2023

K-12 Educator Fellowship from Virginia Humanities

Virginia Humanities announces its second year of running the K-12 Educator Fellowship. They are currently seeking six educators to join a new K-12 Fellowship scheduled to begin in April 2023. All educators committed to teaching the humanities, including media specialists, librarians, curriculum specialists, after-school specialists, and home school teachers, are encouraged to apply

The term “educator” encompasses anyone who is committed to creating inclusive learning experiences in a Virginia K-12 classroom. The cohort will consist of educators from across the state and will bring a wide range of humanities curriculum focus, from the elementary level to the high school level, allowing them to design new learning experiences that are easily accessible for both a physical classroom and remote use.

The cohort of six K-12 Educator Fellows will spend nine months creating two learning experiences with lesson plans and aid in planning a professional development offering in collaboration with other fellows and Virginia Humanities staff. Fellows will be given a stipend of $4000.00 and two relevant books needed for research. Fellows will also be given unique opportunities for collaborations with specialists in their areas of interest as well as Virginia Humanities staff. All work is virtual and we typically meet once a month on zoom. Application deadline is March 3, 2023.

For more info/to apply go to https://virginiahumanities.org/fellowships/k12-fellows/.

Deeper Learning in History and Social Science, Richmond, July 20, 2023

Join VASCD and staff from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture to engage with deeper learning in history and social science pedagogy through the project-based learning program, National History Day. Participants will receive hands-on experience with research, primary source analysis, thematic thinking, writing, and project creation. This experience will be enhanced by access to the museum’s exhibits and collection of approx. 9 million artifacts. All participants will receive resources they can implement in their own classrooms and schools.

July 20, 2023, 9am-3pm, only $25 and only 50 seats available! Register here.

2022

National Atlas of Korea Workshop, Stafford, VA : Report

The professional development session, hosted at Colonial Forge High School, brought together Fredericksburg area middle and high school teachers to learn about utilizing case studies in their classrooms.

Stafford, VA October 26, 2022 – Allison Cecil, a former Kentucky High School Teacher of the Year and experienced Advanced Placement Human Geography teacher, led teachers in a professional development session which explored Korea as a case study to build geographic skills for the classroom.

“Maps tell us so much more than location. They help provide insight into identity, claims, and naming” said Cecil.

Participants first considered the benefits of employing case studies in their classrooms and then looked at South Korea as a case study. During the session information about South Korea’s demographic situation, economic progress, and cultural influence were explored. The key resource that served as the basis of the session was the “National Atlas of Korea.”

“One of the biggest challenges teachers face is time,” explained Cecil.  “So, for case studies, finding high quality resources can be a challenge. The National Atlas of Korea helps take some of the burden off teachers in finding a variety of sources students can then analyze. It is more than maps and instead includes text overviews, photographs, charts, and tables.”

Twenty-two teachers from Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Fredericksburg City schools, including two pre-service teachers from the University of Mary Washington participated in the workshop. When the group was asked what information comes to mind when looking at pictures from the atlas, responses of “Korean War”, “38th Parallel”, and “DMZ” were stated most, however “K-Pop” and “BTS” were mentioned as well as “Samsung”. These teachers’ responses supported a statement Cecil made with, “Maps are increasingly a part of popular culture and trigger a variety of perceptions and points of view.” The Korean National Atlas is an online resource teachers can access for free to use in the classroom. Using Korea as a case study helps to connect students to what they know, especially in the rise of Korean entertainment, automobiles, and electronics.

Eric Powell, Stafford County Coordinator for Social Studies, arranged the hosting of the workshop with Heather Thornton and Christina Lewis as liaisons from Colonial Forge High School. Penny Anderson, teacher consultant for the Virginia Geographic Alliance coordinated the workshop.

The Korean National Atlas is freely available at http://nationalatlas.ngii.go.kr/us/index.php

The Korean National Atlas consists of five volumes published by the National Geography Information Institute (NGII). All five volumes are available online and in English. Volume III contains lesson plans designed by U.S. geography teachers in order to demonstrate how the atlas may be used in the context of Advanced Placement Human Geography classes.

 
Photo credits-Penny Anderson

Stratford Hall Teacher Institute: Reading Over the Shoulder: Teaching with Diaries and other People’s Mail

The 2022 Teacher Institute will be held virtually via Zoom.

People write diaries and letters for many reasons: to vent, to initiate and sustain relationships, to hone their writing, to set down happenings of historical and personal significance, to explore who they are and who they wish to be, and to rough-draft autobiographies and memoirs. This workshop will help teachers become comfortable using diverse digital archives and these genres to inspire students’ interest in history.

