Hello AHTC teachers,
Today, on the 69th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, I'd like to direct you to a few websites to learn more about the day. To follow up on Saturday's theme of oral histories and personal narratives, I would suggest that you head to the History and Culture section of the National Park Service website which tells the story of the event, but it also contains testimony from survivors and copies of the newsletter circulated on the USS Arizona. The "For Teachers" section contains, at the very bottom of the page, a link to an 195 page .pdf Teacher Tool Kit which contains selected primary and secondary sources to supplement your curriculum.
National Geographic's archive of survivor stories has been taken down, but the "Multimedia Map and Interactive Timeline" is an excellent way to get a feel for the events of December 7th. Adidtionally, searches on YouTube or the Internet archive can net you news footage and radio announcements from 1941, as well as footage of FDR's famous response. Pearl Harbor History contains some unsupported claims that should be read carefully, but also has an excellent collection of news clips, songs and speeches relating to the attack. In the craziness of the end of the semester, it is easy to overlook the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, but I hope you all take a moment or two in class today to mention this important date.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The AHTC Honors Our Country's Veterans
At 11:00 of the the eleventh day of the eleventh month or 1918, an armistice was signed between the Allied Forces and Germany. Celebrated as Armistice Day for many years, the holiday was expanded to include the veterans of all wars in 1954. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans day honors all who have served their country through military service in wartime or in peacetime.
Please take a moment to read more about Veterans Day here and explore History.com's slideshows and videos here. Additionally, the Library of Congress has collected pictures and personal testimony that speak to the wartime experiences of veterans and people on the homefront during World War I. Explore those here.
Please take a moment to read more about Veterans Day here and explore History.com's slideshows and videos here. Additionally, the Library of Congress has collected pictures and personal testimony that speak to the wartime experiences of veterans and people on the homefront during World War I. Explore those here.
Monday, November 1, 2010
eBlackCU Symposium- Next Weekend
Hello All,
I know that you have been interested in eBlackCU.net and that many of you enjoyed learning more about it from Noah Lenstra and his interns at the Summer Institute last July. For those of you who are unfmailiar with the project, eBlackCU is developing a comprehensive online database about African-American history in Champaign-Urbana. For more information, please hear over to the website. You can also read more in our May 24th, 2010 blog post.
eBlackCU is hosting a campus- community symposium next weekend, November 5th and 6th, from 9:00am to 5:00pm and will feature discussion and information on digital technology and campus-community interactions. November 6th will feature round table discussions on the uses of digital technology for community groups, social service agencies, community centers and educators and will be attended by more than 40 local organizations, including both the Champaign and Urbana Libraries, WILL, the Early American Museum, the NAACP and the Ministerial Alliance. Additionally, Urbana High School Librarian Matthew Murrey and David Adcock,Director of Urbana Adult Education will be speaking.
To learn more about the event, see a schedule, and to register, head to: http://eblackcu.net/portal/symposium
A flyer for the event is located here.
I know that you have been interested in eBlackCU.net and that many of you enjoyed learning more about it from Noah Lenstra and his interns at the Summer Institute last July. For those of you who are unfmailiar with the project, eBlackCU is developing a comprehensive online database about African-American history in Champaign-Urbana. For more information, please hear over to the website. You can also read more in our May 24th, 2010 blog post.
eBlackCU is hosting a campus- community symposium next weekend, November 5th and 6th, from 9:00am to 5:00pm and will feature discussion and information on digital technology and campus-community interactions. November 6th will feature round table discussions on the uses of digital technology for community groups, social service agencies, community centers and educators and will be attended by more than 40 local organizations, including both the Champaign and Urbana Libraries, WILL, the Early American Museum, the NAACP and the Ministerial Alliance. Additionally, Urbana High School Librarian Matthew Murrey and David Adcock,Director of Urbana Adult Education will be speaking.
To learn more about the event, see a schedule, and to register, head to: http://eblackcu.net/portal/symposium
A flyer for the event is located here.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Time Magazine Online Archives
Hello AHTC teachers!
I'd like to direct your attention to a really neat online tool. Time magazine has digitized their archives from their founding in 1923 to the present. Beyond viewing all of the covers for the last 87 years, you can keyword search for articles or covers. Additionally, the website has covers sorted by categories such as 'Religion' or 'Presidents." You can also sort through the collections, which are selected covers and article excerpts on a specific topic. They provide an excellent overview of Time's coverage of a topic chronologically. The website has some great features, including browsing tips and a section highlighting the first mention of people who went on to be quite famous.
The archive is fun to idly browse but it can also be a great tool for finding primary sources, examining news coverage of a specific event, looking at how coverage changed over time. There are tons of different ways to use this resource, and we'd love to hear what fun things you find or what great ways you find to use this in your classrooms!
Time Archive
I'd like to direct your attention to a really neat online tool. Time magazine has digitized their archives from their founding in 1923 to the present. Beyond viewing all of the covers for the last 87 years, you can keyword search for articles or covers. Additionally, the website has covers sorted by categories such as 'Religion' or 'Presidents." You can also sort through the collections, which are selected covers and article excerpts on a specific topic. They provide an excellent overview of Time's coverage of a topic chronologically. The website has some great features, including browsing tips and a section highlighting the first mention of people who went on to be quite famous.
The archive is fun to idly browse but it can also be a great tool for finding primary sources, examining news coverage of a specific event, looking at how coverage changed over time. There are tons of different ways to use this resource, and we'd love to hear what fun things you find or what great ways you find to use this in your classrooms!
