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Educator Services Teaching & Learning Curriculum Resources
2009 Professional Development Institutes

History/Social Science

Defining Freedom

For Grades 8-12 teachers of United States history
Prerequisites: None

Defining Freedom examines how Americans conceived and promoted both individual and communal liberties and responsibilities from 1763 through 1863. Participating teachers will examine the imperial crisis, the American Revolution, the Early Republic, the antebellum period, and the Civil War. During these time periods, popular thinking about personal freedom, individual responsibility, and respect for human dignity evolved to drastically expand the distribution of political and social power among the people, even as the power and scope of state and federal governments increased. Additionally, various minorities sought to gain the full rights and privileges of American citizenship only to be thwarted in their attempts. Teachers will interact with leading historians and scholars and explore the vast collections of primary source documents and images available through the collections of the American Antiquarian Society and the Massachusetts Historical Society in preparation for developing and piloting instructional units that employ technology to help students develop and teachers assess 21st century skills. Teachers will not only explore the materials available on the AAS sponsored website Teach U.S. History (www.teachushistory.org) and those developed by the MHS including The Coming of the American Revolution (www.masshist.org/revolution/); they will also will also play a role in making suggestions for adding materials to both websites.

Social Studies & Literacy

For Teachers and administrators of grades 1-6, teachers of students with special needs, teachers of English language learners, literacy specialists and coaches
Prerequisites: None

This institute focuses on collapsing disciplinary distinctions between the development of reading and language skills and the teaching and learning of discipline-specific content. Participants will use history and social science texts and trade books, vocabulary exercises, and writing assignments as an integral part of developing literacy skills. They will review research literature and best practices for developing a content literacy-based approach and develop sample units based on the themes and standards in the Massachusetts History/Social Science Framework and the Massachusetts English Language Arts Framework. Priority will be given to teams that include teachers or administrators of special education.