The Gilder Lehrman Summer Seminars are designed to strengthen participants' commitment to high quality history teaching. Public, parochial, independent school teachers, and National Park Service rangers are eligible. These week-long seminars provide intellectual stimulation and a collaborative context for developing practical resources and strategies to take back to the classroom.
Pittsburg State University (PSU) is pleased to offer graduate credit to workshop participants at a tuition fee of $199 per credit hour. Participants can receive three graduate credit hours for the duration of the week.
From the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation website:
Through a national competition, the Foundation offers James Madison Fellowships to a select group of individuals desiring to become outstanding teachers of the American Constitution. The Madison Foundation is committed to providing graduate training in American history, American government, and social studies education that will help our nation's teachers improve and perfect their professional skills by gaining content knowledge of the Constitution.
The Foundation offers two types of fellowships. Junior Fellowships are awarded to students who are about to complete, or have completed, their undergraduate course of study and plan to begin graduate work on a full-time basis. Junior Fellows have two years to complete their degree. Senior Fellowships are awarded to teachers who wish to undertake work for a graduate degree on a part-time basis through summer and evening classes. Senior Fellows have up to five years to complete their degree. The fellowships are intended exclusively for graduate study leading to a master's degree.
James Madison Fellows may attend any accredited institution of higher education in the United States. Each individual entering the James Madison Fellowship Program will be expected to pursue and complete a master's degree in one of the following (listed in order of the Foundation's preference): Master of Arts (MA) in American history or in political science (also referred to as "government and politics" or as "government"); Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) concentrating on either American Constitutional history (in a history department) or American government, political institutions, and political theory (in a political science department); or Master of Education (MEd) or the Master of Arts or Master of Science in Education with a concentration in American history or American government, political institutions, and political theory.
Sponsoring Organization
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Eligibility Requirements
"The applicant must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national; be a teacher, or plan to become a teacher, of American history, American government, or social studies at the secondary school level (grades 7-12); possess a bachelor's degree or plan to receive a bachelor's degree no later than August 31 of the year in which s/he is applying; and wait at least three years from the time that any previous graduate degree was awarded before applying for a James Madison Fellowship."
Application Deadline
Award Amount
"The maximum amount of each award is $24,000, prorated over the individual period of study. Fellowship payments cover the actual costs of tuition, required fees, books, and room and board but cannot exceed $12,000 per academic year."
"Calling all 'Northern Lights' Teachers! You won't want to miss the biggest workshop of the year. More than 100 'Northern Lights' educators will all be in the same place, learning engaging strategies, discovering new content, and connecting with each other. You'll have your pick of lively breakouts led by Minnesota history content experts and fellow 'Northern Lights' teachers. Past attendees reported that they enjoyed the mix of scholarly and practical sessions, and would be able to use what they learned right away. Attendees will tour the latest exhibits."
"The newest art standards call for highlighting contributions of Minnesota's American Indian communities. Whether you teach art or social studies, this workshop will provide you with new ideas and resources for creating student projects using different types of media. Sessions will focus on Dakota and Ojibwe artistry past and present, and will include conversations with American Indian artists and educators. Attendees will demo the Minnesota Historical Society's new Ojibwe Shoulder Bag Activity kit."
This A&E clip outlines the role of the First Lady throughout U.S. history, as hostess, political adviser, spokesperson, partner, and activist. It gives examples of First Ladies acting in many different capacities.
"This training is for high school teachers in Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools seeking to improve their teaching of law. Participants will meet area lawyers and receive interactive lesson plans and materials developed by Street Law, Inc. to help students learn about the judiciary, rights and responsibilities, historic landmark cases of the Supreme Court, and practical law."
This institute will examine documents that trace the diverse and complex roles played by women throughout the history of the United States. Participants will meet with women's history specialists at the Library of Congress and examine original historical materials from the Library's collections. Library staff will also guide participants in finding and using materials related to women's history on the Library of Congress website, as well as exploring different ways to integrate those materials into the classroom.
"Oral histories offer a valuable way to preserve and document the memories of individuals. They are also useful for creating innovative educational materials. This workshop is for individuals who collect or want to collect oral history interviews for educational use. The 3-hour training will look at real world examples like videos, websites, classroom activities, books, and multimedia presentations. The session will examine important factors to consider in preparing oral histories so that effective educational materials can be created."
"The Twin Cities is blessed by having various outstanding organizations and institutions willing to share their facilities, information and talents with the community. While participating in this class you will visit a number of organizations throughout the area and have an opportunity to meet with education directors and be given extensive tours of their facilities. You will visit The Hubbard Broadcasting Company (KSTP TV and radio) and the Star Tribune. You will tour the various facilities of MNDOT and see the communication and technology systems that are involved in monitoring and maintaining our roadways. On the U of M campus you will tour the Bell Museum of Natural History where children and adults can explore wolves, loons, moose and other Minnesota wildlife. We will also visit the Weisman Art Institute. In St. Paul you will be given a tour of the State Capitol and see government come alive. Finally, the past will be tied with the present when you visit historic Fort Snelling, which was once a symbol of American ambition in the wilderness."
From the California History-Social Science Project website:
"This institute focuses on the theme of Changing Definitions of Citizenship in the U.S. for 5th, 8th, and 11th grade teachers of U.S. History/English-Language Arts. The goal of the series is to increase content knowledge in U.S. History and learn how to incorporate reading, writing, and thinking strategies into standards-based classrooms. The institute includes professor lectures each day on a variety of U.S. history topics followed by models of teacher-created lessons tying lecture topics into the standards-based citizenship theme and integrating reading and writing strategies in the curriculum. Teachers will receive standards-based, grade-specific model lessons and develop strategy-based lessons involving primary and secondary sources with other committed U.S. History teachers."