History on Tap

First we’d like to welcome everyone back!  We hope you had a restful winter break!

Second, the professional development schedule for the 2nd semester is now online.  Please visit http://www.pps.k12.va.us/uploadedFiles/Teacher_and_Staff/Staff%20Development%20Guide%20Second%20Semester.pdf and check that out.  Don’t forget to RSVP to Mrs. West if you plan on attending a workshop. 

Third, I have information for another summer institute.  The Institute of International Education and the Korea Foundation have posted their application for the 2009 Korean Studies Workshop for American Educators.  This is the workshop I attended this past summer.  You must be a secondary social studies teacher, so only those who teach grades 6-12 are eligible.  It was a wonderful workshop and I enjoyed it immensely.  It is a fully funded trip-I only needed spending money.  For further information and to access the application, check out http://www.iie.org//Admin/Website/WPreview.cfm?CWID=768.  And if you have any questions about the trip, please don’t hesitate to ask!  I love to talk about my trip!

Sarah and I hope everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing break!  See you all in January!

I have info for two new summer institutes.  The first is with Colonial Williamsburg, and is a week long institute, usually in July.  There is a scholarship to apply for, which will cover meals and lodging, though you are responsible for getting to Williamsburg.  You also receive a $200 stipend.  I attended this institute  last summer, and it was wonderful.  If you have any questions about it, please ask!  The application can be found at http://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchsti_scholarship.cfm.

The second institute is with the Virginia Geographic Alliance.  (Sarah went to Ecuador with this group this past summer, and two teachers from Simonsdale went to England with this group.)  They will have a trip from June 29th-July 16th that begins in New England, and goes through Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Quebec.  Check out http://www.geography.vt.edu/worldlandscapes/2009/ for more information.

I have a set of 4 CD-ROM’s on Westward Expansion to give away to a 6th grade teacher.  A few eligibility requirements:

• Must be a 6th grade teacher yourself (you cannot answer for someone in your building)
• Must be a Portsmouth teacher
• Previous winners of 6th grade items are not eligible this time (we want to give others a chance-but those who always post the first comment, thank you for checking the blog regularly)

First comment gets it!

The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation is excited to announce its 2009 Summer Teacher Institute!  Information on the Institute and the application process is available at http://historyisfun.org/teacher-institute.cfm.  Lodging, meals, a transportation stipend and materials are provided at no charge to participating teachers.

Participants will demonstrate 17^th- and 18^th- century skills in costume while interacting with visitors, take part in interactive SOL correlated sessions, receive a kit of reproduction artifacts to use in the classroom, develop lesson plans and earn up to 35 certification points! 

If you have questions about the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation 2009 Summer Teacher Institute, or need more information, please call Heather Hower, Assistant Director of Outreach Education and Special Services, at (757) 253-4454 or e-mail at teacher.institute@jyf.virginia.gov.

There’s an interesting story on CNN today about this famous Depression era photograph.  The article discusses the hardships faced by migrant workers during the Great Depression, and is told from the viewpoint of one of the children in the photograph.  (She is now 77 and lives in California.)

I think this would be an interesting article for students to read, especially in conjunction with the photograph.

The Ashbrook center is offering free week long summer institutes for teachers at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. 

There are many institutes to choose from, all dealing with American history.  All meals and housing will be provided by Ashland University.  At the conclusion of the institute, teachers will receive a stipend for $500. 

Applications are on-line, and are due by March 1, 2009.

For more information, check out http://teachingamericanhistory.org/institutes/.

I have a HUGE copy of the Constitution to give away to a Portsmouth Civics and Economics teacher.  (I hope you have some wall space!)  First Civics and Econ teacher to leave me a comment gets it.  I’ll probably have to drop it by for you, I don’t want to put it in the pony and risk it getting messed up!

I’ve got a picture book about Rosa Parks to give away to a 3rd grade teacher.  (You must be teaching 3rd grade yourself-you can’t respond for someone else in your building.)  I’ll put the book in the pony to the first person to leave me a comment!

Here are a couple of interesting news items from the past few days.

First, archaeologists have discovered a new pyramid in Saqqara, which is an ancient burial site in Egypt.  The pyramid is estimated to be 4,300 years old.  For more info, check out http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/11/egypt.pyramid.discovery.ap/index.html.

Second, here is some information from WHRO on the re-broadcast of a special on the Monacan nation of Virginia.  Fourth grade teachers, this may be something you want to consider downloading and saving for future use in the classroom. 

WHRV 89.5FM TO re-AIR SPECIAL ON THE MONACAN NATION OF VIRGINIA

NORFOLK:  With the 400year anniversary of the birth of America just behind us, many people are still unaware of the history of the Virginia tribes and the true stories regarding first contact at Jamestown in 1607.  WHRV 89.5FM will air a one-hour program featuring Monacan Chief Kenneth Branham and tribal members Karenne Wood and Sue Elliott, who sit down with Chickahominy tribal representative Powhatan Owen to share the history and culture of the invisible people; past present and future.

Bear Mountain in Amherst County has been the home of the Monacan people for more than 10,000 years. The earliest written histories of Virginia record that in 1607, the James River Monacan, along with their Mannahoac allies on the Rappahannock River, controlled the area between the Fall Line in Richmond and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The most western of Virginia’s eight tribes, the Monacan Nation - over 1,400 strong.

This a rare opportunity to learn the true history of the founding of this country from the direct descendants of the Virginia Tribes.

WHRO Chief Enterprise Officer John Heimerl served as Executive Producer for Monacan Voices.  “WHRV is pleased to be able to share this under reported perspective of the Jamestown experience with our listeners,” said Heimerl.  “Our region’s Native American stories and voices have been too long unheard, and we’re proud to bring these to our airwaves.”

Subjects covered are: First contact, Racial Integrity Act [also known as the paper Genocide of Virginia Indians]  Federal Recognition, culture and history of the Virginia tribes, healing for Native and Non Native People. Conversation, poetry and storytelling.

The program will be aired on the NAPTV/AIROS livestream http://airos.org/audio/en/monacanvoices.html at the following times:

11/22/08: 10am, 4pm, 10pm ET
11/23/08: 10am, 4pm, 10pm ET
11/24/08: 11am, 5pm, 11pm ET

The audio from Monacan Voices is also available for podcast and free MP3 download at the following sites

http://whro.org/home/publicradio/nativeAmerican
http://airos.org/audio/en/monacanvoices.html