Nebraska

University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Harris Center for Judaic Studies

The Importance of Primary Sources in the Nebraska Stories of Humanity Web Portal

With this grant, The Harris Center for Judaic Studies focused on utilizing primary sources within the Nebraska Stories of Humanity web portal. Through in-service and workgroups, they engaged teachers and preservice teachers in the use of primary sources through a digital humanities tool developed at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in partnership with the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities. This project was undertaken in response to Nebraska lawmakers passing legislation requiring the teaching of Holocaust and genocide education in secondary schools. This resource aggregates diverse artifacts from local Holocaust survivors and liberators of Nazi camps and provides Inquiry Based Lessons for the classroom. In collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Education, this grant developed teaching resources that comply with Nebraska state standards, supported in-service educators and preservice teachers, and allowed interns to continue transcription work of essential materials.

Geographic Educators of Nebraska

Historical Geography of the City

Geographic Educators of Nebraska hosts workshops for teachers that explore the “Historical Geography of the City”. The workshop consists of three phases. After teachers sign-up for the workshop, phase one consists of the teachers viewing three recorded webinars that introduce them to historical geography in an urban setting. The teachers are required to watch the webinars and complete a reflection paper on each of them prior to the in-person summer workshop in phase two. Phase two consists of three days of face-to-face training at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The three days consists of learning to use analysis tools and documents from the Library of Congress; content lectures on the historical geography of the city, inquiry field-methods that use the landscape as a primary document, and GIS Story Map creation; and afternoon field inquiries around the city. Teachers are assessed through teacher created GIS story maps. Following the workshop, teachers work with master teachers in late summer and fall to help support implementation of the concepts gained from the workshop. Teachers that successfully implement the concepts go on to present at the fall joint conference of the Nebraska State Council for the Social Studies and Geographic Educators of Nebraska.

Contact: Harris Payne

Nebraska Wesleyan University

Building Teacher Leadership for Full Inclusion of Underrepresented and Marginalized Groups in the Social Studies Curriculum using TPS Resources

This joint project by Nebraska Wesleyan University with Lincoln Public Schools involved a dozen secondary social studies teachers who implemented inquiry-based lesson plans centered on the stories of traditionally marginalized and underrepresented groups. Additionally, the cohort participated in ongoing professional development, revised lesson plans, and led workshops on best practices.

Contact: Kevin Bower, Jaci Kellison

Integrating Library of Congress Digital Resources for Historical Thinking in a 1:1 Classroom Environment

This project, awarded to Nebraska Wesleyan University, made it possible for the university to work with Lincoln Public Schools' history, geography, civics, and government and politics teachers and helped them integrate Library of Congress resources into a 1:1 learning environment. The project conducted two week-long summer workshops for teachers.

Contact: Kevin Bower

Lincoln Public Schools

Building Teacher Leadership for Full Inclusion of Underrepresented and Marginalized Groups in the Social Studies Curriculum using TPS Resources

This joint project by Lincoln Public Schools with Nebraska Wesleyan University involved a dozen secondary social studies teachers who implemented inquiry-based lesson plans centered on the stories of traditionally marginalized and underrepresented groups. Additionally, the cohort participated in ongoing professional development, revised lesson plans, and led workshops on best practices.

Contact: Jaci Kellison, Kevin Bower

Connecting History Instruction with Primary Sources (CHIPS)

This grant, awarded to Lincoln Public Schools, focused on integrating digital resources from the Library of Congress into their districtwide initiative to implement historical thinking in all social studies classrooms in grades K–12. This was accomplished by making the Library's digital resources the core of three separate professional development courses offered to teachers during the summer. The district’s evaluation specialist conducted research during the fall to measure the use of the Library of Congress's resources and assess the efficacy of the pedagogical tools teachers utilized to deliver the content.

Contact: J.P. Caruso

Nebraska Department of Education

Utilizing Library of Congress Digital Resources to Teach About Historical Controversies

This project by the Nebraska Department of Education was a statewide effort that trained a cohort of teachers from every Educational Service Unit in Nebraska to demonstrate how primary sources support discussions of controversial topics. Participants created primary source lessons that helped students connect the Library of Congress's primary source documents to service-learning opportunities.

Contact: Harris Payne

Professional Development Grant for Teachers in Nebraska

This grant, awarded to the Nebraska Department of Education, was one of the multi-state projects submitted by members of the Social Studies Assessment, Curriculum, and Instruction collaborative of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). It was designed to provide several one-day professional development workshops to social studies teachers. The participants were introduced to the framework of 21st-century learning and the use of resources from the Library of Congress. Participants gained hands-on experience in creating documentaries using Microsoft Moviemaker and Digital Docs in a Box. Each participant also developed and implemented a lesson plan that incorporated newly developed knowledge and skills.

Contact: Larry Starr

University of Nebraska Board of Regents & University of Nebraska Omaha

Managing Collections Course Workshop

The curriculum for the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) Managing Collections course was modified to include a Teaching with Primary Sources component. Candidates developed a topic, primary source set, source analysis, and final project that was presented in a school library environment for grades K–12. The UNO Library Science Education Program candidates became familiar with the breadth and organization of digital primary sources from the Library of Congress, understood their instructional value, and increased instructional use of the Library’s resources with K–12 students through inquiry-based learning experiences.

Contact: Bridgett Kratt