The story of sugar's transformation from luxury product to ubiquitous commodity in the modern Western diet offers a rich vantage on transatlantic and world history. It also prods students and scholars to deeper consideration of the myriad social, cultural, and economic processes within which even the most seemingly banal substances can be enmeshed. Seminar participants will explore these connections and processes, with special attention to the Caribbean. The link between sugar cultivation and the transatlantic slave trade—and the enduring, intertwined legacies of both—will be an important area of discussion and analysis.

From the Facing History and Ourselves website:

"Using Facing History's principal resource book, Holocaust and Human Behavior, as well as video, primary sources, and presentations by survivors and leading scholars of the Holocaust, participants will experience a rigorous encounter with this powerful history. During the Seminar, a wide range of innovative teaching strategies are used to help teachers confront the Holocaust. At the conclusion of the Seminar, participants leave with a thorough grounding on how to incorporate these teaching tools into their classrooms in ways that will help students connect the history of the Holocaust to the ethical choices they face today."

From a National Museum of the American Indian email:

"Four hundred years ago, in 1609, Henry Hudson made his first voyage on the river that came to bear his name. To mark this historic event, Pace University commissioned Joseph Bruchac, a writer and educator of Abenaki descent, to create a play based on crew member Robert Juet's journal of the famous expedition. The play tells of the coming together of the European and Indian culture, in all of its complexities, and of the Indians' efforts to preserve and protect the river and their way of life.

Educators are invited to see a special presentation of the original play by noted author Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki) entitled The River of Tides. There will be a Q & A with Mr. Bruchac following the performance. Educators who pre-register will receive a companion curriculum."

For more on the National Museum of the American Indian, refer to NHEC's Museums and Historic Sites entry. Please note that this event takes place at the museum's New York City location.

Between c. 1500 and c. 1800, the lands bordering the Atlantic Ocean saw the creation, destruction, and recreation of communities as a result of the movement of peoples, commodities, institutions, social practices, and cultural values. This seminar will explore the pan-Atlantic webs of association linking people, objects, and beliefs across and within the region. The best Atlantic history is interactive and crosses borders. The hope is that the seminar will enlarge participants' horizons by placing the standard early North American story in a larger framework.

From the New York State Museum website:

"The New York State Museum offers an interdisciplinary workshop for teachers of elementary and junior high school social studies. The cultural and historical legacy of 17th century Dutch settlements and interactions with Native Americans will be featured. Included will be the areas of ethnography, geology, historical archaeology, and classroom applications for teaching with historical documents and objects. We will compare symbols of community, economic and social decision-making in Algonquian-speaking and New Netherland societies, adaptations to change over time, and lasting cultural influences.

Teachers will have access to collections of original source materials now held by the New York State Museum, the New York State Library, and the New York State Archives, all programs of the Office of Cultural Education, under the New York State Education Department. The New York State Learning Standards addressed in the workshop are: Social Studies #1.1, #1.3 & #1.4 (NY State History); #3.2 (Geography); #4.1 (Economics); English Language Arts #1, #3, & #4; Math #3.4; Science #4.7; and Technology #5.5. "

From the New York State Museum website:

"The New York State Museum announces a professional development workshop designed by museum scientists and researchers for social studies teachers in grades 3-7. It is a unique professional development experience that creates a learning community of classroom teachers who work side-by-side with museum scientists and researchers in an archaeological investigation of Native American and early Euro-American primary source material. It invites teachers to actively participate in the process of archaeology and learn about regional history through classroom lectures, fieldwork and analysis of material objects in Museum collection areas.

Through teamwork exercises, participants will learn how to collect and organize specimens, record data, generate questions, formulate hypotheses, develop and defend explanations, and present findings in Native American and early Euro-American history. They will also update and expand their understanding of local and regional history and foster close working relationships with museum scientists and researchers. Participants will be expected to perform some physical labor and to work outdoors in variable weather conditions. Current research information and resources will address the advantages of object-based learning, using a museum as an educational resource, and applications to the State Learning Standards for social studies #1.4, #3.1, #4.1; math #3.4, #3.5; science, #4.7; and English language arts #1, #3, and #4."