books to be read for the event--and JD Bowers of NIU who will provide content on recent changes in technology and the role of women. Teachers who register for the final symposium will receive Peter Stearn's book "The Industrial Revolution in World History," as well as Sylvia Cook's book mentioned above. No registration fee; breakfast and lunch to be provided. Wonderland Books will display and sell books and drawings will be held throughout the day. 6 CPDUs. |
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Focus Group: Trip to Galena in the Spring!!
TBA
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