Time Archive
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Teachers' Workshop: The Invention of African Traditions
Organized and supported by the University of Illinois' Center for African Studies, Department of History, the Center for Historical Interpretation
Monday, October 11, 2010
6:00-8:30 pm
Venue: Champaign Curriculum Center, 405 N. Randolph, Champaign, IL
2.5 CPDUS, curriculum resources, and lesson ideas will be provided.
Food will be provided as well.
American students have little opportunity to learn African societies, history and art. The focus of this workshop is to examine how teachers can bring the idea that African cultures are dynamic into their classrooms.
The prominent and path-breaking scholar, Prof. Terence Ranger, Rhodes Professor of Race Relations, Oxford University, and co-author of The Invention of Tradition will be participating inthe workshop. Dr. Jonathan Zilberg, an anthropologist trained at the U of I and creator of "Power and Beauty: A Learning Module on African Art and Culture," will present curricular and pedagogical approaches to teaching the dynamism of African culture, art and history. A locally-produced film aimed at young people on the topic of African masquerades will be shown.
REGISTER by emailing: jmcgowan@illinois.edu
Please indicate
Your Name:
School:
Subjects taught:
Grade Levels taught:
Monday, October 11, 2010
6:00-8:30 pm
Venue: Champaign Curriculum Center, 405 N. Randolph, Champaign, IL
2.5 CPDUS, curriculum resources, and lesson ideas will be provided.
Food will be provided as well.
American students have little opportunity to learn African societies, history and art. The focus of this workshop is to examine how teachers can bring the idea that African cultures are dynamic into their classrooms.
The prominent and path-breaking scholar, Prof. Terence Ranger, Rhodes Professor of Race Relations, Oxford University, and co-author of The Invention of Tradition will be participating inthe workshop. Dr. Jonathan Zilberg, an anthropologist trained at the U of I and creator of "Power and Beauty: A Learning Module on African Art and Culture," will present curricular and pedagogical approaches to teaching the dynamism of African culture, art and history. A locally-produced film aimed at young people on the topic of African masquerades will be shown.
REGISTER by emailing: jmcgowan@illinois.edu
Please indicate
Your Name:
School:
Subjects taught:
Grade Levels taught:
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
History of Illinois Workshop
On Saturday, September 25th, the AHTC gathered to spend some time with the history of our state. Based on a recommendation from AHTC teachers Matt Buckles and James Garcia, we started the day with a keynote speech and breakout sessions from Michael Rosenow, assistant professor of history at Central Arkansas University. Professor Rosenow spoke about the ideas brought up by living in the "Land of Lincoln" and spoke of the conflicting experiences of women, organized labor and minorities in Illinois during the "Age of Lincoln"(1864-1909.)
While half their colleagues were in breakout sessions with Professor Rosenow, the other half of the group were participating in map activities in Don Barbour. Putting the maps of Chicago in chronological order and using plat maps to decide where in Champaign county to lay railroad tracks was harder than our participants first expected, and required a lot of collaboration!
After lunch, we were joined by Dr. Roger Biles, professor of history at Illinois State University for a keynote and breakout sessions. After an excellent introduction by AHTC teacher Matt Goerss, Dr. Biles used maps to talk about changes in population and demography over time.
After the breakout session, we watched a clip from the documentary 500 Nations on Cahokia and then the documentary Springfield Had No Shame on the 1908 race riot in Springfield. We received a few evaluation comments asking where to purchase a copy of Springfield Had No Shame. The documentary was published by the University of Illinois at Springfield Center for State Policy and Leadership's Office of Electronic Media. If you call their office, you can purchase a copy of the documentary for $12.00.
Overall, it was a very fun day, with a lot of information and activities that can be brought directly into the classroom. Thank you all for your enthusiastic participation in discussion and the activities; you all really brought the day to life. Additionally, the AHTC thanks Elaine Evans at the Illinois State Archives for providing us with such amazing resources and a poster for distribution at that workshop and Tom Huber at the Illinois State Library for his help getting copies of maps for Don Barbour's activity.
While half their colleagues were in breakout sessions with Professor Rosenow, the other half of the group were participating in map activities in Don Barbour. Putting the maps of Chicago in chronological order and using plat maps to decide where in Champaign county to lay railroad tracks was harder than our participants first expected, and required a lot of collaboration!
After lunch, we were joined by Dr. Roger Biles, professor of history at Illinois State University for a keynote and breakout sessions. After an excellent introduction by AHTC teacher Matt Goerss, Dr. Biles used maps to talk about changes in population and demography over time.
After the breakout session, we watched a clip from the documentary 500 Nations on Cahokia and then the documentary Springfield Had No Shame on the 1908 race riot in Springfield. We received a few evaluation comments asking where to purchase a copy of Springfield Had No Shame. The documentary was published by the University of Illinois at Springfield Center for State Policy and Leadership's Office of Electronic Media. If you call their office, you can purchase a copy of the documentary for $12.00.
Overall, it was a very fun day, with a lot of information and activities that can be brought directly into the classroom. Thank you all for your enthusiastic participation in discussion and the activities; you all really brought the day to life. Additionally, the AHTC thanks Elaine Evans at the Illinois State Archives for providing us with such amazing resources and a poster for distribution at that workshop and Tom Huber at the Illinois State Library for his help getting copies of maps for Don Barbour's activity.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Celebrating Constitution Day
Hello AHTC teachers!
