Welcome to the PACETAH Blog!
This blog is a journal of our educational experiences gained through the Teaching American History grant. As we travel, as we train, and as we learn, we will document our thoughts and impressions here, and create a dialog with other members of our PACETAH family.
The grant is GREAT! I have learned so MUCH additional information to supplement my lectures…it has been wonderful!
The CD’s from LBJ’s years in the Whitehouse are awesome. I let my students listen to the speech he delivered to Congress about passing the Voting Rights Act of 1964….they LOVED it!
This grant has expanded my knowledge of American History beyond my expectations. Where else could I have met David McCullough and Mary Beth Tinker. Where else could I have traveled to Pittsburgh and Austin and Independence, Missouri, Free!!!
This has just been the greatest experience.
I have truely enjoyed the PACETAH Grant as well. After this summer I will have 12 hours towards my master’s degree and I only had to pay for one class! The two trips I have enjoyed most this school year are the visits to the NCSS conference in Kansas City and the NCHE conference in Austin. Prior to this, I had never attended “one” history conference.
I recently attended the NCHE conference in Austin, Texas, from March 30-April 1, 2006, sponsored by Region XVI PACETAH grant. It was so informative. I learned things about the Civil War I never knew happened. For example, there were confederate veterans that went to Brazil after the Civil War and established colonies helping the Brazilian government teaching farming techniques to the natives. I also found out that there is a vast amount of slave poetry that has just now been put into an anthology and recently been published by the Gilder Lehrman Foundation. I also went on a field trip to the Texas State Cemetery where alot of the notables of Texas history are buried; i.e., Stephen F. Austin, Susanna Dickinson, Tom Landry, and Barbara Jordan. Then, the tour continued on to the state capitol and the LBJ library. It was such an exciting trip–information gathered to share with my students when I returned to my classroom on April 3. This is just another example of how eduationallly stimulating the PACETAH grant has been.
I am glad you are enjoying the grant. I certainly have learned a lot from my involvement! The best part, in my opinion, is the collegial network that has been fostered!
I had the best time at the NCHE confenece. The three break outs were some of the best I have gone to in a very long time. The best out of the three was the session on a free product that micro-soft has call photo story. I have already used it for three mini-projects with my students. It is so easy to use and the students have found it also a fun way to express themselves.
The touring that we did the day before was an event that I will always keep in my fond memories. To have Alan walk with us and show us things about the capital that would have gone unseen was so helpful. David H. and I had never been inside the capital so it was truly a great day!
The over-all trip was fantastic and to see old and new friends and spend time talking about the school year thus far, as well as meeting new people from all over the country was just outstanding. I hope that after the grant is over that the contacts will still be there and the friendships and learning from each other continues!
I have enjoyed the summer sessions and the people I got to know that teach the same subject. Because I was completing (I am now done- graduation Dec. 2005)my administration degree I could not take part in the conferences during the school year. I have used the Bill of Rights and Hatton Summer lessons a great deal.
I would like to have seen more technology in terms of software for the classroom instead of the PDA’s. Since technology changes so often something more permanant and useful would have made more sense to me. But overall, it was a positive experience.
I just returned frome the NCHE in Austin and we had a great time! On Thursday we toured the state cemetary, capitol and the LBJ Presidential Library. I was fascinated by the cemetary and learned things there that I would have never known. Being a U.S. History teacher, I never realized that Stephne F. Austin was buried there and the men in my family were really impressed with Tom Landry’s grave!
The General session on friday was great. I had just finished a district wide book study and we read Cokie Robert’s book Founding Mothers so Carol Berkin’s discussion about Revolutionary Mothers was a grea tie in.
The 1st breakout session: Using TAH Grants for Improving Academic Achievement in U.S. History. I got some great ideas from this session and then gave us a lesson that was already prepared and it fit in great with my TAKS review so I used it Monday morning in class. The kids loved it and the best thing was that it was already prepared all Ihad to do was make copies. They also showed us their Social Studies web site which was excellent and has really good resources.
The 2nd breakout session: George Washington Commanding the World Stage. This session was great! I can’t wait to visit Mt. Vernon this summer. We were given a a CD with lessons and primary sources that we can use in our classroom.
