Teacher Workshops

2020-2021 Education Statement 

The ETHS Education Department understands that everyone is jumping into uncharted waters this school year. We are adapting and working to respond to teacher and student needs. Feel free to reach out to Lisa Oakley with questions, suggestions, and/or needs. 

The East Tennessee Historical Society offers a variety of teacher programs in various topics, formats, and times--we can be flexible! All programs are rich in content and methods instruction and are correlated to meet or exceed state curriculum requirements.

East Tennessee Historical Society Teacher Virtual and In-Person Programs

For district-level workshops:

Please contact Lisa Oakley, curator of education, to schedule a district in-service related to any of the offerings found below or other social studies content or strategy needs. (865) 215-8828 or oakley@eastTNhistory.org

FREE Discover Tennessee History Teacher Webinars--New for 2020-2021

Discover Tennessee History is excited to launch a webinar series for the 2020-2021 school year.

On the second Tuesday of each month, one of our consortium partners (Tennessee State Museum, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Tennessee State Parks, Teaching with Primary Sources MTSU, Tennessee Historical Society/Tennessee History Day, and the East Tennessee Historical Society) will offer a one-hour session exploring topics in Tennessee history with related primary sources and educational resources that can be used with your students.

Each session will be conducted through Zoom and will start at 4:00 p.m. Central, 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Registration is required. Click on this link for schedule/session descriptions and registration link: https://library.mtsu.edu/tps/DiscoverTnHistory

Feel free to email Lisa with questions. 

FREE Teaching with Primary Sources MTSU Peer-2-Peer and Content/Strategy Webinars, plus Summer 2-Day Workshop:

FREE Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) programs introduce teachers to the rich digital collection of documents, records, and photos available through the Library of Congress website.  For the 2020-2021 school year, Teaching with Primary Sources-MTSU is working to be responsive to the needs of our Tennessee educators. They are mindful to the unique challenges facing educators and their students. To allow for flexibility to continue the successful programming offered over the past years, TPS-MTSU will be offering a variety of different virtual sessions throughout the school year. It is our hope to resume in-person workshops next summer.

NEW for teachers from MTSU-TPS is their YouTube page where they have posted recordings of this summer's Zoom workshops and webinars. Check them out, and stay tuned! Click on TPS MTSU YouTube Sessions

As the regional TPS facilitator, ETHS works under the direction of the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, who administers the programs for Tennessee and is a state affiliate of the Teaching with Primary Sources program.

• 2020-2021 Zoom Webinars: 4 p.m. Central and 5 p.m. Eastern

  September 24 - Lights, Camera, Action - Engaging Students in Virtual Classrooms 

  This peer-2-peer discussion-based webinar will feature a brief (5-10 minute) presentation sharing strategies, resources, and experience from a classroom educator followed by small group discussion and sharing from participants. Our first session will explore strategies and resources being used to engage students in remote learning. These informal sessions will be a great opportunity to connect with educators across the state and support each other during this challenging school year. 

  October 28  -  The American Constitution: Primary Sources and Resources

  This one-hour webinar will feature primary sources and supporting educational materials that can be used to teach the American Constitution. Discussion will explore ways to incorporate these sources for elementary and middle school social studies as well as U.S. Government. 

  November 19 - Hands on in a Hands off World

  This peer-2-peer discussion-based webinar will feature a brief (5-10 minute) presentation sharing strategies, resources, and experience from a classroom educator followed by small group discussion and sharing from participants. Our second session will explore activities and strategies to engage students while needing to maintain social distance. These informal sessions will be a great opportunity to connect with educators across the state and support each other during this challenging school year. 

  December 2 - Manifest Destiny: Primary Sources and Resources 

  This one-hour webinar will feature primary sources and supporting educational materials that can be used to teach the idea of Manifest Destiny and how it shaped the development of the United States . Discussion will explore ways to incorporate these sources for elementary and middle school social studies. 

  January 21 - Peer2Peer online discussion session - topic TBA

  This peer-to-peer discussion-based webinar will feature a brief (5-10 minute) presentation sharing strategies, resources, and experience from a classroom educator followed by small group discussion and sharing from participants. These informal sessions will be a great opportunity to connect with educators across the state and support each other during this challenging school year. The topic for this session will be decided based on feedback from educators in the fall sessions. 

  February 24 - WWII Homefront in Tennessee

  This one-hour webinar will feature primary sources and supporting educational materials that can be used to explore the experiences of Tennesseans on the homefront during World War II . This session will include a new lesson plan on Oak Ridge. Discussion will explore ways to incorporate these sources for 5th grade social studies and high school U.S. history. 

  March 18 - Peer2Peer online discussion session - Topic TBA

  This peer-to-peer discussion-based one-hour webinar will feature a brief (5-10 minute) presentation sharing strategies, resources, and experience from a classroom educator followed by small group discussion and sharing from participants. These informal sessions will be a great opportunity to connect with educators across the state and support each other during this challenging school year. The topic for this session will be decided based on feedback from educators in the fall sessions. 

  April 28 - Understanding and Unpacking Revolutions: Teaching Thematically with Primary Sources

  This one-hour webinar will explore how we can draw connections between the American Revolution, French Revolution, and Haitian Revolution. The session will feature a guest speaker and examine primary sources that can be used to teach the Age of Revolution. Discussion will explore ways to incorporate these sources for 8th social studies and high school world history. 

  July 8-9 - Strategies for Teaching the Social Studies Process Standards

  Social studies practices challenge students to identify primary sources, build analysis skills, and engage in subject specific skilled thinking. This workshop will explore different ways to approach these skills with your students. 

Click here to register with Lisa Oakley--865-215-8828 or oakley@easttnhistory.org

Summer Humanities Tennessee Professional Development:

Teach Tennessee History Summer Institute: The Cherokee Story

June 22-25, 2021--schedule and session details TBA in late fall, early spring.

Join East Tennessee Historical Society Curator of Education Lisa Oakley for a multi-day teacher institute which will focus on the story of the Cherokee in East Tennessee and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee in North Carolina. Participation is free for those selected (application will be available later in fall or early spring) and all materials, lodging, meals, transportation is covered through our Humanities Tennessee sponsorship with additional support from Teaching with Primary Sources MTSU. The great thing about this institute is that it moves beyond classroom instruction to the museums, historic sites, and interpretive opportunities where participants can experience the Cherokee story in many ways through varied resources.

Please contact Lisa Oakley for more information.

Lesson Plans from past workshops can be found online at www.easttnhistory.org/education/teacher-resources   

Humanities Tennessee is the state affiliate of The National Endowment for the Humanities.          

National History Day Teacher Workshops 

NHD Workshop Dates and Locations TBA

Would you like to learn more about how to introduce or enhance the National History Day program in your classroom?  We can schedule a workshop for teachers or come out to the classroom to discuss History Day logistics and explore this year's theme, "Conflict and Compromise in History." For more information on arranging a workshop or classroom outreach, please contact Lisa Oakley by e-mail oakley@eastTNhistory.org or by calling (865) 215-8828.