Constitution Day is September 17th, and while that seems like that should be a far off date, it is actually rapidly approaching! Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship Day, is observed nationally to commemorate the principles and practices protected and provided for in the Constitution. It commemorates the day the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 met for the last time to sign the document they had created.
The theme of Constitution Day 2010 is jury service, something in which every American citizen has both the duty and privilege of participating.
If you are still looking for Constitution Day activities for your classrooms, look no further! The five websites highlighted below have numerous resources and activities intended for use in the classroom.
Your first stop is the National Constitution Center's Constitution Day Website. In the resources section, the website has games and lesson plan ideas broken out into elementary, middle school and high school sections. In the elementary section, there are short biographies of 55 Founding Fathers and an interactive Bill of Rights game. The middle school section features ideas on turning your classroom into a town hall debate on the Constitution and Constitution Newswire, which provides daily news about our founding document, demonstrating the Constitution's relevance to what's happening today. The high school level lessons features lesson plans designed to highlight civic knowledge, active citizenship, and democratic deliberation. In addition, the National Constitution contains a downloadable text of the Constitution, video of a naturalization ceremony and an opportunity to take the naturalization test for yourself, as well as full texts of all of the founding documents of the United States, starting with the Magna Carta and continuing through the Reconstruction Amendments.
Next, I recommend that you head to ConstitutionFacts.com . Constitution Facts also has the full text of the Constitution available (as well as the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.) Constitution Facts has a section about Constitution Day 2010, which contains a Tool Kit full of crossword puzzles, interactive quizzes, dates to remember and a glossary of terms. However, the entire website is a useful tool, with biographies, articles, overviews and important dates for America's founding documents and the Supreme Court. In addition, it has collections of interesting facts about the Constitution and fun quizzes about which Founding Father you would vote for or about the Articles of Confederation.
Thirdly, head to the National Archives's website about Observing Constitution Day. As part of their "Teaching With Documents" series, the archives has put together a series of activities using primary sources. Although most of the activities are aimed at the secondary level, the last link on the page takes you to a U.S. Constitution Workshop which is suitable for grades 4-12. The other lessons include a simulation of the experiences of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention and a lesson about the ratification of the Constitution.
The American Bar Association Division for Public Education has put together a very impressive website of resources for Constitution Day. The lesson plans are broken into categories, including "Constitutional Rights," "Representation, Voting and Elections," and "Introduction to Rules, Laws and Government." There are lesson plans available for all grade levels. In addition, the website has a section on interactive games and quizzes and a section of Conversation Starters, which are short, easily read text or images that are meant to illuminate issues, explore areas of conflict and encourage dialogue. Accompanying each starter is a set of focus questions designed to open discussion about the topic and related issues. These Conversation Starters deal with issues such as "The Advice and Consent of the Senate," "War Powers" and "Separation of Powers."
The Federal Courts also have a website of resources for Constitution Day, and these are the resources that best fit the Constitution Day 2010 theme of jury service. Containing videos of the Supreme Court discussing jury duty, a student podcast on jury duty and a variety of other resources, this website is an excellent way of introducing the 2010 theme to your Constitution Day activities.
Lastly, don't forget to check out the AHTC website for lesson plans by your fellow AHTC teachers! In the Lesson Plans section, under Founding Era Lesson Plans, you can find lesson plans on the Constitution, Citizenship and on the Articles of Confederation, so make sure to check those out!
Please enjoy these resources and if you have any other suggestions or want to highlight what you did in your classrooms, please feel free to leave a comment here or on the AHTC Facebook page.
Enjoy Constitution Day 2010!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The Disability Rights Movement
As a follow up to this Summer's exploration of the Civil Rights movement, the National Museum of American History has an online exhibit that explores the Disability Rights Movement. Although it is not heavy on background information, the website has a great collections of photographs and photographs of artifacts with some audio and video supplements. It's an interesting way to spend some time!
NMAH: The Disability Rights Movement
NMAH: The Disability Rights Movement
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
2010 Civil Rights Summer Institute
One of the most fun parts about planning for the Civil Rights Summer Institute was the incredible amount of resources out there. When we were choosing books, videos, websites, and even presenters, we had a wide enough selection that we were really able to tailor our choices to what we thought was best suited to the week. We had the amazing luck to find teachers, community members and members of our own team who could contribute fantastic information, background and personal perspective to the week.
The AHTC is fortunate enough to have such a large group of smart, willing teachers to draw from when we're looking for presenters, as evidenced by the lesson plans page of our website (www.americanhistoryteachers.org,) and during the Summer Institute four of them joined us to present. On Wednesday, Izona Burgess led a session about the milestones of the Civil Rights movement and its legacy, using the lens of her own childhood experiences. Renayee Westfield presented her lesson "An Introduction to African American Efforts in World War II" which unpacks the significance of African American war efforts and explores the racism they faced at home and overseas. On Friday, Amos Lee presented his lesson "Race Riots and Reality." Amos's lesson looks at Jim Crow laws and race riots in Illinois, and then involves the students in primary source analysis, using interviews taken by the State Commission to Investigate Living Conditions of the Urban Colored Population, which looked into the economic, cultural, health and living conditions of the "urban colored" population in Illinois in the early 1940s.
In addition, Friday saw Mary Anne Jusko presenting her lesson "From Barbershops in Champaign, IL to Bus Boycotts in Montgomery, AL: All's Not Fair in 1954-1955 America." Mary Anne's lesson focused on bringing the general term Civil Rights home to her students by focusing on events here in Champaign Urbana.Using an amazing set of primary sources, Mary Anne's lesson looks at the local efforts to de-segregate campus barbershops.