The 3rd break out sesson: Developing Historical Empathy and Participation in National History Day. The information I got from this session and the primary source knowledge that I have gained from the grant, I can effectively guide the kids through a project.
The afternoon general session: presented by David Weber. Topic: Spaniards and Their Savages in the Age of Enlightenment. This topic really didn’t interest me.
Saturday: General Session Reading History. We got some great ideas about what readings to use in history classes and techniques to make our kids better history readers.
Austin was a lot of fun and I can’t wait for next year’s NCHE!!!
Thanks Danna
This experience has been great for me as well. I’ve been learning a lot about how you all take on the challenges of teaching in the K-12 environment. I am certainly looking forward to working with Dr. Vizzini in bringing the Cold War to life in early June.
Thanks.
This PACETAH grant has been outstanding. We have learned a great deal of information from our lectures that our kids enjoy learning about. Everything as been very educational. Seeing the historical portrayals from Colonial Williamsburg has been most interesting. Can’t wait to go in person.
PACETAH has introduced me to many things I would have never been able to do on my own because of the expense, travel, or just ignorance that it was out there. Blogging is now a new experience for me thanks to PACETAH.I have always avoided it before sinc BLOG reminds of a biological drain clog instead of whatever the techies have created this new word to mean. But I digress, I would say PACETAH has been the most valuable experiece of my career. The relationships created not only among the participants but also people involved in SS all over the country would not even be possible otherwise. Each event from LRE to Andy Wilkinson to History Alive! to the trips have made me a more prepared and well rounded teacher.
I have truly enjoyed being a part of the PACETAH Grant. I especially like the summer institutes. These institutes allow me to get a quick refresher course in the content I teach. For me, one of the most valuable parts of the PACETAH Grant has been the relationships our group have built. It is so nice to be able to visit with other Social Studies teachers not only about the content we teach, but about everything else in general.
Great resource from the NCHE conference (Sat Session). Sara had mentioned the Poetry book…. this presentation was delivered by James G Basker and he handed out excepts (in book form) of poetry written as early as the 1700’s… some were by free blacks some even by enslaved blacks… anyhow just a great primary resource… I kept one for myself and gave the other two to the English teachers who I made promise me they would use them for Black History month next year:)
The PACETAH grant has been a wonderful experience. I have really enjoyed the Summer Institutes with the WTAMU professors lecturing on their areas of expertise. They have such a wonderful grasp of history and it’s been enjoyable to be a student again. Even though I didn’t have a mentor professor that I worked with regularly, it was nice to know that they were available to us if we needed them. They are so willing to help us be better instructors and seem genuinely interested in the challenges that we face as educators.
Another experience that I truly enjoyed was the NCHE conference that I attended in Pittsburg. The focus was on the French-Indian War, a period of history that I know I’ve studied in the past but didn’t retain much information from. It was a treat to get to learn so much about that time frame, especially with the tours to the local forts and such.
The biggest outcome from the grant that I’ve seen in my class is a result of the History Alive training that we did. We were able to select a unit and I have really enjoyed implementing those into my curriculum. The students really enjoy them as well.
The PACETAH grant has been one of the highlights of my professional career. The opportunity to collaborate with so many outstanding teachers, who happen to be passionately interested in history as well, is a fantastic experience. We are offered a variety of high-quality speakers, wrokshops, trainings, and conferences to attend.
Truly the best part of PACETAH for me is the collegial relationships we have established. Hearing how my colleagues teach lessons, what they’ve found that works, and sharing resources is quite valuable. I am so fortunate to be a part of this group!
I am very thanksful to the grant for allowing me to gain so much information. I have been able to using the knowledge is have received over the year I have been apart of the grant with my students.
This year I was able to go to Huntsville to a Texas History workshop. While we were there we went to the Huntsville Museum on the many prisons they have there. We learned about the start of Texas and about the many different Mexico people that helped to influency the growth of Texas.
I was one of the added members when someone dropped out of the grant. I have enjoyed the opportunity to get to know other teachers and hear their ideas. The seminars have been great and I have learned a lot.
Last November, I got to attend the NCSS Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. This was my first Social Studies convention and I was very excited to be visiting a new city.
