Probably no president has ever been as vilified as Abraham Lincoln was in the South during the Civil War. At this conference, outstanding scholars on the subject will convene to discuss this bitter relationship.
Scholarship on American art of the 18th and 19th centuries has proliferated dramatically in the last decade and yet very little has been written on the materials, methods, and settings of painting. This one-day event will delve into some of the workshops, studios, schoolrooms, and parlors where New Englanders of all kinds used a wide variety of materials, such as pencil and pigments on canvas, silk, glass, wood, and tin to create painted images and decorations for themselves, for sale, and for public display. Participants will learn about the daily lives of New England's diverse artists and artisans and the painted objects—from studio art to school girl art and painted decorative arts—that they produced and distributed between 1700 and 1850.
Participants in this workshop will learn about the role of chocolate in colonial America. Topics include cacao and rainforest ecology, world trade, the role of chocolate in the colonial diet, and military uses of chocolate. The day includes a presentation of the new exhibition "Stimulating Beverages: Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate Wares at Historic Deerfield," an open-hearth cooking demonstration, and a tasting of American Heritage Chocolate® Finely Grated Chocolate Drink, which captures the form and flavor of historic chocolate.
Today a common beverage worldwide, tea was once a precious imported commodity. This presentation will introduce the geographic and botanical origins of tea, the role of trade in bringing tea from China to Western consumers, the social and cultural role of tea in 18th-century New England, and the period equipment and furnishings commonly used to prepare and serve tea in a place such as Deerfield, Massachusetts. The day includes a presentation, a tour of the new exhibition "Stimulating Beverages: Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate Wares at Historic Deerfield," a house tour, and a serving of tea.
This workshop will be structured to enhance teacher knowledge of Abraham Lincoln's significance in American history and will include pedagogical skills. It will include morning lectures by Thomas Krannawitter, of Hillsdale College and author of Vindicating Lincoln, and afternoon sessions, by John Rodahl of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, devoted to strategies for lesson planning, classroom activities, and student engagement.
What are the goals of hands on learning? How do museum educators come up with activity ideas? How do they test ideas to make sure things work, and what happens when something fails?
Visitors will see prototypes and finished "products" of activities used successfully in Spark!Lab, and then will have the opportunity to prototype and give feedback on a new activity under development.
This month's prototyping activity is on electrical history. This is being developed to allow visitors to explore electrical science via the works of inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla (18561943). Tesla is best known for his many revolutionary contributions in the field of electricity and magnetism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tesla's patents and theoretical work formed the basis of many modern technologies now taken for granted, including fluorescent and neon lighting, automation, radio-controlled toys and guided missiles, and wireless transmissions that earned him the name "father of radio."
Attendees at this conference will meet national leaders and others who shape humanities policy, learn about the current state of federal funding and the latest policy issues, and be a part of the dialogue at this exciting time in the nation's history.
The Teach Vietnam Teachers Network is a nationwide network of educators at all grade levels who are dedicated to teaching students about the Vietnam War era and building awareness of the Memorial Fund's educational initiatives. Members of the Network represent the Memorial Fund in their school districts and communities, helping to educate other teachers and neighbors about the war's legacy and how it continues to impact the nation today.
The Memorial Fund provides educators chosen to join the Network with educational resources and hosts a national conference in Washington, DC to help members develop lesson plans. Workshops and seminars about the Vietnam War and the Wall will be led by veterans, fellow teachers, and other guest experts. The conference also includes activities at the Wall. The next Teach Vietnam Teachers Network National Conference will be held July 1519 at American University.
Sponsoring Organization
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Application Deadline
Award Amount
Educational resources and meals, accommodations and local transportation during the Network's annual conference (which takes place in Washington, DC, July 15-19, 2009).
This meeting's theme, "Oceans, Islands, Continents," invites participants to engage intellectually with the meeting venue, and to explore disciplinary developments that have brought history, geography, archaeology, anthropology, literature, and many other fields into vibrant conversation.
Google Earth lets students see the world around them in brand-new ways: travel to the Great Pyramids, analyze live current events, compare before and after images of deforestation, and integrate literature and social studies. But how best can teachers use it to improve learning? This workshop spends a day adapting existing Google Earth tours and creating new ones.