On Wednesday, we were also joined by Terry Townsend, a community member who spoke about his experiences with the Civil Rights movement. His session " An Overview of the Civil Rights and Opportunity Movement and its Relationship to the National Movement" drew from his decades of experience working locally to improve race relations. He brought the Community Reinvestment Act to the attention of community leaders, which resulted in banks increasing their efforts to make loans to African Americans. He also served as a Housing Commissioner for 10 years.
The week was further enhanced by sessions led by Superintendent of the Urbana School District Dr. Preston Williams Jr, Ed.D and AHTC Activities Coordinator Jennifer Bredemeier. Dr. Williams presented on the process of desegregation in Urbana schools and its legacy for the district today.
Jennifer Bredemeier drew upon her masters degree in Human Resources for her Friday session "Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Discrimination in Employment." Title VII outlaws discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, and her presentation discussed law cases that were key in interpreting that law and determining the different types of employment discrimination covered under that section.
Our last presenter of the week was Urbana Free Library Librarian Carol Inskeep. Carol is a frequent AHTC presenter and a crowd favorite. Her book lists cover a large range of ages and are an amazing resource for teachers as they are lesson planning. Carol presented both on Wednesday and Friday, providing the group with a very extensive list of children's books, graphic novels, young adult books and documentaries that covered the Civil Rights movement. As always, the teachers were captivated by the sections of the books that Carol read out-loud.
Thanks to all of you for presenting! You were a huge part of what made this week a success.
The AHTC is fortunate enough to have such a large group of smart, willing teachers to draw from when we're looking for presenters, as evidenced by the lesson plans page of our website (www.americanhistoryteachers.org,) and during the Summer Institute four of them joined us to present. On Wednesday, Izona Burgess led a session about the milestones of the Civil Rights movement and its legacy, using the lens of her own childhood experiences. Renayee Westfield presented her lesson "An Introduction to African American Efforts in World War II" which unpacks the significance of African American war efforts and explores the racism they faced at home and overseas. On Friday, Amos Lee presented his lesson "Race Riots and Reality." Amos's lesson looks at Jim Crow laws and race riots in Illinois, and then involves the students in primary source analysis, using interviews taken by the State Commission to Investigate Living Conditions of the Urban Colored Population, which looked into the economic, cultural, health and living conditions of the "urban colored" population in Illinois in the early 1940s.
In addition, Friday saw Mary Anne Jusko presenting her lesson "From Barbershops in Champaign, IL to Bus Boycotts in Montgomery, AL: All's Not Fair in 1954-1955 America." Mary Anne's lesson focused on bringing the general term Civil Rights home to her students by focusing on events here in Champaign Urbana.Using an amazing set of primary sources, Mary Anne's lesson looks at the local efforts to de-segregate campus barbershops.
On Wednesday, we were also joined by Terry Townsend, a community member who spoke about his experiences with the Civil Rights movement. His session " An Overview of the Civil Rights and Opportunity Movement and its Relationship to the National Movement" drew from his decades of experience working locally to improve race relations. He brought the Community Reinvestment Act to the attention of community leaders, which resulted in banks increasing their efforts to make loans to African Americans. He also served as a Housing Commissioner for 10 years.
The week was further enhanced by sessions led by Superintendent of the Urbana School District Dr. Preston Williams Jr, Ed.D and AHTC Activities Coordinator Jennifer Bredemeier. Dr. Williams presented on the process of desegregation in Urbana schools and its legacy for the district today.
Jennifer Bredemeier drew upon her masters degree in Human Resources for her Friday session "Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Discrimination in Employment." Title VII outlaws discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, and her presentation discussed law cases that were key in interpreting that law and determining the different types of employment discrimination covered under that section.
Our last presenter of the week was Urbana Free Library Librarian Carol Inskeep. Carol is a frequent AHTC presenter and a crowd favorite. Her book lists cover a large range of ages and are an amazing resource for teachers as they are lesson planning. Carol presented both on Wednesday and Friday, providing the group with a very extensive list of children's books, graphic novels, young adult books and documentaries that covered the Civil Rights movement. As always, the teachers were captivated by the sections of the books that Carol read out-loud.
Thanks to all of you for presenting! You were a huge part of what made this week a success.
Monday, August 9, 2010
2010 Civil Rights Summer Institute Overview
Last week the AHTC Summer Institute on the Civil Rights movement brought together ninety teachers and twenty members of the community with professors, speakers, local presenters to remember, analyze, and discuss the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and its legacy.The AHTC was very honored to be joined by members of the community, including members of the local NAACP, president of local NAACP, Rev. Jerome Chambers, president of the Ministerial Alliance of Champaign-Urbana & Vicinity, Reverend Doctor Evelyn Underwood and former Dean of Minority Student Affairs, Michael Jeffries. In addition, several members of the Urbana School District administration, Superintendent Preston Williams, Assistant Superintendent Don Owen, Assistant Superintendent Gayle Jeffries and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jean Korder, attended many of the days of the institute.
Starting off the week, eminent scholar, Patricia Sullivan gave a keynote speech on the history of the NAACP. She was followed by Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, Barry Bradford, a Chicago high school teacher who helped to reopen and successfully prosecute the forty-year old murder of three civil rights workers, Bobby Seale and Julian Bond. This amazing roster was supplemented by a presentation by Dr. Preston Williams, teacher presentations, presentations by local activists and a resource presentation by local librarian Carol Inskeep. Three movies and two documentaries were screened for the teaches and they were given over 20 books and magazines for their collections of Civil Rights resources. Overall, it was an amazing week, and we thank all of your for your participation and support.
