History on Tap

There is a workshop for middle and high school teachers on February 23rd at 3:15 in Conference Room 1 at IRC.  Participants will receive a unit plan for teaching the Holocaust.  Please RSVP to Mrs. West at mary.west@pps.k12.va.us.

There will be a timelines workshop for USII teachers on Tuesday, January 26th at IRC.  The meeting will begin at 3:15pm in the conference room.  Please RSVP to Mary.west@pps.k12.va.us or mary.jones@pps.k12.va.us.

The Pilot is running an 8 part series (beginning yesterday) about German submarines and the part played by Virginia and North Carolina during WWII.  Part of the article is interactive, with a video and photos.  Unfortunately, to read the articles online you must be a subscriber to e-Pilot, or you’ll have to get a newspaper.  (They may run the series online at a later date for all to access.)  This could be an excellent tool to show students how WWII affected the homefront.

The Virginia Historical Society is holding a summer institute on Virginia and the Brown v. Board of Education decision.  The institute will be held from July 13-17, 2009 in Richmond.  Textbooks and reading materials are free, and meals and lodging will be provided for out of town participants.  Participants will also receive a $250 stipend upon completion of the institute. 

All Virginia teachers (public and private, elementary and secondary) are eligible.  The target group is teachers of Virginia Studies, USII, and VA/US History. 

For more information or to apply online, visit http://www.vahistorical.org/education/education_teachers_institute.htm.  The application deadline is May 15, 2009.

Here’s an interesting story in today’s Huffington Post about the discovery of a  copy (dating to 1944-45) of a list f 801 men Oskar Schindler saved during the Holocuast.  It belonged to the author of Schindler’s List, Thomas Keneally, and was used by Keneally when writing the book.

Life has recently (as in the past couple of days) published never before seen photographs taken in Memphis on the day of the Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination.  A Life photgrapher and reporter happened to be in assignment in Alabama and rushed to the Lorraine Motel after hearing the news.  They had unrestricted access to Dr. King’s room, the motel, and surrounding area, which enabled them to take these photos.  The site includes a short description for each photo from the photographer, Henry Groskinsky. 

(Note:  It’s probably a good idea to preview the photos before showing them to students-a couple of them show people cleaning up the balcony where Dr. King was shot.)

The questions of the day for most of second semester for USI have been posted.  I’ve made it through week 30.  Once I finish the last 6 weeks I’ll get those added, but I wanted them to be posted since next week is week 19.

4th grade/VA Studies questions of the day will come through e-mail weekly for awhile until they’re compiled, and then I’ll post them.  So keep an eye on your inbox for those. 

Sarah made a massive people sort for USII.  That has been added to the USII page.  It covers all the key people for each SOL and is a quick and easy review.

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 Education Podcast Network has about 11 podcasts that discuss Jim Crow laws.  They are interviews with people who experienced the laws.  They are relatively short and would be a great way to incorporate some technology into your SS plans and allow your students to hear about Jim Crow laws from a primary source. 

The website also has a subject specific podcast list on the left sidebar.  There are many for SS that you may find interesting.  There are podcasts on the First Amendment, immigration, great speeches in American history, ancient civilizations, Williamsburg, economics, and many more.  Just make sure you listen to them once before playing them for your students…

I’ve just completed and uploaded Flyswatter games for USII.5,6, and 7 in the past couple of days.  They’re on the USII page under the appropriate SOL.  I’ll try to have USII.8 up soon!