BEFORE THE CONFERENCE
The day before the conference began were several pre-convention sessions. Our group had tickets to “A Day with the President.” We caught the bus at the convention center. Our tour guide looked just like Harry Truman. We traveled to Independence, which is just outside of Kansas City.
After lunch we were taken to the Truman Library. We had a brief presentation of services offered by the library. We were then taken to the basement where there is a mock-up of the press area of the White House. They offer groups training in leadership and decision-making by having the participants taking papers from crises during the Truman Administration and assigning roles to play. Participants try to find solutions to their crisis and finish up with a press conference with team members acting as the White House Press Corps.
We had free time to visit the exhibits in teh museum. One of the highlights for me was the reproduction of Truman’s OVal Office. Everything from Truman’s office is in its proper place including his famous “The Buck Stops Here” desk sign. Presidnet and Mrs. Truman’s graves are in the courtyard, viewable from either outside or from a hallway with an eternal flame. Truman’s office at the library has also been preserved. If you stand close enough to the window the curtains open and the lights come on.
The Miniature White House was also on display. This exhibit travels around the country. It was almost like a doll’s house with the back side open for viewing. The rooms were furnished and included working chandeliers and lamps. The house was decorated for Christmas. The presidential limo was parked in front of the White House and its lights also worked.
We finished the afternoon with a drive through Independence. We saw the various Truman homes, the Jackson County courthouse, and other historical buildings. In Missouri, historical homes are actual homes and are open only occasionally for tours.
FIRST DAY OF CONVENTION
My first session was supposed to be Interactive Maps. Unfortunately the presentation was in a non-Internet equipped room. It was nice to know that I’m not the only one who faces technical difficulties during a presentation. As the presenters scrambled to find another room, I visited the exhibit hall and saw very interesting things and picked up a lot of free goodies.
My second session featured the Liberty Minutes project. The description caught my attention since it is similar to a project my students have been working on this year. An American History teacher and Special Education teacher have combined their talents to produce a web site featuring student-made videos showcasing a historic site or event in Liberty, Missouri. The teachers have a list of topics for students to choose. Students select a topic, conduct research or interviews, create a storyboard, then shoot their video. Liberty is just north of Independence and was the scene of several events including the James gang’s first bank robbery and several Civil War battles. If you have time you might want to check out the site at http://www.liberty.k12.mo.us/svjh/libertyminutes.
The TCI people had a luncheon for their clients to present their new Geography Alive program. Geography Alive takes geography and uses the presentation ideas from History Alive. My students have enjoyed the activities and methods I’ve borrowed from History Alive, so I presume this approach would make geography more interesting and easier to remember as well.
In the afternoon, I attended a session entitled, “Race, Social Class, and the U.S. Civil War Draft Riots.” I was looking forward to learning more about the draft riots. The presenters emphasized the participation of the Irish in New York City and the anger of the lower classes toward men who could pay someone to fight in their place. There wasn’t really any new information and the presenters played down the importance of the riots.
My last session was very enjoyable and was titled “Every Picture Tells a Story.” The presenter was a really young teacher who uses a lot of personal photographs in her classes. She takes a camera everywhere she travels so she can take snapshots of places or things she might use in her classes. A personal photo of a place to be discussed in class is much more effective than pictures in the textbook. I have been using personal photos (without people in them) of Mexico, the Bahamas, and Jamaica as we have studied those places and the students have enjoyed them.
SECOND DAY OF CONVENTION
Oops!!! I pushed the wrong button!!!
SECOND DAY OF CONVENTION
On the second day I started with a presentation on taking an oral history. The session featured a project that paired students with Vietnam veterans. The student was to prepare questions for an interview. The presenters suggested that it is best to set up a few informal meetings first to establish a relationship between the pair. Questions should be structured to lead to conversation not just a yes or no answer. When transcribing the taped interview, the transcriber must be sure to include everything, otherwise the final product will not be a true primary source.
“Bringing Colonial Governmnet to Life” was presented by the people who are at Jamestown. Next year Jamestown will be celebrating its four hundredth anniversary. The presenters used a lot of group participation to illustrate situations typical for the time period. They also gave out a lot of prizes: books and t-shirts. For part of the session, we were informed of special programs and activities that will be occurring in Jamestown over the next year.
