The Ohio State University's Middle East Studies Center is offering a two-day seminar "Teaching about Oil to a New Generation," August 13-14, 2011. The seminar will be lead by Thomas O'Donnell, an expert in the political economy and geopolitics of the global energy sector, especially petroleum, from the University of Michigan. Topics explored include energy resources, political economy, and geopolitics and the historical role of oil.


For more information and to register, visit 
http://mesc.osu.edu/Flyers/TeacherOilSeminarSU%2711.pdf.

Buckeye Council for History Education Conference

It is time again for the BCHE Annual Conference, which will be held July 22, 2011, at the Columbus-Worthington Holiday Inn. The theme corresponds with the 2012 National History Day theme: Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History. Always a classic!

As participants of Back to History you received a membership in BCHE and therefore can attend the conference for free. Please register by July 15 at
http://www.explorehistory.org/bchereg.htm.

American Transitions from Rural to Urban Life

The Ohio Historical Society’s (OHS) American Transitions from Rural to Urban Life is a Picturing America project made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.  American Transitions will explore socioeconomic issues during the American Industrial Revolution through artworks and artists featured in the Picturing America collection. OHS has partnered with the Columbus Museum of Art and four noted scholars to deliver rigorous interdisciplinary content. In addition, OHS will provide classroom applications, hands-on activities, books and materials, and an over-all exceptional professional development opportunity for K-12 art and social studies teachers.
 
For schedule of activities and application, visit http://americantransitionspicturingamerica.wordpress.com/. The application is due May 13, 2011.

Norman Rockwell in the Classroom

Some of you may have had the opportunity to see Rockwell's America at the Ohio Historical Center in 2008. Norman Rockwell's uniquely American art is iconic and can also serve to explore social changes including urbanization, changing
roles of women in the 1940s, and the civil rights movement in the 1960s with students.

Telling Stories: Norman Rockwell from the Collections of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg is an online exhibit of the Smithsonian American Art Museum that examines in-depth the connections between Norman Rockwell's images of American life and the movies.Rockwell carefully composed the setting of his paintings and crafted the mood with lighting and staging.

Additional works and teaching resources can be found through the Norman Rockwell Museum.

100 Films Reviewed by Historians

This idea, that movies can be a teaching tool, has been the theme of the “Masters at the Movies” article series in Perspectives on History since it began in 2006. Over the past 5 years, 17 historians have reviewed or noted over 100 films, applauding some while questioning the accuracy of others.

From Wall Street to A Streetcar Named Desire to period pieces such as The Other Boleyn Girl, check out a synopsis of the films reviewed here.

History Help

Help! Next year I will be teaching American History for the 1st time in a High School Resource Room setting. All the information I gained from this course has been very helpful, just a little too high functioning for my students. I'm sure I will be able to use some of it though, such as the primary sources, with some modifications on other activities. Does anyone teach at the elementary level who can give me some suggestions on teaching this subject (4-5 grade level) or have any neat projects they would be willing to share. Anything would be extremely helpful. Thanks!!
--Amanda

Middle School or High School Social Studies

My licensure is 4-9 Math and Social Studies. I teach 4th grade Math and Social Studies. In 4th grade we have the dreaded Ohio Achievement Assessment for Math and Reading only. In my short 4 years here I have noticed something, Social Studies and Science get the short end a lot!

One example of how I see this is that I only teach one Social Studies class for 45 minutes each day to one of my classes, while I teach 1 hour and 20 minutes of Math to two of my classes. I have questioned this but then I have been shot down immediately, by other teachers and administrators. Also, whenever there is a delay or other assembly Social Studies and Science are cut out, while Math or Reading maybe shortened.

My question is, do Middle School Teachers or High School teachers notice this lack of Social Studies instruction? What is the biggest thing you notice the students lacking in Social Studies.

I understand that Reading, Writing, and Math are very important but I was just wondering what we were doing to these other areas in the process of focusing on these other subjects.

Art Project

I am sure many know by now of my love of using art to study social commentary. Artwork can provide a multidisciplinary approach for studying any period in history. Google has partnered with many of the world's most acclaimed museums on Art Project. There are currently over a thousand works of art to explore on the site. You can even make your own collection and share with your colleagues.

