C-SPAN Classroom offers a variety of professional development opportunities for middle and high school educators. You can learn about our collection of free resources through online sessions, connect with us during our Summer Educators Conferences for a more in-depth exploration, or apply for the opportunity to collaborate with us to develop new educational materials as a C-SPAN Fellow. Details about our 2021 programs can be found on our website: C-SPAN Classroom Teacher Opportunities Read More ⟶
‘We the People’ Constitution Program Hub
Engage directly with the national institutions that exist to serve you! Since 2005, students have explored the ways our Constitution is alive in Washington, DC, through the “We the People” Constitution Program. As you explore the “We the People” hub, you will find free resources to help you gain a deeper knowledge of your civic rights and responsibilities, as well as the history and practical implementation of the Constitution. From videos and interactive timelines to quizzes and classroom discussion exercises, “We the People” offers enriching activities for every learning style. If you are a teacher at a DCPS or DC charter school, you may schedule a live virtual classroom session with educators at a participating “We the People” site. Click here for more information.
Member organizations in the “We the People” Consortium include the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, the White House Historical Association, the National Archives and Records Administration, President’s Park/White House Visitor Center (National Park Service), and the George Mason Memorial (National Park Service).
Read More ⟶
Gilder Lehrman Announces Spring History School Classes
This spring, the Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to offer six free courses for elementary, middle, and high school students. The Spring 2021 History School features presentations, hosted live on Zoom, that explore topics relating to HAMILTON, the Founding Era, the Cold War, and the AP United States History test. Registration opens February 9, 2021; classes begin March 6, 2021. Please email historyschool@gilderlehrman.org with any questions. Go here to learn more. Read More ⟶
Teachers, Students Invited to Frederick Douglass Book Prize Event
The Gilder Lehrman Institute and the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at the MacMillan Center at Yale University invite teachers, students and history lovers to attend the 22nd annual Frederick Douglass Book Prize, one of the most coveted awards for the study of slavery and abolition. In a year in which conversations around racial justice have been in the foreground, new and exciting scholarship dealing with the legacy of slavery has never been more urgently needed. This event on February 23, 2021, will feature remarks and Q&A with prize winner Sophie White as well as David Blight, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and director of the Gilder Lehrman Center at Yale University.
Bringing cutting-edge scholarship to K-12 classrooms is central to the Institute’s mission. With this in mind, teachers who have 9+ students attend this event will receive a free copy of the winning book. We encourage teachers to offer this event as an extra-credit opportunity for their students, and use our resources for additional curriculum materials on slavery and abolition. Go here to register. Read More ⟶
Kennedy Institute Introduces ‘Today’s Vote in the Classroom’
The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate is excited to offer Today’s Vote in the Classroom, a curriculum resource to help teachers simulate the legislative process and examine real legislation in their middle and high school classrooms. Today’s Vote in the Classroom provides two-day lessons that ask students to take on the role of U.S. Senators, debate is.sues, and cast their votes on real bills that have been introduced to Congress. The curriculum is made up of four key parts. Sequenced instructions, a full lesson-plan download, editable worksheets, and classroom presentations will guide you and your students through the program. Go here to learn more. Read More ⟶
EduHam Online Spring Contest Is Open
Whether you are teaching in person, remotely, or both this spring, EduHam Online is an easily adaptable, fully online resource that allows students to explore the world of HAMILTON and America’s Founding Era — ultimately creating and performing their own narrative in the form of a song, rap, spoken word, or scene. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is pleased to announce that a new national competition and lottery is now open for spring 2021 submissions. Here are the details:
We will select a total of 10 winners: 5 performances chosen by our judging panel and 5 performances chosen at random. Winners will be invited to New York City for an all-expenses-paid, full-day theater experience, when theaters reopen, including a performance of HAMILTON. Submissions are open to students in grades 6-12.
Deadline to submit performances: April 30, 2020. Ready to get started? Visit this page to create a free account or log in. Read More ⟶
6 Courses Added to Strengthening Democracy in America Series
The Center for Civic Education has added six online courses to its Strengthening Democracy in America series. The courses feature interviews with Diana Owen of Georgetown University on the American political party and electoral systems; Paul Light of New York University on the federal bureaucracy; Regina Lawrence of the University of Oregon on the role of the media in the political process; Stephen Farnsworth of the University of Mary Washington on American political culture; George Shambaugh of Georgetown University on the American economic system; and Francene Engel of the University of Maryland on our federal system. Each free, self-paced online course features a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of a key topic of contemporary American constitutionalism and suggestions for improving these strengths while diminishing the weaknesses. Register here. Read More ⟶
Sign Up to Judge NHD Affiliate and Regional Contests
National History Day affiliate and regional contests need your help! Head to our virtual judge sign-up hub to register to judge virtual contests around the country for whom you may serve as a virtual judge. Please be mindful of time zone differences if you sign up to judge for a contest outside of your time zone. Thank you for your time, consideration, and willingness to help make NHD 2021 happen!
Read More ⟶
Listen to National History Day’s New Podcast
National History Day is thrilled to announce the launch of NHD Field Trip, a new podcast from National History Day. Join Executive Director Cathy Gorn as she explores the annual NHD contest theme through field trips to museums, libraries, and archives. In the pilot episode, Dr. Gorn visits the new Planet Word Museum in Washington, D.C., to speak with founder and CEO Ann Friedman about the museum’s mission and tour Planet Word’s exhibits related to NHD’s 2021 theme, Communication in History: The Key to Understanding. Get on the bus and listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts! Read More ⟶
Nominate an Outstanding History Teacher
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is seeking nominations for the 2021 National History Teacher of the Year. Each year we recognize first-rate K-12 teachers who find creative ways to bring history alive in their classrooms. Winners are selected from each state and U.S. territory, and become finalists for the national award. State winners receive a $1,000 prize, an archive of classroom resources, and recognition at a ceremony in their state. The national winner, chosen from among the state winners, receives a $10,000 prize presented at a ceremony in their honor. The deadline for 2021 nominations is March 31, 2021. Learn more. Read More ⟶