This three-day online teacher workshop examines a selection of historical diaries and letters, providing teachers with the tools to help students engage with history through this tissue of private and semi-private communications. More general reflection on these genres and their limits and possibilities will be supplemented by sessions modeling how to use these resources to capture student interest. The workshop will highlight the use of online archives and digital humanities projects, and introduce teachers to digital technologies for collaborative reading and analysis. Primary source documents will cover topics such as slavery, war, civil rights, religion, and gender. Teachers will hear from scholars and archivists who will illuminate the archive, rendering dynamic and engaging student projects.

 Application Process

Please submit a letter of interest including your full name, school name, grade and subject you teach, and your particular interest in this year’s institute. Send to Matt Torres, Program Coordinator: MTorres@StratfordHall.org. Admission is on a rolling basis

Please send questions to Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz, KDeetz@StratfordHall.org.

Professional Learning for Teachers at the  Virginia Museum of History and Culture

Three great opportunities to engage with two new remarkable exhibitions and other excellent resources from our friends and colleagues at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture!

Weinstein Properties Teachers Institute – The Story of Virginia , July 11th – July 15th

Weinstein Properties Teachers Institute – Our Commonwealth, July 25th – 29th

Primarily Virginia, Summer 2022, Register by June 24th

Primarily Virginia is an online course designed for K-12 teachers from around Virginia to explore Virginia’s past by examining objects and primary sources.

PREVIOUS YEARS

National Consortium for Teaching About Asia

The following Saturday workshops will be presented in NoVa for secondary teachers:

• December 14, 2019: Teaching about Contemporary China through Youth Culture and Contemporary Social Issues.
• February 29, 2020: Teaching Asia with Art at the Freer/Sackler.
• March 7, 2020: Japan, Pop Culture, and the Olympics.

For more information and application form, click here.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

We begin accepting applications for each season when the new application is posted on our website: www.cbf.org/programs.

For our Day Programs, we post the applications in October for the spring season and in
April for the fall season. The deadline for these applications is typically the second Friday in November for spring
season and the third Friday in May for fall. For our Residential Programs, the deadline for BOTH the fall and spring
seasons is the third Friday in May for the following school year.

National Humanities Center online activities

1. Humanities in Class: Digital Literacy in the Classroom is a five-module online course designed to explore ways in which the humanities can serve as a powerful tool in developing critical analytics skills in the 21st century information age. In this virtual course, educators explore digital literacy and citizenship using investigation, analysis, discussion, and reflection based on materials developed by leading humanities scholars. Participants will also develop a classroom resource that is customized to their own educational environment based on the NHC curriculum model. The course opens on September 4 and earns participants 15 hours of CEU credit.

Course topics include:
• Calling Bull in the Classroom (with Jevin West of University of Washington)
• Manipulating History
• China: A Case Study (with Min Jang of UNC-Charlotte)
Registration is limited to 30: https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/education-programs/courses/

2. Humanities in Class Webinar Series 2018-19 provides an irreverent, fast-paced forum for scholars and educators to discuss compelling topics in our world through a humanities lens. This year we will feature sessions on the Second Amendment, privacy in the digital age, hip hop scholarship, and the truth and myths of Game of Thrones among other exciting topics.

Registration is limited per session to 200: https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/education-programs/webinars/

For more information on the National Humanities Center go to https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/.

Summer GIS Training for Educators at JMU

The Virginia K12 GIS Site License Consortium is offering two training opportunities for teachers on JMU’s campus this summer. Both the introductory and advanced sessions offer free room and board in JMU dorms.  The following site has additional information regarding the dates and application process. http://www.jmu.edu/gs/va-gis-site-license/prof-dev.shtml

NOTE: Due to changes ESRI is considering making to the nationwide state site license program, we do not anticipate being able to offer regular summer GIS workshops at JMU after this June.

Monticello Archaeology Teacher Workshops – July 18th and 19th

Join Monticello archaeologists for a one-day workshop on July 18^th or 19^th from 8:00am – 5:00pm. Participants in each session will engage in archaeological field excavations at an early-19th-century slave quarter, participate in artifact processing, learn about archaeological analysis, and discuss classroom applications of archaeological methods and data. Registration cost is $10, which includes one-day access to the Monticello grounds, a Teacher Resource Packet, sample classroom activities, and refreshments. Space is limited to twelve participants per day, so reserve your spot today! Documentation of workshop completion will be provided; check with your school system for professional development eligibility. This program is designed for professional educators. Questions? Contact Beth Sawyer: esawyer@monticello.org.

The Virginia WWI and WWII Statewide Teacher Symposiums

The Symposiums, marking the 100th anniversary of WWI and the 75th anniversary of WWII, will take place in June and July of 2017 in partnership with museums from across the state. The symposiums will offer various sessions providing overviews of both wars, content for teaching WWI and WWII, and museum tours highlighting local resources that support SOL content and history and social science skills.  Although the symposiums are free for Virginia educators, registration is necessary.  Lunch will be provided.  Attendees will receive recertification certificates.