My final session on the second day was “Daily Life and Class Difference in Early Modern Europe.” This session was mainly to promote a new line of textbooks that used more of a storytelling approach instead of a recitation of facts. We went through an introduction to the era of Henry VIII with a description of Elizabeth’s childhood: her mother’s execution, the dislike of her older stepsister, a seldom-seen father, and numerous stepmothers. It was an interesting approach and it caught my attention faster than just the facts.
FINAL DAY OF CONVENTION
There was only one session before the final keynote. I attended “Culturally Relevant Social Studies.” There were only a few people there so it was more like a workshop. We were presented with activities to bring social studies information to our students in more student-friendly ways. I have already used a timeline activity with my students, which would be great for the beginning of a school year. Several other examples were shown and were were able to do the activities and share our ideas with the rest of the group.
The final session was a keynote address by Peter Stearns, the president of NCSS. His ideas for education and government were more liberal than mine, but it was interesting hearing a different opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed my first social studies conference and hope to go again. It was exciting to meet people from all over the U.S. and hear about education in places outside of Texas.
Just a comment on the total grant experience. This has been a wonderful chance to share information with colleagues as well as acquire content and strategy information. Many of the sessions would have not been possible for me without the grant and the knowledge gained has been helpful to the students I teach. Thanks to all of you for the encouragement during this grant period.
Arabia Steamship Museum = WOW! Just can’t wait to use my pictures in a power point showing my 8th graders what people in the 1850’s had access to! I had no idea they had rubber shoes back then! the glassware, locks, keys EVERYTHING…all great news to me! and the buttons, tons of them salvaged so painstakingly…amazing story, amazing to see, blessed to get to tell about : ) So excited!
I really enjoyed the Truman Library, getting to go through the primarysources. I found out that they went back and forth on whether or not to keep up the air lift or run the blockaide.
The Arabia Steamship Museum was Great. I really liked see all the things that they salavged from the steamship. The buttons that they cleaned up were really pretty. It was hard for me to believe that they were made back then. The glass dishes and other items were priceless. Getting to clean or own screw goes to show how much work goes into getting the items ready for us to see. I loved the trip!!! Thanks for making it possible for us.
The trip to Independence was wonderful. I “toast” whomever came up with that idea. The Truman Library was just amazing from the Decision Center and press conference to the actual museum itself. I had never known that Truman was responsible for renovating the White House. We also tend to forget that Truman had a great deal to contend with during his presidency: World War II, the a bomb, a devastated Europe, Berlin Airlift, etc. The National Trails Museum was interesting as well. The Arabia museum was really educational. Those of us who have taught early American history knew the steamboat made it possible to move people and goods faster and cheaper. But I learned that those steamboats carried every sort of item needed for living. The whole trip was really educational.
The WT Summer Institute was really good. The people who teach history and political science at WT do a great job of making the topic interesting.
The trip to Independence, Missouri was great!! Absolutely, enjoyed the Truman Library and looking through the archives was very impressive. I thought the tour and the people of the Truman Library were very informative and was impressed by how many people from all over the world came to the facility to do research. I enjoyed the educational activity and how it engaged the entire group. The Steamboat Museum was spectacular and the artifacts were amazing. Finally, the best part of the trip was our group, I truly loved visiting with each of you. Each one of you have wonderful qualities and have a lot to offer. I hope my children have teachers that care as much as you. Danna, your the best.
The trip to the Truman library was one that I really did enjoy. I had an outstanding time looking thru documents and walking thru the library its self. OUr trip to the Steamboat words just can not describe!!! It was amazing all of the artifacts that we saw and the hands on activity was fun. The whole trip was just great and I am looking foward to when we go on our east coast trip. I thought that it was very nice having our WT professors along with us.
The WT institute was really outstanding, I thought that our two WT professors did an outstanding job. I thought that the way they had everything organized was the right way to do things.
The trip was great and I know that everyone had a great time. I really loved the way all of you guys in the grant treated me. The Truman was great…I found many was to teach kids the importance of the Cold War….i think we all found ways to make the era work for kids who never “cared” before…….Most of all I “toast” Wink…….