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 Appalachian State University website:

"We invite you to take part in this historic commemoration year by attending this workshop sponsored by Appalachian State University, which is located less than five miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway in Boone, North Carolina. Participants will have a chance to experience the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains while learning about the history behind the most visited National Park Service site. Based on the campus of Appalachian State University, participants will spend mornings in combination lecture and discussions along with hands-on sessions working with a variety of primary sources. Each participant will have a chance to collect materials and ideas for use in developing curriculum projects. Each afternoon, we will take field trips to explore many of the cultural resources along the Parkway. Evenings will be free to explore the Appalachian Mountain town of Boone, work in the state of the art library, or relax at one of the many local coffee shops while enjoying some traditional Appalachian music. Throughout the week, participants will have many chances to interact with faculty who are experts on the history of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the region of Appalachia as well as meet rangers and managers from the National Park Service."

From the Appalachian State University website:

"We invite you to take part in this historic commemoration year by attending this workshop sponsored by Appalachian State University, which is located less than five miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway in Boone, North Carolina. Participants will have a chance to experience the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains while learning about the history behind the most visited National Park Service site. Based on the campus of Appalachian State University, participants will spend mornings in combination lecture and discussions along with hands-on sessions working with a variety of primary sources. Each participant will have a chance to collect materials and ideas for use in developing curriculum projects. Each afternoon, we will take field trips to explore many of the cultural resources along the Parkway. Evenings will be free to explore the Appalachian Mountain town of Boone, work in the state of the art library, or relax at one of the many local coffee shops while enjoying some traditional Appalachian music. Throughout the week, participants will have many chances to interact with faculty who are experts on the history of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the region of Appalachia as well as meet rangers and managers from the National Park Service."

From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History:

"Led by Patty Limerick, this seminar uses focused case studies to explore the larger picture of environmental history, a subject that has grown increasingly complex as historians deepen their understanding of the vast role of 'anthropogenic change' (also known as 'history'!) in reconfiguring the places and processes we think of as 'natural.' Much of the seminar explores the transformation of attitudes, from the assessment of North American landscapes and resources by early settlers to the recognition of the changing 'baseline' of global warming, along with a reconsideration—and revision—of the usual polarity pitting utilitarian approaches in opposition to preservationist approaches to the management of nature. With guest speakers drawn from the University of Colorado's widely respected environmental studies program, the roles of naturalists and scientists in shaping American thinking about nature will receive particular attention, as will changes in the production and consumption of energy, a fundamental matter in environmental history. The concluding field trip to Rocky Mountain National Park gives the themes of the lectures and discussions a down-to-earth grounding in a visit to one of the most popular units in the nation's public lands, while close attention to John McPhee's Encounters with the Archdruid provides a framework for drawing lessons from the past to enhance the quality of contemporary environmental decision-making."

From the National Underground Freedom Center's website:

"The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center's digital learning environment uses media and technology to immerse students and teachers in unique and inspiring educational experiences. Come learn more about how these innovative experiences are being used to transform classrooms into 21st-century learning environments."

From the Smithsonian Education website:

"The Durham Museum warmly welcomes educators of all subjects and grades to visit The Durham and see the vast education resources the region has to offer. This festive, after-hours open house gives teachers a chance to hear what's new at The Durham and other regional institutions. Highlighting this year's event will be educators from the Smithsonian Institution presenting lessons from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and the National Air and Space Museum. Participants will enjoy a cocktail reception, live entertainment and take home free classroom-ready materials and information about field trips and programs available to students."

For more on the Durham Museum, refer to NHEC's Museums and Historic Sites listing.

From the Learn NC website:

"How long have humans lived in North Carolina? What were these people like, and how do we know? This eight-week online course explores the science of archaeology and 12,000 years of North Carolina's human past. Participants will be introduced to inquiry-based activities that can be adapted to meet their own teaching objectives. The course is open to educators of all subjects and grade levels."

This teacher institute, presented by the Forest History Society, is especially geared toward Connecticut Social Studies teachers (grades 6–10). Participants will learn more about the Society's If Trees Could Talk curriculum to introduce students to environmental history. Discussion topics, hands-on activities, critical thinking skills, team teaching suggestions for other subjects, and more are included in these free, online modules.

The institute will also introduce The Greatest Good, a U.S. Forest Service Centennial film. Educators will learn to use the film in conjunction with the If Trees Could Talk curriculum and hear from guest speakers on various environmental history topics.

Participants in this program will learn to integrate field research activities into their classroom curricula using the Schoodic Education Adventure program. The two-day institute investigates opportunities to collect field data, apply it to classroom lessons across the curricula, and connect it to real world applications in America's national parks.

Participants will create schoolyard investigation kits to take back to their classrooms; be introduced to outdoor, field-based activities that can be reproduced in a number of settings; learn classroom-based activities relating to science, social studies, technology, math, language arts, small group communication, public speaking, art, health, and citizenship; use GPS units and computers to create digital maps of study sites; and qualify for student scholarships and transportation assistance to take their students to the Schoodic Education Adventure program.

Workshop activities highlight studying forest community structure, marine biodiversity, geology, soil development, and New England history.