The Great Depression. World War II. The Fabulous Fifties. Experience these memorable moments of the 20th century through the eyes of those who lived it. Educators can be among the first to visit the Minnesota Historical Center's new exhibit, Minnesota's Greatest Generation, the capstone to a four-year project. After touring the exhibit, educators will discover tools for conducting oral histories and teaching these important eras in the classroom.

The Minnesota Historical Society will help participants make their very own Discovery Boxes. Each educator will walk away with a teaching box, filled with props and primary sources related to Minnesota's fur trade. Participants will also brainstorm with fellow teachers and experience a hands-on fur trade lesson.

Minnesota celebrated its 150th birthday in 2008, but the impact of statehood on American Indian communities must not be underestimated. Participants in this workshop will explore how settlement has affected Indian people throughout Minnesota's statehood, and learn more about the cultural, social, and political impacts on Indian communities during the past 150 years. The workshop will focus on the Dakota.

Participants in this workshop will connect with educators from throughout the state as they choose from lively breakout sessions taught by Minnesota content experts and fellow teachers who use the middle-level Minnesota history Northern Lights curriculum. Attendees will also tour the latest exhibits at the Minnesota History Center.

Many teachers now understand that video games (and other technology) can help encourage high levels of learning. Attendees at this workshop will find out what Steven Johnson, John Beck, Marc Prensky, and James Paul Gee are saying about the use of video games as teaching and learning tools. There are plenty of resources to help educators begin to integrate PlayStation, XBox, GameCube, PC games, and other types of video games into the classroom.

Students often struggle to understand the increasingly complex content and vocabulary presented in social studies. Frustrated teachers often feel that it is easier to just cover the information presented instead of working to help students make meaningful connections. Effective strategies increase students learning and build scores on standardized social studies reading and writing tests. This workshop will share successful strategies that target the unique features and constructions of social studies texts as well as other forms of nonfiction and fiction. Handouts and materials provided can be used immediately to modify social studies instruction.

From the beginning to the expert teacher, using technology as part of social studies instruction in the 21st century is essential. K–12 students use cell phones, the internet, video games, and many other forms of technology. To maintain relevance in the lives of those students, classroom instruction needs to include not only social studies content but 21st-century tools and skills. This workshop will showcase content-specific websites and technology examples that educators can use right away.

This workshop guides educators through a curriculum planning process—pre-, during, and post-visit—designed to maximize interdisciplinary learning experiences for students using the art museum/gallery field trip as a resource. Participants will discuss and develop effective motivational- and critical-thinking teaching techniques to prepare students for a unique learning experience with original works of art. The program seeks to provide a useful framework for designing interdisciplinary art lessons linked to viewing original works of art in a gallery/museum setting.