"Too often, our students view Civil Rights in isolation—they don't understand the rich historical background of African American history or the legacies of the movement in the more recent past. They know the major civil rights figures like Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rosa Parks, but they don't grasp the complexities of civil rights leadership, or the experience of the movement's foot soldiers—the students in SNCC, the freedom riders, or the everyday people who marched, boycotted, protested, and volunteered to make the movement happen. This course will try to explore the movement from all of these perspectives using, where possible, first-hand accounts from the people who lived this important history.

The instructor will assume that the main historical outlines of the movement are familiar to K-12 teachers—instead of recounting that basic history, we'll spend much of our time delving into lesser-studied events of the movement and the primary sources that will allow us to explore our own ideas about the movement and its meanings in detail.

The best way to learn history is by doing history. This course will allow for the opportunity for deep historical analysis and interpretation using primary sources. We'll tackle documents, images, newspaper accounts, artistic expressions, film, and other sources. By doing so, we'll develop our own arguments and ideas about the movement, and help our future students do the same. Many of the resources we will use have been recently added to the Internet and they should be exciting additions to the course, and to historical scholarship more broadly. As you mine these sources, you'll hopefully enjoy the historical process and also get some great ideas for classroom activities for your students.

The instructor has selected websites and multimedia resources that will give participating teachers access to literally thousands of documents including newspaper accounts, oral history interviews, government documents, photographs, works of art, film clips, and more. As a participant, you will have the opportunity to analyze these sources through engaging activities to create a lesson plan for classroom use; to receive individualized, constructive feedback and answers to content-oriented questions from a well-versed instructor; and to join other teachers from across the state in lively online discussions throughout the course—all on your own schedule from home or from your school's computers."

From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History:

"To many, the Great Plains are part of the 'Great Flyover,' whose landscape and history alike are flat and featureless. But in this region in the middle of the nation, cultures have mingled and clashed for thousands of years. We will focus on the nineteenth century, though we will also examine the first peoples and the continuing cultural exchanges of the twentieth century. We will begin with the physical setting, plants, and animals, and consider early humans in both Native American traditions and anthropological/archeological studies. Europeans arriving in the sixteenth century accelerated the long history of change and evolution, initiating more than three centuries of converging peoples and cultures, new centers of power, flourishing trade, calamitous epidemics, and cultural and material intrusions from around the planet. We will visit Bent's Fort to see a cultural crossroads illustrated through one family. We will also examine cattle ranching, homesteading, scientific explorations, and the depiction of the Plains in art."

From the Minnesota Historical Society website:

"Social studies teachers know how vital literacy competence is for success in the social studies classroom, but often lack training in how to teach literacy skills. Come and learn strategies for incorporating fun and meaningful reading selections into your classroom. Writing in the content area will also be explored by social studies and literacy experts at this workshop."

Click on "Programs and Events," and then on "Teacher Workshops" to find the description and registration pages for this workshop.

From the Lincoln and New York website:

"This course introduces teachers to the scholarship behind the new Lincoln and New York exhibition at the New-York Historical Society, including the history, legacy, and memory of Abraham Lincoln's career. Beginning with a survey of Lincoln's biography to provide context for further learning, participants will then explore Lincoln's politics through three foci: Lincoln the candidate, Lincoln the president, and Lincoln the martyr. Through document and object analysis, case studies, use of online resources, and new documentary-making software, participants will examine key moments in Lincoln's short life, the effects his actions had on New York, and the effects New York had on his actions. Participants will receive scholarly resources and reproductions of primary source materials."

"Teachers wishing to receive professional credit must register online with the New York After-School Professional Development Program; visit their website: https://pci.nycenet.edu/aspdp/. Teachers who do not wish to receive credit may register on Ed-Net, available at http://www.nyhseducationdb.org/login.aspx."

NOTE: The dates for this program are not yet set. It will take place in Spring 2010.

From the Lincoln and New York website:

"This course introduces teachers to the scholarship behind the groundbreaking exhibitions Slavery in New York and New York Divided: Slavery and the Civil War. Beginning with a survey of Dutch, British and American practices of slavery, teachers will explore the varied experiences of the enslaved men and women who built New York. In Part II of the course, teachers will examine key themes of the exhibition New York Divided, including New York City's economic and social connections to Southern slavery; the co-existence of anti-black and abolitionist sentiment in New York; and major events in New York during the Civil War, including the Draft Riots and the raising of African-American regiments."

"Teachers wishing to receive professional credit must register online with the New York After-School Professional Development Program; visit their website: https://pci.nycenet.edu/aspdp/. Teachers who do not wish to receive credit may register on Ed-Net, available at http://www.nyhseducationdb.org/login.aspx."

NOTE: The dates for this program are not yet set. It will take place in Spring 2010.

From the Lincoln and New York website:

"This course introduces teachers to the scholarship about the history, legacy, and memory of the Underground Railroad. Beginning with a survey of the history of slavery in this country to provide historical context for further learning, participants will then explore the workings of the Underground Railroad. Through document and object analysis, case studies, use of online resources, guest speakers, and field trips, participants will examine key figures in the Underground Railroad and the effects of their actions on the nation. Participants will receive scholarly resources and reproductions of primary source materials."

"Teachers wishing to receive professional credit must register online with the New York After-School Professional Development Program; visit their website: https://pci.nycenet.edu/aspdp/. Teachers who do not wish to receive credit may register on Ed-Net, available at http://www.nyhseducationdb.org/login.aspx."

NOTE: The dates for this program are not yet set. It will take place in Spring 2010.