SummitCounty Teaching American History Grant 2011-2012

Ohio as America:Ohio and the World

Ohio as America, a Teaching American History grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is a partnership of the Summit County Educational Service Center, The University of Akron andthe Ohio Historical Society. This project provides hands-on, content-rich professional development experiences for 4th, 5th, 8th and 10th grade teachers of Ohio and American history. The project’s goal is to increase student achievement by deepening teachers’ knowledge of American history and improving their use of instructional strategies that engage students in the understanding of American history.

In accordance with U.S. Department of Education regulations, only teachers who teach in the public schoolsin

SST Region 8for Summit, Portage and Medina counties are eligible to participate.

In the project’s fourth year, teachers will explore how Ohio and its people have played a key role in international conflicts and events. Content will be aligned to ODE’s new content strands for grades 4, 5, 8 and 10. Ohio and the World will focus on:

Conflicts central to the control of Ohio and North America that occurred here even before Ohio became a state. Many of these were significant to the French and Indian War and battles among American Indians, British, French and Americans during the Revolution and early years of the Republic.


William McKinley presidential campaign poster, 1900

 The presidency of William McKinley that launched the US into the modern period of global influence and conflict, including the Spanish American War, which spurred a source of public debate between those in favor of the expansion of US imperialism and isolationists.

Changing immigration patterns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that gave rise to social and political policies that were meant to assimilate new immigrants into mainstream America.

People and industries, especially rubber in Akron and steel in Youngstown, that were critical to the efforts of WWI and WWII when the nation witnessed tremendous social and economic change.

Effects of the Cold War era and late 20th globalization on issues, such as the loss of manufacturing and recent trends in immigration patterns that have created economic, social and political changes in both Ohio and the nation.

Ohio as America: Ohio and the World

2011-2012

Ohio as America delivers historic content training in American history through scholar-led seminars and a two-week Summer Institute that includes visits to historic sites throughout the state of Ohio. Teachers receive pedagogy training in monthly workshops and in a one-day in-service with professionals from History Alive!. The grant will provide texts, primary source documents and instructional materials to assist teachers in the creation of their unit plans.

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES

Summer Institute: June 13-24, 2011Teachers are required to attend a two-week Summer Institute where they will learn backward design lesson planning and visithistoric sites where world events impacted the history of Ohio and the United States.Historic sitevisits during the first week require a 2-night overnight stay. Historic site visits include FortPitt, Ft.Meigs, Ft.Recovery, the McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, DaytonAviationHeritageMuseum, Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Wilbur Wright at Controls of 1902 Wright Glider

Fall Seminars: Three Saturday Seminars (Sept. 17, Oct. 15 & Nov. 12) Teachers participate in scholar-led seminars on international conflict and events as they impacted Ohio and Ohioans. Museum professionals from the Ohio Historical Society will lead teachers in primary source-based activities they can use in their classrooms. Teachers will complete reading assignments for all seminars. An evening session is scheduled as a required follow-up to each seminar. These will be held on September 21, October 19 and November 16.

History Alive TrainingExperts will teach innovative strategies to create activities that engage students in the active learning of history content. Separate workshops will be held for 4th/5th grade teachers and 8th/10th grade teachers. The sessions will be held during the school day in either late October or early November.

Lesson Plan and Instructional Strategies Workshops Teachers will attend additional monthly workshops (Dec. – Feb.) where they will learn engaging instructional strategies that integrate primary sources into unitplans to develop higher levels of historical thinking. Integrating technology literacy will be a component of this training.

TEACHER BENEFITS

A $2000 stipendafter ALL components of the project have been completed. Teachers must attend all site visits, actively participate in the seminars and workshops, and complete one unit plan. Withdrawal from the project will result in forfeiture of stipend.

100 professional development contact hours from the SummitCountyESC or 3 graduate credits in historyfrom The University of Akron upon completion of all project requirements. Tuition offered at a 50% discount will be subtracted from teacher stipend.

History Alive!training and teaching materials for teachers’ classrooms. A $100-substitute teacher reimbursement willbe given to your school for your attendance at this workshop.

History texts, CDs and other resources relevant to seminars, site visits and the year’s historic content theme. Primary sources and CDs provided by the Ohio Historical Society for all seminar activities.

Teachers design a standards-based unit plan, present it for peer reviewin March 2011 and it will be posted on the Ohio as America website.

For more information about the Ohio as America project and an application, visit the Ohio as America website: Applications can be downloaded, or contact Pat Clayton at 330-945-5600 or Sharon Hays, Project Director, at or 330-972-7835.

Application deadline isApril 4, 2011.

Application for 2011-2012

Teacher's name______Grade______

School District______SchoolBuilding______

School Phone Number______Home Phone Number:______

School Email ______Home Email______

Home address ______

StreetCityZip

Teaching experience:

Subjects you currently teach and how many years______

Subjects previously taught and how many years______

Education: Undergraduate degree and major ______Date______

Graduate degree and major field ______Date______

History courses taken in college______

______

Briefly explain why you are interested in participating in this grant project. (Continue on the next page)

How do you think this experience will improve your ability to teach American history? (Continue on the next page)

Teacher’s signature______

Principal’s signature______

Upon your teacher's acceptance, you will need to sign a document stating that he/she will teach one of the required American history grade levels for the 2011-12 school year. (4th, 5th, 8th or high school American history)

Teachers will miss one instructional day for History Alive! training. A reimbursement of up to $100 will be given to each school to help defray the cost of providing a substitute teacher for that day.

If you have any questions about this project, contact Pat Clayton @330-945-5600, ext. 511271 or Sharon Hays at The University of Akron @ 330-972-7835.

Return this application by April 4, 2011 to: Patricia Clayton, SummitCountyEducationalServiceCenter,

420 Washington Avenue, Suite 200 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221 or Fax to 330-945-6222.