Patricia Sullivan lectures in UMS 1520.
Ilyasah Shabazz with Jamila Appleby.
Teachers enjoy the displays provided by community organizations.
Barry Bradford addresses the crowd.
Bobby Seale signs a copy of his book for Priscilla Kron.
Bobby Seale warns elementary teacher Laura Martin that his book contains cursing and is not suitable for her classroom.
Julian Bond and Greg Chew discuss the 1968 Democratic Convention.
Stay tuned for more posts describing the Summer Institute and the wonderful presentations that rounded out our week.
Starting off the week, eminent scholar, Patricia Sullivan gave a keynote speech on the history of the NAACP. She was followed by Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, Barry Bradford, a Chicago high school teacher who helped to reopen and successfully prosecute the forty-year old murder of three civil rights workers, Bobby Seale and Julian Bond. This amazing roster was supplemented by a presentation by Dr. Preston Williams, teacher presentations, presentations by local activists and a resource presentation by local librarian Carol Inskeep. Three movies and two documentaries were screened for the teaches and they were given over 20 books and magazines for their collections of Civil Rights resources. Overall, it was an amazing week, and we thank all of your for your participation and support.
Patricia Sullivan lectures in UMS 1520.
Ilyasah Shabazz with Jamila Appleby.
Teachers enjoy the displays provided by community organizations.
Barry Bradford addresses the crowd.
Bobby Seale signs a copy of his book for Priscilla Kron.
Bobby Seale warns elementary teacher Laura Martin that his book contains cursing and is not suitable for her classroom.
Julian Bond and Greg Chew discuss the 1968 Democratic Convention.Stay tuned for more posts describing the Summer Institute and the wonderful presentations that rounded out our week.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
And I Remember....
Karen Vaccaro transforms herself into three radically different real women—a poet, a pianist and an actress—in this hilarious and poignant one-woman play about the lives of artists and the art of living as a woman in America. The project was developed with funding from the Urbana Public Arts Commission and mixes verbatim oral histories from Urbana senior citizens with lively big band music of the 40s and 50s to weave a delightful and entertaining life tapestry. Directed by Robert Quinlan.
New York filmmaker Mark P. Ring (formerly of the Sundance Channel) will be present to document all Urbana performances as part of a film he is creating about “And I Remember” and the women it immortalizes.
Performances will take place at the Independent Media Center, 202 South Broadway in Urbana on Friday August 6 (8PM), Saturday August 7 (8PM), and Sunday August 8 (7PM). Tickets are $10 (Cash only). Advanced tickets can be purchased at Heartland Gallery, 112 West Main Street in Downtown Urbana between 10AM and 5PM Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, please call (217) 954-0231.
New York filmmaker Mark P. Ring (formerly of the Sundance Channel) will be present to document all Urbana performances as part of a film he is creating about “And I Remember” and the women it immortalizes.
Performances will take place at the Independent Media Center, 202 South Broadway in Urbana on Friday August 6 (8PM), Saturday August 7 (8PM), and Sunday August 8 (7PM). Tickets are $10 (Cash only). Advanced tickets can be purchased at Heartland Gallery, 112 West Main Street in Downtown Urbana between 10AM and 5PM Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, please call (217) 954-0231.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The AHTC Goes to Memphis! Part II
Wednesday, June 23rd was a very full day for AHTC teachers in Memphis. The morning started with a self-guided audio tour of the National Civil Rights Museum. The museum begins with a timeline that started in 1619 and continues to present day. Teachers could board a bus and sit next to a replica of Rosa Parks, experiencing firsthand what it might feel like to be yelled at by the driver to move back. The tour also included walking through the room of the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent his last day, as well as a trip through the boarding house where James Earl Ray stayed during his time in Memphis. The National Civil Rights Museum was an especially powerful part of our time in Memphis. During the long lunch break at the Arcade Restaurant, many teachers opted to return to the museum for further discovery.
Following lunch, the group boarded the motor coach and headed to the corner of McLemore and College – the home of Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The museum represents the Memphis sound in the 1960s when rock and roll was starting. Stax Records launched the careers of dozens of famous soul and rock artists, notably Otis Redding, Booker T. & the MG’s, and Sam & Dave, among others. Teachers were able to watch videos of performances and interviews by the Stax artists and see everything from Tina Turner’s gold sequined stage costume to Isaac Hayes’ peacock-blue 1972 Superfly Cadillac El Dorado.
About 2 miles away from Stax is the recording home of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and, of course, Elvis Presley: Sun Studios. The room above the gift shop shares a visual history of the most active years at Sun Studios. Our tour guide, Cora, gave a great overview of the history of Sun Studios and the Memphis Recording Service, sharing stories of Elvis lying to get his first record made and the night the “Million Dollar Quartet” jammed in the studio. Down in the still-active recording studio, we were surrounded by instruments and pictures of artists who have recorded in Sun Studios over the years. Not only were photographs of the studio allowed, they were encouraged by our tour guide. Our teachers got to ham it up for the cameras, and AHTC Travel Coordinator Cynthia Logsdon even got in on the action!
Wednesday was an exhausting day, but many of us still took the time to watch the afternoon Peabody Hotel Duck March.