For more information, including dates and locations, go to: https://www.virginiawwiandwwii.org/symposium

Virginia Historical Society  – July 10-14 and July 24-28

The Virginia Historical Society is pleased to announce its Weinstein Properties Story of Virginia Teachers Institutes this summer. The institutes will be held the weeks of July 10-14 and July 24-28 and are open to all teachers. Participants will explore the collections of the VHS, analyze primary sources and learn historical thinking skills.

The cost is $50, which will be refunded on successful completion of the program. Lunches and materials will be provided free of charge. Please register at http://www.vahistorical.org/collections-and-resources/teachers-and-students/professional-development

Primarily Virginia: MeadWestvaco online teachers institute

Primarily Virginia is an online course designed for teachers to explore Virginia’s past by examining objects and primary sources. These pieces of the past will be used as a lens to examine different historical eras in Virginia history. All course work is to be completed through the course website, and there are no required in-person class meetings.

The course consists of a series of six modules. In each module, a series of activities will allow the participants to engage in the historical inquiry process, and provide opportunities to examine how the course content can be applied in the classroom. Each module will require teachers to write reflections about the objects and the historical content and to respond to the postings from the other class participants.

Primarily Virginia’s online format has been designed for asynchronous work, allowing  K-12 teachers from around Virginia to access the resources of the VHS and the Library of Congress from their homes and schools. Upon completion of the course, participating teachers will receive 45 re-certification points, along with a membership to the Virginia Historical Society. The course is offered free of charge, thanks to the generous support of the MeadWestvaco Corporation and the MeadWestvaco Foundation.

Primarily Virginia is limited to 30 students and will launch on January 30, 2017. Please register by January 23, 2017.

For additional information, please contact Bill Obrochta, 804-342-9651, wobrochta@vahistorical.org.

NGS Education grants

The National Geographic Society will begin offering new education-focused grants to individual educators in 2017! Its grants website is now live at: http://www.nationalgeographic.org/grants/

Grants will be awarded on a quarterly basis. Upcoming submission deadlines are:

• April 1, 2017, for decision by August 21, 2017
• July 1, 2017, for decision by November 30, 2017

VGA hopes to have some new or continuing efforts apply– please let Ed and Annie know if you are interested. (kinmanel@longwood.edu; Anne.Evans@charlottesvilleschools.org)

Funded projects must align with one of the Society’s three focus lenses: Our Human Story, Critical Species & Places, and Our Changing Planet.

Education grants will support projects that aim to teach people about the world and how it works, empowering them to make it a better place. We want to identify effective strategies in teaching and learning – what works in education? – in our three focus lenses. Projects can be new or existing initiatives that have potential for replication or adaptation to other areas and audiences.

NGS will also support projects that demonstrate how to teach better – new ideas for instructional strategies at any level, with any audience, and in any location. We aim to support educators in traditional and nontraditional settings, in community education and outreach, and in other venues.

Finally, we will support projects that measure what works in teaching and learning – educators who want to research, evaluate, and measure how learning takes place. This dovetails with National Geographic’s Learning Framework: the set of attitudes, skills, and knowledge that embody the explorer mindset.

PAST ACTIVITIES

What’s My Map Worth?  Library of Virginia November 5, 2016 / 10:30 am — 12:00 pm

Most of us have maps, either in drawers, in our attics, or even framed on a wall. Have you ever wondered what your maps are worth? Join guest speaker Eliane Dotson as she shares secrets of the trade on how to value maps. Learn what key factors affect the value of a map and how to estimate how much a map is worth. For more information about this event, contact the Library of Virginia Foundation at 804-692-3813 or e–mail dawn.greggs@lva.virginia.gov.

The Fry–Jefferson Map Society hosts this free workshop. Advance registration required.
Register here: https://goo.gl/6hwfgx

RU World Ready? conference to be held at Radford University 

Anne and Ryland Brown Summer 2016 Teaching  Fellowship.

The Library of Virginia is now accepting applications for its 2016 Anne and Ryland Brown Summer Teaching  Fellowship. Fellows will earn a stipend while working with Library staff doing research in our archives and producing educational resources for teachers and students everywhere. Open to Virginia 4th–12th Grade History and Social Science Educators

Brown Fellowship FAQs, 2016
Brochure

Contact Catherine Fitzgerald Wyatt (catherine.wyatt@lva.virginia.gov /(804)692-3999) or Adrienne Robertson (adrienne.robertson@lva.virginia.gov /(804)692-3001) for more information.

STRATFORD HALL WORKSHOP: ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF COLONIAL VIRGINIA (1630-1760) July 20-23, 2016

This year’s institute will focus on physical geography of the Coastal Plain, a discussion of the Patowmack wilderness, landscape of colonization, social construction of the North American wilderness, and an integrated geoliteracy methodology to study the nature of the physical, biological, and social system. See post.