Civil War Call-In Show

Civil War Call-In Show

Teaching 4th Grade Social Studies Made (Slightly) Easier

Created for 4th grade social studies teachers by the Ohio Historical Society, OHIO AS AMERICA is a carefully compiled, online textbook, aligned with the revised and current Ohio Academic Content Standards. The textbook provides teachers will easier access to resource material, including:

• online lesson plans
• student activities
• assessment tools
• videos
• primary sources

For more information on how you can lead your social studies class into the future, call 614-297-2343 or visit ohiohistoryteachers.org/teacherpd.shtml. 

The Diary of George Templeton Strong

The New York Times' Disunion is commemorating the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with daily articles that trace the progression of the war. Of particular interest are the excerpts from George Templeton Strong's diary. His detailed accounts can give students a perspective of what it would have been like to live through the war.

The Underground Railroad: Escape from Slavery

A recommendation from a Back to History colleague - this interactive site takes you on the journey of slaves who chose to attempt escape through the underground railroad network.

George Washington Summer Residential Teachers' Institute

The George Washington Teachers' Institute is a highly competitive program which brings teachers to Mount Vernon, Virginia for an intensive week of study at Washington's home. Participating teachers immerse themselves in the study and discussion of this critical period of American history and the remarkable role George Washington played in the founding of our nation. 

All teachers accepted into the institute receive a travel stipend of up to $350 and reside on the grounds of Washington's home. Participants are required to complete one lesson plan for dissemination to teachers across the nation on the Mount Vernon website, and perform one in-service for colleagues in their home district or state. 

Applications for Ohio teachers are due by March 7, 2011.

Reconstruction

hi everyone! In our chat last Thursday we talked about African-American voting rights after the Civil War and into the 20th century. I was trying to find this link during our chat, but didn't get to it until after. This is one of my favorite political Cartoons about this time period:

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/at0082_6bs.jpg

On another note, I know Kristina sent out an email with the link to http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/, but I wanted to emphasize the resources they have available for teachers. They have a link on the site with a ton of lesson plans, many that I've used in class! I have tweaked a couple of them for use in both my government and AP government classes and the students have always really enjoyed viewing the commercials. We have done whole classroom activities, and also individual activities--I just tell the students to bring a pair of headphones that day so they can listen to the ads on their own. If you'd like me to email any lessons I have done using Living Room Candidate, let me know!

Gangsters, Gamblers, and Girls

I have gone on this historic walking tour and am hoping to take some students to see it this April. It is an awesome exhibit and so entertaining!!

http://www.newportgangsters.com/index.html

Awesome Video

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share this video from the BBC. Hans Rosling takes statistics for 200 countries over course of 200 years (from 1810-2010). Although he is a professor who teaches about global health, this could easily be used when teaching about globalization, industrialization, etc. It is a very interesting look at how life expectancy and income are connected. Very cool.

Hope you find it as interesting as I do!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo&feature=player_embedded

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellowship

Applications are now being accepted for the 2011-2012 Museum Teacher Fellowship at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum from teachers in grades 7 through 12. Those chosen must show evidence of extensive knowledge of Holocaust history, successful teaching experience, and participation in community and professional organizations.

Teaching Fellows help promote the Museum’s efforts to ensure quality Holocaust education in secondary schools by participating in a variety of activities.

For more information and application material, visit
http://www.ushmm.org/education/foreducators/prodev/teacherfellowship/. The application deadline is February 11, 2011.

Making Ohio Memory Better

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and staying warm!

You may remember me mentioning that we are working on our Ohio Memory website. The Ohio Historical Society is looking for some feedback on the functionality of our Ohio Memory search engine. As the digital collection has grown we are trying to find ways to make it increasingly user friendly. We especially value the opinions of teachers as we want our resources to be accessible for the classroom.

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey at the link below. In order to answer the questions you will have to complete a search using a new test home page for Ohio Memory. You can only access this page using the link provided in the survey directions. The survey will be available until December 31^st, 2010. If you have any questions please contact me at muline-olmstead@ohiohistory.org.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QXMVLXW

Thank you so much and we look forward to your feedback.

Help make history come alive for Ohio's 4th-12th grade students

National History Day in Ohio is in the race to receive $50,000 from the Pepsi Refresh Project. Show your support for the program and Ohio students by voting everyday in December. Go here to vote.

Funding from the Pepsi Refresh Project will help to expand the program into more urban and rural schools. The grant will be used to provide financial assitance to low-income students; program materials & field trips to historic sites; teacher training & support materials.

Library of Congress Teachers

Starting today, you can search for classroom materials from the Library of Congress using state academic content standards. Of course, I has to test it out. I searched Ohio, grade 10, social studies, and found some great primary source sets and lesson plans for Industrialization.

Give it a try: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/.