National History Day 2012 Competition

From the National Coalition for History blog Dec. 2, 2011 -

The National Archives recently announced the launch of a special web site highlighting activities and documents related to the 2012 National History Day theme – Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History. Inspiration for National History Day projects can be found in sample documents, suggested topics at www.DocsTeach.org/home/national-history-day.

These online records include photographs, maps, textual records, posters, patent drawings, and video and sound recordings that reflect the 2012 theme and can be incorporated into any of the five National History Day categories.

Teachers can introduce the 2012 National History Day theme with an activity that encourages students to define the terms revolution and reform, and then examine the differences between them by analyzing documents connected to the New Deal. Another activity, entitled Mrs. Jackson’s Letter, illustrates an emotional reaction to ‘Bloody Sunday’ in Selma, Alabama in 1964. In other activities, students can reflect on why some documents are more effective than others when creating a National History Day project.

To get your creative juices flowing, this document could be your inspiration.

Using the site’s seven interactive tools, teachers also have the option of creating, modifying, and sharing additional activities connected to the 2012 National History Day theme based upon the students’ skill level.

Here are a few local history topics at the high school level that the resources of the BDC could support:

• Ku Klux Klan in 1920s Beaufort County as seen through the Beaufort Gazette.
• Fusion Politics during the late 19th century
  
• The roles of women as seen in the life of Abbie Holmes Christensen, Laura Towne, the Community Club, and the activities of the Female Benevolent Society and Clover Club
  
• The American Revolution in Beaufort District
• I'm sure there are others that could fit the "Revolution, Reaction, and Reform in History" theme
  

If you'd like to discuss a particular topic or brainstorm local history topics that might meet the criteria for this contest, let's talk. Please call me at 843-255-6446 or send me an e-mail at gracec@bcgov.net to set up a time to discuss National History Day topics that BDC resources can support.

Preparing a Civil War Lesson Plan? Try these ...

For all you history teachers out there:

The Civil War Trust can help you teach about the Civil War with its free online curriculum materials. There are sections for Elementary, Middle, and High School students as well as a "Gifted & Talented" section focusing on significant people such as Robert Smalls, Clara Barton and Susie King Taylor -- who had direct ties to Beaufort District and our own local history. There are Powerpoints, lesson plans, assessment tools, coloring books, maps, and crossword puzzles among the host of resources available. If you have to do a "Civil War" lesson plan - anytime between now and the end of the Sesquicentennial in 2015 - this "Civil War Curriculum" might be just the ticket.

We have compiled a number of guides to library resources on topics relating to the Civil War. We do our best to include links to reliable online resources along with library materials to make it easier for you to pick and choose what's right for your students. Perhaps as you prepare your lesson plans for the next five years, one or more of the BDC created lists will prove helpful to you.

For example, we have lists of library and internet materials on these people who were significant locally during the Civil War and Reconstruction period:

Robert Smalls
Clara Barton
Harriet Tubman
Charlotte Forten
Rachel Mather, and
Laura Towne.

Among the topics for which we already have compiled lists of library and internet resources on are:

The 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Port Royal, 1861 is almost upon us. (We'll be having special programs on November 7th in Bluffton and on St. Helena to commemorate the battle and its aftermath. Expect details soon.)

To learn what the Library has on the Missionary Teachers, click here.

Mitchelville, located on Hilton Head Island, was the First Freedman's Village.

Q: Did you know that 3 of the 4 African-American regiments of Union soldiers raised in South Carolina were raised here? We've created a "recommended reading" list for that topic, too.

Penn School, one of the first schools to teach the newly freed slaves how to read and write, began during the Civil War.

We add to the "Recommended Readings" lists from time to time, so the universe of the lists will grow. Check back about every 3 to 4 months just to make sure you haven't missed something new. And, of course, you can always contact us at gracec@bcgov.net or by calling 843-255-6446 if you can use our help compiling supplemental resources for your lessons.

StudySC Just Keeps Getting Better

StudySC continues to improve.

Each grade level in StudySC now features a "History After 1865" section that includes information for K-12 students on Reconstruction politics, life in the textile mills, local and national civil rights activists, and life in the modern "New South." Each grade level has unique material, and it's not just for the K-12 crowd. Anyone can learn from these librarian vetted, and K-12 curriculum approved, links. Try one or more: Elementary School;
Middle School; and/or High School.

I always test drive the digital content I share with you in Connections. In the case of the High School "History after 1865" section there are two articles directly relevant to the history, culture, and environment of Beaufort District:

1. "A Word of Warning: A Former Slave Urges Constitutional Caution" in which Civil War hero Robert Smalls asks the governor not to disenfranchise many African American (and poor white) voters by using a poll tax and literacy test to vote.

