Students explore American history as they research and portray famous Americans as part of this interactive videoconference. Each participating class will give three 60-second presentations about three different famous Americans. Snapshots should include pertinent facts about the famous American—and the student representing the famous American should be dressed like the person they are portraying. After the presentations, there will be a five-minute "reflection period" where teachers can facilitate classroom discussion and students can deduce which famous Americans were being portrayed.

Participants in this workshop will learn about Chicago's meatpacking history and the legacy of the Maxwell Street Market through compelling historical fiction narratives and by visiting the site of the Union Stock Yard, learning about the Back of the Yards neighborhood, and seeing the original location of the Maxwell Street Market. Based on the Museum's collection, these stories form the core of the Great Chicago Stories website, an award-winning educational resource.

Participants in this workshop will learn about Chicago's meatpacking history and the legacy of the Maxwell Street Market through compelling historical fiction narratives. Based on the Museum's collection, these stories form the core of the Great Chicago Stories website, an award-winning educational resource.

Participants in this workshop will learn about Chicago's meatpacking history and the legacy of the Maxwell Street Market through compelling historical fiction narratives. Based on the Museum's collection, these stories form the core of the Great Chicago Stories website, an award-winning educational resource.

The United States is often described as a "melting pot" of ethnic groups or as a "nation of immigrants." Though most of us could easily find references to this melting pot in popular culture today, few realize that the concept has a long and contested history. In this two-day seminar, participants will explore primary sources from the past two centuries that describe the nation as a melting pot or as a "crucible" where the fusion of different national cultures will occur. Through close readings, they will consider how the meaning of the melting pot has changed over time and how it has informed debates about what it means to be an American. Even as they take a long view of the melting pot in American history, they will pay particular attention to the early 20th century and to debates about restricting the flow of immigrants to the United States.