Information for Participants

Information on this page is here for access by participants in the Essex LINCs program.

Lesson Plan Information

Lesson Plans developed for the Summer Institute are more involved than the activity plans developed to correspond to the workshops during the school year. Links to these templates can be accessed below.

Lesson Plans and Thematic Essays are due AUGUST 6TH - Please see your binder for more information...

Primary Sources and Educator Produced Lesson Plans

Lesson plans developed by the museum educator, Rebecca Zimmerman can be accessed through the Lesson Plans page. They are linked directly to the primary resources found here.

Important Web Links

Massachusetts Department of Education

Summer Institutes 2010

These institutes are limited to participants who have joined us in our school year workshop series. They are fully subscribed.

Summer institutes contain a graduate credit component in conjunction with Salem State College.Graduate level readings, book notes and a thematic essay, as well as more elaborate lesson plans based on Essex County sources are part of this institute.

Course Overview: “Peopling New England and the US”
This course will explore the patterns of and forces involved in the movement of people into and throughout those parts of North America which would become New England and the United States from the late 16th century to the Civil War. Of particular interest will be the ways in which various individuals and groups came into contact with one another and together shaped and were shaped by the political, economic, social and cultural dynamics of each period we will explore. We will be equally interested in the stories of European and non-European people and will interrogate questions of citizenship and “personhood” throughout. Course readings and lectures will combine methods and insights from literature, visual culture, geography, history, and material culture and will include classic books, new scholarship, historic sites, and a variety of primary sources.

The Peopling and Development of Early Colonial Regions to 1780s - Monday, July 12, 2010
(House of Seven Gables and Pioneer Village, Salem, MA.)
The lesson connected with this workshop session will focus on probate inventories, photos of existing 17th century buildings, portraits of early European settlers and creation of a "real estate brochure."

Native Cultures and Early Interactions with Europeans - Tuesday, July 13, 2010
(Danvers Historical Society, Danvers, MA)
This session's lesson looks at use of the PBS series We Shall Remain to help students visualize native peoples. Sequencing is practiced as students create an illustrated timeline, and simple macjhines are discussed when students use a drill based on a native design to make a simple shell necklace.

Regional Economics, Regional Demographics, New Americans and Nation-Building in the late 18th and early 19th Century - Wednesday, July 14, 2010
(National Archives and Administration, Waltham, MA.)
The focus of the hands-on lesson is local maps. Using maps available from historical societies and the Boston Public Library's Leventhal Center, participants will discover how their own community has changed physically over time and think about the reasons and implications behind those changes.

Moving Into and Around ‘the West,’ 1830s – 1860s - Thursday July 15, 2010
(Beverly Historical Society, Beverly, MA.)
Essex County inhabitants didn't always stay in Essex County! How residents moved to other areas of the country and "made their mark" will be looked at in this lesson. The sailing voyage of a ship bound for San Francisco during the 1840s-50s; her crew, cargo, and the journal kept by one of the sailors will be the main topic. An ode to an Essex County Ancestor will be the product of this lesson.

Music of the People - Friday July 16, 2010
(House of Seven Gables, Salem, MA.)
As a special treat, we have guest speakers coming to discuss how to use music in a classroom setting - no lesson today - but primary sources will include; images of musical instruments, advertisements for music instruction and information about a musical family based here in Essex County!

Course Overview: “Working in New England and the US”
This course will explore the patterns and cultural artifacts of working in New England and the United States from early colonization through the Industrial Revolution. This course will examine the New England economy from its roots in fishing and farming communities through its emergence as a force in global trading networks and industry. This course will pay particular attention to the work (paid and unpaid) of women and enslaved Africans and their contributions to the New England economy. Course readings and lectures will combine methods and insights from literature, visual culture, history, and material culture and will include classic books, new scholarship, historic sites, and a variety of primary sources.

Maritime Essex County, Fishing and Whaling- Monday, July 19, 2010
(Schooner Thomas Lannon and Sawyer Free Public Library, Gloucester, MA.)
The lesson this day created for teachers by our museum educator, Rebecca Zimmerman, will focus on early records of Essex County and how to use them in your classsroom.

Farming and Domestic Work in Essex County - Tuesday, July 20, 2010
(Joppa Flats Audubon Site and Spencer Peirce Little Farm, Newbury, MA.)
The lesson this day challenges students to predict the use of bygone tools and then has them take an active part in dairying and the production of butter, while examining the Essex Agricultural Society's awards and testimonials of the 19th century.

Slavery in Essex County - Wednesday, July 21, 2010
(Royall House and Slave Quarters, Medford, MA)
Today's workshop will take us out of Essex County to see the only existant slave quarters in Massachusetts. Through examination of newspaper articles, and pension requests we can discover evidence of people of color who toiled in our midst. A special tour of the site will help us gain insight into this little explored world.

Trade and Commerce -- Thursday July 22, 2010
(House of Seven Gables and throughout the city, Salem, MA.)
The lesson will have students interact with reproductions of some of the trading items and play a game designed with Essex County history in mind.

Industrial Revolution and Entrepreneurship in Essex County -- Friday July 22, 2010
(Lawrence Heritage State Park, Lawrence, MA.)
A discussion of the industrial revolution and business will take place. The lesson will further examine these topics and then allow students to create a book to "show what they know".