We are offering free professional development courses throughout the year for all our network members. Membership is free and easy for all teachers of American history click here to sign up now! Course reimbursement is 100% of all course costs for any Alaskan teacher of American history in our network who successfully completes any of these ANUAH sponsored courses.
Summer 2011
Earn up to 4 credits and $800 participating in these great professional development TAH courses…
Learn more about the summer academy details- Click here to view and save a PDF
Civic Voices: An International Memory Bank Project
Block A Instructor: Roger Miller May 24 -25
Civic skills and knowledge allow citizens to fulfill their role in a free society. History helps explain conditions, values, and perceptions. They are necessary partners in building a world where freedom is enhanced and cooperation is necessary. The Civic Voices: International Democracy Memory Bank Project engages teachers and students from around the world in developing a rich bank of oral histories from democratic activists. Students learn how to conduct oral histories and preserve the legacy of their country’s democratic struggles, harnessing the stories of the past to inspire the citizens of the future. This course will teach you how to conduct an oral history project where your students contribute to the historical record and learn about the civic involvement of democracy activists in their own community. It will also show you activities/lessons regarding how to use the excellent interviews already posted to the project website. Whether or not you choose to become a part of the project, the techniques and principles are adaptable for any oral history project you might want to do. The course will qualify you to apply for participation in international and national programs associated with the project. .
America and the World – History through a Geographic Lens
Block A Instructor: Prof. Roger Pearson May 24 -25
History is primarily concerned with time. Geography is primarily concerned with space. They are complementary. This course investigates American history primarily through the geographic concept of scale—viewing history both locally and within increasingly larger perspectives to the world scale. Examples of the geographic lens will include colonization, territorial expansion, industrial/technological transformations, and Empire building. A number of map-making skills and map sources will be utilized in examining the historical-geographic themes. A basic introduction to Geography Information Systems, and free software, will be included so teachers can make the maps they need for their classrooms.
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Teaching with America’s Primary Source Treasure Trove: Using the Library of Congress Online
Blocks B Instructor: Neva Reece May 26 -27
Gain credit while exploring digital resources available from the largest library in the world, the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress has created a treasure trove of primary source materials available online for teachers, librarians and students. Explore the site, learn how to search for the specific materials most useful to you and your students. Lesson suggestions and applications based on inquiry-based learning. This course is derived from Library of Congress learning modules and professional development materials. Recommended for Social Studies and History teachers, and librarians.
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ANUAH: 9/11 and the War on Terror in the Context of US and Global History
Block B Instructors: Dr. Aaron Willis & MaryLee Tung May 26 -27
This seminar/workshop format is designed for those who are looking for practical activities to teach about 9/11 and the War on Terror in the context of United States and Global History. Drawing upon lessons from The September 11th Education Project: A National Interdisciplinary Curriculum (available to all participants), the workshop also includes plenty of time for critical reflection and discussion on teaching about controversial issues, the nature of “terror,” and the many challenges to civil liberties when dealing with terrorism in a free society. Using 9/11 as a content focus, we will also address strategies for reading, writing, and analyzing visual and textual primary sources. Lessons include: Visualizing 9/11; The Historian’s Craft; and 9/11 and National Security among others. The curriculum directly addresses standards for grade 6, Q4, but will be relevant for teachers in all secondary grades. The final project will include creating an implementation strategy for introducing this content to your students. .
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ANUAH: Thematic Approaches to Teaching American History
Blocks B & C Instructor: G. Dale Greenawald May 26 -27 & May 31 -June 1
This four day seminar designed for U.S. history teachers will examine why and how to incorporate thematic organizers into U.S. history courses. Research over at least the past 60 years suggests that most history courses neither provide students with a grasp of basic content knowledge nor the skills and dispositions needed to be effective citizens. Participants will identify the knowledge, skills and dispositions that their students will need as functional adults, determine how well those attributes are currently being addressed in their courses and then explore how a variety of models for teaching chronologically AND thematically structured courses could offer an effective vehicle for achieving these goals. One of the most powerful aspects of thematic history is that it provides students with an opportunity to APPLY what they are learning to address contemporary issues that concern them! Students learn to see history as something that they can use, not just memorize! Participants will not only explore a variety of models but also engage in lessons that demonstrate those modes, consider the pedagogic and evaluation implications of this approach and have significant time to select themes and structure their course around them. They will also work collegially and with expert support to develop a sample unit that to implement the new structure.