After spending most of Tuesday and Wednesday on a motor coach or in air-conditioned museums, Thursday was the first time we felt like true Memphians – hot and sweaty. According to the National Weather Service, our tough teachers endured a morning of weather that was sunny, 97 degrees, and 79% humid. We began the morning with a tour of the historic Peabody Hotel, led by Peabody Duckmaster Jason Sensat. He showed us the Memorabilia Room, the Francis Scott Key Piano, and of course, the Duck Palace.
Our trip to Mud Island River Park and Mississippi River Museum included a trip on the monorail made famous by Tom Cruise in the movie The Firm and a guided tour of key places along the lower portion of the river during the Civil War, as well as trip through the Mississippi River Museum. A welcome activity for many of our teachers was the opportunity to splash around in the replica of the Gulf of Mexico at the end of the tour.
Thursday afternoon, teachers were given the chance to explore Memphis on their own. Teachers visited places like the Memphis Zoo, the Gibson Guitar Factory, the Memphis Rock n Soul Museum. After the various adventures around the city, we all sat down to one last meal together at Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous where teachers enjoyed chicken or Memphis-style ribs.
The AHTC would like to thank our wonderful teachers who made the trip such a fun and educational event. Thank you especially to AHTC Travel Coordinator Cynthia Logsdon for planning such an incredible trip for everyone!
The AHTC Goes to Memphis! Part I
From June 21st through June 25th, sixteen teachers had the chance to explore Memphis during an AHTC Experiential Learning Trip. To prepare for the trip, teachers read books on Memphis and provided detailed descriptions of the books. They also attended a morning workshop featuring Jimmy “Mr. Memphis” Ogle. Mr. Ogle is a lifelong Memphian who has read over 300 books about the city he calls home!
Tuesday began with a motor coach tour around Memphis as Jimmy Ogle shared more the city’s rich history. Teachers were able to see the places the group would soon visit, as well as the parks and neighborhoods of Memphis.
Following the motor coach tour, AHTC teachers received a brief lecture from Director of Operations, Carol Perel, at The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange. Teachers then explored the museum, including a life-size replica of the trading board with actual figures from December 1939
as well as a historical timeline of cotton, and a hands-on exhibit where teachers could find out first-hand what it would feel like to drag a bag of cotton through the fields.
We had lunch at the Kooky Canuck on Tuesday before heading to the home of The King: Graceland. Teachers took a self-guided audio tour of the home of Elvis in small groups, including Graceland Mansion and grounds, Lisa Marie (the airplane), the Automobile Museum, and Elvis Presley: Fashion King. Included in the Graceland Mansion tour are the infamous Jungle Room, and the grave of Elvis and his parents. Following the tour of Graceland, teachers were given the night to discover Memphis’ dinner fare and nightlife.
Monday, June 28, 2010
West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd passes away at 92
Senator Robert Byrd, West Virginia, passed away Monday morning at 92. Mr. Byrd served West Virginia as a Senator for 51 years, a longer term than anyone in American history. He held many Senate offices, including president pro tem, majority and minority leader and chairman of the appropriations committee. Senator Byrd was known and respected for his fierce protectiveness of the legislative branch, his devotion to West Virginia, and his passionate, poetic rhetoric. A lover of history, Byrd was the author of a four-volume history of the senate and a fierce devotee of Senate traditions, always taking his seat to cast a vote. Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said Byrd “combined a devotion to the U.S. Constitution with a deep learning of history to defend the interests of his state and the traditions of the Senate.”
One result of Senator Byrd's devotion to American history, was the Teaching American History Grant programs, which have been so beneficial to the Urbana School District and the American History Teachers' Collaborative. We thank him for his years of service.
If you would like to read more about Senator Robert Byrd, please click here or here.
One result of Senator Byrd's devotion to American history, was the Teaching American History Grant programs, which have been so beneficial to the Urbana School District and the American History Teachers' Collaborative. We thank him for his years of service.
If you would like to read more about Senator Robert Byrd, please click here or here.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
70s and 80s Mini-Summer Institute
In addition to the super-fun Pop Culture night on Tuesday, AHTC teachers spent a day and a half on Wednesday and Thursday studying pop culture and foreign policy in the 70s and 80s and the ways in which the two interact. On Wednesday morning, Melani McAlister, professor at George Washington University, addressed the group about the Iran hostage crisis and the ways that it was covered in news broadcasts and manifested itself in popular culture, such as the Delta Force movies.
Urbana Free Library's Carol Inskeep out together an amazing presentation covering video and documentary resources for the 70s and 80s. She even opened with historical pictures of Champaign-Urbana from the time period.
We finished up the day with presentations by two of our AHTC teachers. Danville High School teacher Jacob Bretz presented a lesson he designed after his 2009 Fellowship at the Champaign County Historical Archives. Jacob's lesson explored the OPEC oil embargo in the 1970s and how it affected local schools. During this session, Jacob discussed the importance of President Nixon’s speech during the crisis. The following are links to additional presidential speeches, including every State of the Union Address:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/sou.php
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/
Urbana High School teacher Michael Pollock drew upon his personal experiences to present about the student protests at the University of Illinois in the 1970s. Complete with pictures and newspaper articles, Michael's presentation was a great way of looking at national events through the lens of local history.
On Thursday morning, Dr. Andrew Hartman, professor of History and Social Science Education at Illinois State University, spoke about "culture wars" and what we could learn from a historical examination of them.
Overall, these were a great few days and a wonderful opportunity to turn a critical eye to the not-so-distant past. Thanks to everyone who participated for your enthusiasm and curiosity, which let to some wonderful discussions.
