Seminar and Institute Information

This section includes a listing of a set of typical workshops. This grant is no longer active as of June, 2011.

Winter/Spring Workshops 2011

“Local History in a National Context”
Ipswich Museum, Ipswich, MA.

Salem State College Professors Brad Austin and Elizabeth Duclos Orsello show teachers how broad political, social, and cultural movements are reflected in the stories of local towns and cities. After this discussion, teachers have the opportunity to examine a variety of federal records from the National Archives’ vast collection, which they can use in their own activities. The lesson connected to this seminar is an introduction to using primary source material and involves an eagle concentration game, geography location activity, and immigration focus.

“Governing in New England and the United States”
Rocky Hill Meeting House and other sites in Amesbury, MA

Teachers partiipate in a discussion of the political development of government in New England and the United States from the colonial era through the ratification of the Constitution. Educators then take part in a simulation of a town meeting designed to have students experience government on a local level.They will have a rare opportunity to visit a restored 18th century space actually used for local meetings.

“Working in New England and the United States”
Spencer Peirce Little Farm, West Newbury, MA

Salem State professors discuss how labor in New England changed from the home-based industry of the colonies through the region’s maritime heyday and on into the industrial era. Following this discussion, the seminar focuses on the Industrial Revolution in Essex County as teachers are introduced to an array of classroom-ready resources contrasting life on a farm with mill workers' experiences in the Merrimac Valley during the late 19th century.

“Populating New England and the United States”
Beverly Historical Society, Beverly, MA

The residents of New England and the United States are the focus of this seminar as changes in the region’s population from the colonial through the Civil War era are discussed. Educators will be provided with a variety of artifacts and documents which directly relate to residents of local communities. The lesson will focus on a comparison of 17th century colonists lives with those of their Native American counterparts.