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ANUAH: Project-Based Learning at It’s Best: The National History Day Framework
Block C Instructor: Elaina Hveding May 31 -June 1
Want your students to love history? Then National History Day is the program for you! A recent national evaluation of the program revealed that students who participate in this project perform better on high-stakes tests, are better writers, are more confident and capable researchers, and have a more mature perspective on current events and civic engagement than their peers. Participants also show a greater ability to collaborate with peers, manage their time and persevere – all skills employers say are lacking in today’s workforce.Students develop a project based on an annual theme. Students can choose from 5 different project categories: exhibit, paper, performance, documentary, or website. Participants in this course will learn how to design and create projects that they can use as samples within their own room.
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ANUAH Seminar: America and the World in History
Block D Instructor: Prof. Thomas Rushford June 2-3
To end of course survey
American history teachers face many challenges incorporating global patterns in their teaching—pressures of coverage in survey courses, lack of available materials, and inadequate training in dealing with unfamiliar sources. Indeed, American historians seem to assume particular kinds of global trajectories based upon unexamined assumptions of what they consider to be the fundamental elements of American history. As a result, routine narratives of American history tend to tell a story of our country without reference to the world systems that shape and inform our national history. This seminar course will ‘trans-nationalize’ the framework of our national narratives and provide materials for teachers to broaden their approaches when teaching American history.
We will integrate the latest scholarship in American and world history, as well as engage with different primary sources and three approaches central to current scholarship in understanding and teaching history: an emphasis on comparative issues rather than cultures in isolation; a focus on contacts among different societies; and an attentiveness to “global” forces, such as technology diffusion, migration, or trade routes, that transcend individual societies. Thomas Bender’s book A Nation Among Nations will be used in this seminar, and a free copy of this excellent work will be sent to the first 20 participants upon enrollment.
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Fall 2010
GMU HIST 523 American History Digitized: Melting Pot or Salad Bowl?
How has the United States Grappled with Diversity Across its History?
The United States has always been a diverse society, composed of people from many cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. Yet too often the study of American history and literature has not done justice to this diversity, or honestly faced the conflicts and challenges that our diversity presents. Today, more than ever, all of us need to expand our understanding of cultural differences and gain new skills in cross-cultural communication. In the context of a society shaped by intersecting categories-- such as race, class, gender, sexuality, and so on--the dominant logic is to celebrate multicultural differences without explaining how and why those differences came to be.
In this Teaching American History grant project class (free to Alaskan teachers of American history), you will ask yourself a burning question about how your students learn history and how you could better teach it. This class will give you credit for trying out new ways to deliver American History so that students actually learn and remember the narrative you construct. In this third year of the Alaska Network for Understanding American History project, we will have a unique opportunity to learn history, as well as learn how to teach that content better. And as an extra bonus, you'll be collaborating with other teachers across the state. For more information and details, please visit the Course HomePage
APU EDUC- Teaching with Primary Sources in a Community of Practice 2 Credits
Experienced teachers will discover the strategies used to create, teach, and evaluate inquiry-based learning experiences that integrate 21st century learning skills and primary sources from the Library of Congress. Teachers who complete this course will help disseminate the ideas, methods and products of the TPS program forming the foundation of the Alaska TPS Community.
Participants will:
• Mentor colleagues on the effective instructional uses of primary sources
• Evaluate learning experiences for widespread dissemination and use
• Interact and collaborate with other teachers who are using primary sources
• Conduct research into the effective use of primary sources in education
• Receive a stipend for the creation and execution of learning experiences
• Receive a Flip-camera for video documentation and reflection (optional)
This course is only open to educators who have completed at least one other ANUAH TPS course in the past.
For more information and to register, please visit the Course Planning Page
Summer 2010
Using the National History Day Program in Your Classroom 1 Credit
Are you looking for new ways to make history come alive for your students? Would you like to motivate them to conduct in-depth research and critical evaluation of historical material? If so, the National History Day program (NHD) is for you. Each year, NHD focuses upon a new theme which provides students with the opportunity to select and explore an era, person, or event that is of interest to them. They may present their research in one of nine different forms, depending upon their personal interests and skills. This hands-on course will introduce teachers to the NHD program and discuss methods for using it in their individual classroom, with existing curriculum. Lessons and resources will be presented which can be used to help students achieve the level of research and analysis required for an NHD project. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with students who have participated in the NHD program in the past, as well as view some of the projects that have been created. Additionally, participants will create an NHD entry of their own to be used as a sample project with their students.