Urbana Free Library's Carol Inskeep out together an amazing presentation covering video and documentary resources for the 70s and 80s. She even opened with historical pictures of Champaign-Urbana from the time period.
We finished up the day with presentations by two of our AHTC teachers. Danville High School teacher Jacob Bretz presented a lesson he designed after his 2009 Fellowship at the Champaign County Historical Archives. Jacob's lesson explored the OPEC oil embargo in the 1970s and how it affected local schools. During this session, Jacob discussed the importance of President Nixon’s speech during the crisis. The following are links to additional presidential speeches, including every State of the Union Address:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/sou.php
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/
Urbana High School teacher Michael Pollock drew upon his personal experiences to present about the student protests at the University of Illinois in the 1970s. Complete with pictures and newspaper articles, Michael's presentation was a great way of looking at national events through the lens of local history.
On Thursday morning, Dr. Andrew Hartman, professor of History and Social Science Education at Illinois State University, spoke about "culture wars" and what we could learn from a historical examination of them.
Overall, these were a great few days and a wonderful opportunity to turn a critical eye to the not-so-distant past. Thanks to everyone who participated for your enthusiasm and curiosity, which let to some wonderful discussions.
70s and 80s Pop Culture Special Evening event
To preface the 70s and 80s Pop Culture and Foreign Policy mini-summer institute, the AHTC hosted a special evening event of movies, trivia and music for a lighthearted look at the 70s and 80s. On Tuesday June 8th, our mini-summer institute attendees gathered to celebrate the culture of those bygone decades. Kim Lareau created an excellent playlist to carry us through the evening and Chuck Koplinski led the group through the top five movies of every year from 1970-1989. Everyone enjoyed guessing who was who (and laughing at the fashion choices!) in the old pictures that we gathered together.
People were pretty competitive during the trivia rounds:
and who can blame them, when we had such excellent prizes?
Thanks to everyone for your enthusiasm! You made the night a blast.
People were pretty competitive during the trivia rounds:
and who can blame them, when we had such excellent prizes?
Thanks to everyone for your enthusiasm! You made the night a blast.
Monday, May 24, 2010
eBlackChampaign-Urbana
eBlackChampaign-Urbana Announcement for American History Teachers Collaborative
The eBlackChampaign-Urbana (eBlackCU) project is a University of Illinois-led project that seeks to 1) Centralize information on local African-American history and culture and create new knowledge through this centralization; 2) Involve past and present community residents in the production of knowledge by soliciting their contributions, both in the form of personal memories and in the form of digitized personal archives; 3) Create a community of scholars, activists, educators, students and citizens interested in learning more about various aspects of local African-American history and culture and using that knowledge in the present; and 4) Develop the best-practices to scale this project up to the state-level in the implementation of
eBlackIllinois: A Comprehensive Database on the Black Experience in Illinois.
The project's web address is http://www.eBlackCU.net.
The project started in November 2009 and will continue at least through the end of December 2010, with our hopes being to find a way to continue the project, or aspects of the project.
Our products have thus far included:
a) A bibliography of information sources on local African-American issues, http://eblackcu.net/portal/items/show/2
b) A digital library of newly digitized information sources and websites on local African-American issues, http://eblackcu.net/portal/
c) Two digital exhibits that bring together these information sources in a narrative frame-work on Salem Baptist Church and the North First Street Business Community, http://eblackcu.net/portal/exhibits
We intend to add more items to the bibliography, more digitized texts to the digital library and more digital exhibits throughout the year.
Our goal in all of this is to make the project as collaborative as possible. ANYONE can submit information of ANY type to the website using our contribute form: http://eblackcu.net/portal/contribution.
All submissions are vetted by the project team before appearing online and e-mails are required in case follow-up contact with submitters are required.
In addition to the website we will have three other main outputs from this project: 1) A print/digital publication of University of Illinois research relating to local African-American issues written at a level accessible to a high school audience which will be distributed to area high school and public libraries, as well as to community groups, and will also be available online; 2) A campus-community symposium slated for November 5-6 (location TBA) that will focus on the documentation of African-American history in Champaign-Urbana, research on local African-American issues, digital technology and African-American culture, and broadband and the future of the African-American Community in Champaign-Urbana. All are welcome to attend and more information will be distributed as it is announced; and 3) We are hiring six high school and Parkland age African-American interns to learn how the eBlackCU website works, become proficient in digital libraries/digital exhibits, and serve as spiders to get the project spread throughout the community. Our second goal in hiring interns is to help them and their peers get into the University of Illinois.
All are welcome to contribute to and become a part of this project.
For volunteer opportunities and to stay up-to-date with news on the project as it happens visit our blog http://eblackcu.net/blog/ and Facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/2clbrta.
The project director for eBlackCU is Noah Lenstra (nlenstr2@illinois.edu), a Certificate of Advanced Study student in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science
(http://www.lis.illinois.edu/) at UIUC and the supervising investigator is Abdul Alkalimat (mcworter@illinois.edu), Professor of African-American Studies (http://www.afro.illinois.edu/) and Library and Information Science. This project is funded by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement (http://engagement.illinois.edu/) and the Community Informatics Initiative (http://cii.illinois.edu/). Public partners include the Champaign County Historical Archives (http://www.urbanafreelibrary.org/archives/), Urbana Free Library; and the Early American Museum (http://www.earlyamericanmuseum.org/): The Heritage Center of Champaign County, Champaign County Forest Preserve.