2. Henry McMillan, a newly freedman gives testimony about his life as a slave on Eustis Plantation on Lady's Island.

A delightful new feature is the "SC Glossary" section which includes definitions for terms such as "beach music," "carpetbagger," "scalawag," and "grits."

Enjoy!

StudySC website is a good place to start!

It's the start of a new school year, so today I want to highlight a relatively new, and continuously evolving, resource about history, culture, and the environment in South Carolina:

One aspect of information delivery that gets overlooked too often are librarian vetted websites such as StudySC. StudySC, created by the South Carolina State Library, makes available a student-friendly environment arranged by grade level and by subject area where students can find the information they need fast. StudySC provides online content to support South Carolina-specific curriculum standards. And it just keeps getting better!

K-12 students can use StudySC to:
* Discover websites from non-profits, educational sources, and government agencies on South Carolina topics
* Read articles from DISCUS databases and South Carolina periodicals
* View pictures, video, and artwork that represents South Carolina themes
* Explore primary documents from South Carolina history such as maps, photographs, and oral history

Educators can use StudySC to:
* Discover content from trusted websites on South Carolina themes for use in your classroom
* Explore multimedia content such as videos, audio, photographs, and maps to make your lesson plans memorable

Each grade level in StudySC now features a "History Before 1865" section that includes information for K-12 students on the history of South Carolina, from the first inhabitants through the Civil War. For example, explore the topic First South Carolinians - "Meet the Native Americans who first called South Carolina home." To review the section from an elementary school level, click here.

Other topics include Civil Rights, the antebellum economic system, and the age of discovery -- among others.

Just remember that one doesn't have to be a teacher or a K-12 student to learn more about the history of this state and its people. Libraries, and Beaufort County Library in particular, are all about offering residents and visitors opportunities for lifelong learning. A good way to participate in lifelong learning, is to to check out StudySC, regardless of your chronological age!

Susie King Taylor, Nurse, Teacher, and Author

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Susie King Taylor, teacher, nurse, and laundress attached to the 1st South Carolina Volunteers (also known as the 33rd United States Colored Troops) wrote the first autobiographical account of the Civil War from her perspective as a former female slave. To learn more, review these Connections blog entries about her from 2009: January 3rd and January 5th.

The Civil War Preservation Trust has posted a packet on the life and impact of Susie King Taylor within its Gifted and Talented curriculum. The CWPT tries to engage young minds in the study of the people, places, and events during the Civil War. You will find a number of other curriculum packets available on their site as well.

StudySC website for K-12 Students goes online

Q: What is StudySC?

A: StudySC is a website that provides online content to support South Carolina-specific curriculum standards. StudySC, created by the South Carolina State Library, makes available a student-friendly environment arranged by grade level and by subject area where students can find the information they need fast.

This site is loaded with South Carolina-specific web resources for K-12 homework help, projects, and more. StudySC will also provide teachers with lesson plans and other content to support classroom activities. From artist biographies to Native American tribes and Civil War timelines, get it all at StudySC.

Culture and Environment and Geography topics are up and running. Soon to come are the History and Government sections of links to electronic resources to supplement the South Carolina curriculum.

Our own webpages on Lowcountry Recipes is part of the High School curriculum on the subject of Food Culture.

"Documents R Us" for Teachers

Among the responsibilities of a working librarian/archivist is one to help insure that the profession continues into the next generation. One way to encourage and foster appreciation of the work we do as well as help students learn about their own history and the history of others, is to introduce them to the wonder of documents. A very good source for primary documents manipulated into digital formats is the Teaching with Primary Sources Direct.

From the History.com e-newsletter:

The Library of Congress has launched a new online resource for educators entitled Teaching with Primary Sources Direct. TPS Direct enables educators to integrate primary sources into their classrooms by creating customized lesson plans based on documents and artifacts from the Library’s extensive collections. Applicable across grade levels and content areas, this project allows educators to search the TPS database for content-rich activities.

Through TPS Direct, educators can download lessons in PDF format with goals such as Analyzing Photographs, Analyzing Maps, and Connecting with Primary Sources. The professional development and teaching tools help educators identify excellent sources within the Library’s collection to build students’ critical thinking skills in an engaging way. Given the wealth of information available online, TPS Direct helps make the process of locating ideal classroom materials easier for busy teachers and administrators. Visit http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/tpsdirect/ today and get started on TPS Direct!

The Library of Congress has also just announced a new teacher’s page, with links to classroom materials and professional development resources offered by the LOC. Educators will want to visit this site frequently to find out what’s new from the LOC and find a wealth of resources for the classroom: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/