Civic Voices: An International Oral History Project 1 Credit
Civic skills and knowledge allow citizens to fulfill their role in a free society. History helps explain conditions, values, and perceptions. They are necessary partners in building a world where freedom is enhanced and cooperation is necessary. The Civic Voices: International Democracy Memory Bank Project engages teachers and students from around the world in developing a rich bank of oral histories from democratic activists. Students learn how to conduct oral histories and preserve the legacy of their country’s democratic struggles, harnessing the stories of the past to inspire the citizens of the future. This course will teach you how to conduct an oral history project where your students contribute to the historical record and learn about the civic involvement of democracy activists in their own community. Whether or not you choose to become a part of the project, the techniques and principles are adaptable for any oral history project you might want to do. The course will qualify you to apply for participation in international and national programs associated with the project.
ANUAH: Maps and Migration in US History, 1 Credit
This course explores the linkages between US history and geography. The emphasis is on the role of maps in illustrating the changes over time and space. While the specific focus will be on migration, our study of maps will also address the broader theme of "Multi-Culturalism and Cultural Diversity in America" in such components as demography, economy, transportation-communications, and settlement patterns. Teachers will also learn how to utilize web based historical maps and how to develop their own specialized maps using basic Geography Information Systems technology
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ANUAH: Seminar on Multiculturalism and Diversity in American History, 1 Credit
One of the standard truisms of American History is that we are a nation of "immigrants." As each culture arrived, acclimated and expanded within the geography of the American continent, each forged a new identity. There are perhaps hundreds of such cultures within our current landscape. In this introductory class for the upcoming ANUAH fall American History Digitized class, we will explore the intellectual and historical frameworks used to study the diverse 'multi' cultures in American History. The class will involve seminar style readings and critical review of leading texts within this field, along with directed questions and inquiry-based responses (performed on personal blog spaces). While intended to serve as an introduction to the upcoming ANUAH class, no commitment to take that class is necessary.
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ANUAH: Teaching with Primary Sources- Foundations, 1 Credit
Breathe realism and immediacy into learning by harnessing primary sources - the raw materials of history - in your classroom. Housed, protected and now digitized by the Library of Congress, such primary sources are available and free to anyone. Learn how to access and integrate the over 11 million digitized primary sources from the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov) to create inquiry-based learning experiences that integrate 21st century learning skills.
Course Learning Outcomes:
• Explain what primary sources are and understand their value in teaching
• Locate and navigate the Library of Congress website
• Access, save and present primary sources from the Library of Congress website
• Gain a foundational understanding of best instructional practices for teaching with primary sources
• Create pedagogically sound learning experiences that integrate primary sources from the Library of Congress website.
ANUAH: Teaching with Primary Sources Colloquium: The Great Migration, 1 Credit
A two day learning experience partnering scholarship with practicing educators and linking instruction to 21st Century learning through inquiry and technology. Primary sources and technology will be highlighted around the key historical topic of "the Great Migration".
Key Points:
• Single stand-alone class which will give educators a broad overview of inquiry components while at the same time allowing them to use what they are learning immediately
• Community of Practice which offers opportunities for follow-up and continued discourse using our online social networking space, TPS Connect (http://www.tpsconnect.org)
• Provides educators with the opportunity to interact with key scholars while using 21st Century learning.
Winter/Spring 2009-2010
APU EDUC 58018 Archival Research Basics with the National Archives
One 500-level credit (APU), Graded A-F, SELF-PACED
Instructor, Carol Buswell, Education Specialist, National Archives and Records Administration
Fee $90 (reimbursable upon completion)
- Did you ever need a primary source document to support a lesson plan or paper and were not able to find just what you need online?
- Have you or your students ever struggled to find the perfect topic or direction for research?
- Have you ever wondered how Ken Burns gets those perfect documents to put in his videos?
This self-paced course consists of ten online lessons and a one day hands-on experience at the National Archives in Anchorage or Seattle that will lead you through the process of understanding the research process, narrowing your topic, knowing where to look for materials, and understanding the organization and holdings of archives. Additionally, you will learn to transcribe handwritten documents, cite primary sources adequately, and discover National Archives educational resources online.
Target Audience: This course is designed for secondary teachers, librarians, media specialists and anyone else wishing to do primary source research in archives or libraries.
Click here for course description and registration
Click here to access coursework
GMU HIST 523 American History Digitized: Themes & Tools
Developed with the assistance of the premier Center for Digital History in the country, George Mason's Center for History and New Media, this American History survey promises to be unlike any other professional development experience in your career.
The theme of this year's course is Egalitarianism and Evolving Democracy, and it will survey 5 topics in U.S. History: Slavery, Immigration, Native Americans, Environmental history & Gender through this overarching lens. The structure of each of these sections is identical (though the content changes).