The eBlackChampaign-Urbana (eBlackCU) project is a University of Illinois-led project that seeks to 1) Centralize information on local African-American history and culture and create new knowledge through this centralization; 2) Involve past and present community residents in the production of knowledge by soliciting their contributions, both in the form of personal memories and in the form of digitized personal archives; 3) Create a community of scholars, activists, educators, students and citizens interested in learning more about various aspects of local African-American history and culture and using that knowledge in the present; and 4) Develop the best-practices to scale this project up to the state-level in the implementation of
eBlackIllinois: A Comprehensive Database on the Black Experience in Illinois.
The project's web address is http://www.eBlackCU.net.
The project started in November 2009 and will continue at least through the end of December 2010, with our hopes being to find a way to continue the project, or aspects of the project.
Our products have thus far included:
a) A bibliography of information sources on local African-American issues, http://eblackcu.net/portal/items/show/2
b) A digital library of newly digitized information sources and websites on local African-American issues, http://eblackcu.net/portal/
c) Two digital exhibits that bring together these information sources in a narrative frame-work on Salem Baptist Church and the North First Street Business Community, http://eblackcu.net/portal/exhibits
We intend to add more items to the bibliography, more digitized texts to the digital library and more digital exhibits throughout the year.
Our goal in all of this is to make the project as collaborative as possible. ANYONE can submit information of ANY type to the website using our contribute form: http://eblackcu.net/portal/contribution.
All submissions are vetted by the project team before appearing online and e-mails are required in case follow-up contact with submitters are required.
In addition to the website we will have three other main outputs from this project: 1) A print/digital publication of University of Illinois research relating to local African-American issues written at a level accessible to a high school audience which will be distributed to area high school and public libraries, as well as to community groups, and will also be available online; 2) A campus-community symposium slated for November 5-6 (location TBA) that will focus on the documentation of African-American history in Champaign-Urbana, research on local African-American issues, digital technology and African-American culture, and broadband and the future of the African-American Community in Champaign-Urbana. All are welcome to attend and more information will be distributed as it is announced; and 3) We are hiring six high school and Parkland age African-American interns to learn how the eBlackCU website works, become proficient in digital libraries/digital exhibits, and serve as spiders to get the project spread throughout the community. Our second goal in hiring interns is to help them and their peers get into the University of Illinois.
All are welcome to contribute to and become a part of this project.
For volunteer opportunities and to stay up-to-date with news on the project as it happens visit our blog http://eblackcu.net/blog/ and Facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/2clbrta.
The project director for eBlackCU is Noah Lenstra (nlenstr2@illinois.edu), a Certificate of Advanced Study student in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science
(http://www.lis.illinois.edu/) at UIUC and the supervising investigator is Abdul Alkalimat (mcworter@illinois.edu), Professor of African-American Studies (http://www.afro.illinois.edu/) and Library and Information Science. This project is funded by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Public Engagement (http://engagement.illinois.edu/) and the Community Informatics Initiative (http://cii.illinois.edu/). Public partners include the Champaign County Historical Archives (http://www.urbanafreelibrary.org/archives/), Urbana Free Library; and the Early American Museum (http://www.earlyamericanmuseum.org/): The Heritage Center of Champaign County, Champaign County Forest Preserve.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Civil War Mini-Summer Institute
On May 14th and 15th, fifty teachers joined us in the Urbana Middle School and Fishers, Indiana for a day and a half workshop about the Civil War. Professor Bruce Levine, J.G. Randall professor of History at the University of Illinois, joined us on Friday night for a lecture on Abraham Lincoln and his role in the Civil War. Professor Levine argued that the Civil War was an unprecedentedly transformative event in American history and guided us through an exploration on Lincoln's writings and behaviors of that period. Holding up the binary of "actor" or "acted upon," Professor Levine found that Lincoln fell somewhere in the middle, arguing that while Lincoln frequently reacted to events rather than reaching out to shape them, his reactions were guided by consistent, firmly held beliefs and principles.
After Professor Levine's keynote, the group had an hour of question and answer which led to some really great discussions about Lincoln and the Civil War generally.
Saturday morning, we reconvened for the bus trip to Conner Prairie. Conner Prairie is a living history museum in Fishers, Indiana, that preserves the William Conner home, and recreates part of life in Indiana in the 19th century. On Saturday, May 15th, they were celebrating "Civil War Days," an exploration of life during the Civil War, complete with a reenacted skirmish between Union and Confederate troops.
A few of our Robeson teachers enjoyed watching a Civil War surgeon explain his craft,
and then the armies began to move.
After Professor Levine's keynote, the group had an hour of question and answer which led to some really great discussions about Lincoln and the Civil War generally.
Saturday morning, we reconvened for the bus trip to Conner Prairie. Conner Prairie is a living history museum in Fishers, Indiana, that preserves the William Conner home, and recreates part of life in Indiana in the 19th century. On Saturday, May 15th, they were celebrating "Civil War Days," an exploration of life during the Civil War, complete with a reenacted skirmish between Union and Confederate troops.
This is the army encampment. It was just about lunchtime when we arrived.
A few of our Robeson teachers enjoyed watching a Civil War surgeon explain his craft,
and then the armies began to move.
The soldiers, men and boys, marched grimly to the battlefield.
Smoke billowed from artillery fire, as spectators, modern and otherwise, looked on.
Conner Prairie put together a great program of events, including lectures from the Union 28th Colored Unit, a tomahawk throwing competition in the Lenape village and reenactments of Civil War dress, cooking, medicine and photography. Overall, it was a very fun day and a new way to learn about life in 19th century America.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
