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!

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.

• 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!

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.

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/.

Please RSVP to Mrs. West as soon as possible and let her know that you are attending.  Please include your grade level in your RSVP.  (393-8555 or mary.west@pps.k12.va.us)  We will have materials for your specific grade level.  If we do not know you will be attending, or if we do not know your grade level, we will not have materials for you!