Each section has two class meetings, done online through an internet-based meeting "room." The first class meeting will be an introduction the the topic, driven by an interactive lecture by a noted historian in the field. Between the first section meeting and the last, teachers will work on their mini-projects, using them as the foundation for the last meeting. In it, teachers will share their work, reflect on its usefulness and critically assess their work. Thus, a total of 10 class meetings will be used to survey these sections (there is an opening, introductory class and a closing class as well). Most of the work is centered upon mastering digital tools though the culminating piece is a lesson plan that is taught in your room and assessed in our meeting space.
This 3 credit, 500 level course, geared for a teacher's schedule, will run from October thru April and can taken from convenience of your home or school. There is a dedicated course blog and online presentation space to utilize for our class work. It is available for FREE to all Alaskan teachers of American History, through the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement.
Teaching can often feel (and be) a rather solitary practice; we do "it" every day but with little sense of a shared community along with us. Join us in this class and we will explore how 21st century digital tools can help enrich your teaching and enliven your professional relationships.
Click here for course wiki page
Fall 2009
UAA ED 590.403 Advanced Study for Teaching with Primary Sources in the Library of Congress Online Archives
Three 500-level credits (UAA), Graded A-F
This course is only open to those who have already completed the Level I TPS Course...
Click here to access coursework
UAA ED 590.8D1 Teaching with Primary Sources in the Library of Congress Online Archives
This 2 credit hour, on-line, asynchronous/self-paced course will introduce you to the vast and amazing resources of the digitized resources of the Library of Congress/American Memory.
You will
- Learn how to search the American Memory digitized resource archives
- Investigate effective instructional strategeis to analyze and integrate primary sources into curriculum, and
- Expand your use of instructional technology skills.
Target Audience: This course is designed for K-12 teachers, librarians, media specialists, educational support personnel, and college faculty to produce curriculum using the Internet and primary source materials from the Library of Congress.
Click here for course description and registration
Click here to access coursework
Summer 2009
UAA ED 545.403 Using the National History Day Program in Your Classroom
Brief history of NHD and History's Habits of the Mind. Focus on helping students build a thesis based on the annual theme: category introduction and selection; building the project; doing primary research; finally getting ready for the competition and entering your project.
UAA HIST 590.401 Maps and US History
This course explores the linkages between US history and geography. The emphasis is on the role of maps in illustrating the changes over time and space in such components as demography, economy, transportation communications, and settlement patterns. Teachers will also learn how to utilize web based historical maps and how to develop their own specialized maps using basic Geography Information Systems technology.
UAA HIST 590.404 Evolving Definitions of American Freedom
The course will use primary documents to trace the evolving ways Americans defined freedom from the Revolutionary generation to our own. On reflection, freedom has not always meant the same thing in various historical eras. Far from it. Race, ethnicity and gender are only parts of the story. The Supreme Court's definition of "liberty of contract" allowed corporations to deny freedom to wage workers and unions. The federal/state relationship permitted Southern states to deny civil liberties to blacks and Western states to Indians. Only with the New Deal did American come to embrace civil diversity. Today, challenges to the electoral college, to the definition of the family, and to discriminatory pay are forcing yet another redefinition of freedom. Evolving culture has always meant evolving freedom.
UAA HIST 590.402-3 Teaching with Primary Sources in the Library of Congress Facilitators Workshop
This (5 credit) course starts in Block D as a face to face workshop, and then continues as an online course with monthly webinars for support and follow-up. The focus of this course will be in training TEAMs of educators how to use (and mentor others in using) an enormously rich and powerful online resource in their history classrooms. This resource is a vast collection of primary source texts, photos and audio files archived & organized in the national Library of Congress
and American Memory websites. Educators that complete this course will gain knowledge of Library of Congress and American Memory resources as well as techniques for incorporating them into classroom teaching. These teams will gain skills to guide educators in their own districts through their own exploration of these resources and the "Teaching with Primary Sources" online coursework available.
Read the Summer Academy Newsletter
Spring 2009
UAA HIST A590 Advanced Studies in American History 1
This course will study the foundations of democracy in America through readings of historical documents, some secondary interpretive material, and seminar discussions. It will be conducted as a “webinar,” with students in a classroom setting and students in distance settings simultaneously. The objective is to achieve an understanding of the origins of constitutionalism and the rule of law, and the evolution of democratic institutions and theory. Study will begin with Magna Carta, and will proceed through colonial British North America and the American Revolution, the rise of American democracy after the presidential election of 1801, and will conclude with an examination of American westward expansion. Most of the reading will be excerpts of historical documents.
APU EDUC 59797 21st Century Learning Tools for Teaching American History
The aim of this course is to provide opportunities for teachers to learn 21st Learning Tools skills, and to provide opportunities to apply what is learned in American History content sessions to their own classroom practice and to share their leadership with other teachers, at their grade level, in the content course, across Alaska and across North America.
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