Pre-Conference Clinics

PRE-CONFERENCE CLINICS

Washington, DC offers an abundance of resources for the social studies classroom, and NCSS pre-conference clinics offer many options to take advantage through in-depth, hands-on sessions. Pre-conference clinics are focused, content-based programs conducted by well-known professional development providers, NCSS members, and Washington organizations.

9:00AM-4:00PM
Preparing NCSS/NCATE Program Reports-Clinic for Program Report Writers
Workshop to prepare participants to review teacher preparation programs in social studies or related disciplines and to update current reviewers in applying NCSS Standards for the NCATE Program Review Process.
Presenter: Alberta Dougan
Fee: $300 for members, $360 for nonmembers

Many Washington-based organizations are generously hosting clinics, on a variety of topics of interest and benefit to social studies educators. We encourage you to review this list and consider attending one or more of these outstanding offerings.

8:00AM-6:00PM
Evolution of American Citizenship from James Madison's Constitution to Today
Host: Montpelier
Before the Civil War, the definition of citizenship was left largely to the states, where its meaning might differ as to race, gender, class, and religion. The 14th Amendment (ratified in 1868) declared anyone born in the United States to be a citizen of the nation, but many states long denied the benefits of full citizenship, in particular to African Americans. Using documents and other materials from Virginia and elsewhere, this seminar will explore how the meaning of citizenship has changed over the generations, from the American Revolution to the recent past. Core issues to be examined are voting, education, transportation, and marriage. Participants will tour James and Dolley Madison’s home and 2,700 acre piedmont estate, where the Virginia Plan that created the framework for the Constitution was crafted; the Gilmore Cabin: a Freedman’s Farm, which tells the story of George Gilmore, who was born a slave at Montpelier and emancipated at the close of the Civil War; and the Montpelier Train Station, which was recently restored to reflect the Jim Crow era on the Montpelier property.
Presenters: Kelly Carmichael, Sean O'Brien, Andrew Washburn, Center for the Consitution at James Madison's Montpelier
Fee: $75 for members, $85 for nonmembers

8:00AM-3:30PM
Canada: Looking Beyond the 49th Parallel
Host: Embassy of Canada
Gain a foundation for teaching about Canada, and learn methodologies for aligning Canadian content to history, geography, government, economics, and culture curricula. Instruction and curriculum resources provided by US National Resource Centers on Canada and Canadian Embassy officials. Refreshments, lunch, and 8 clock hours included.
Presenters: Amy Sotherden, Chris Kirkey, SUNY Plattsburgh; Betsy Arntzen, University of Maine; Tina Storer, Western Washington University; Nadine Fabbi, University of Washington; Daniel Abele, Embassy of Canada; Ruth Writer, Michigan State University
Fee: CANCELED

8:00AM-4:00PM
Bringing International Conflict and Peace Building Alive in the Classroom
Host: United States Institute of Peace
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) hosts this clinic to prepare teachers to deliver dynamic classroom experiences on international conflict issues. Participants will hear from a witness to international conflict, tour with Global Peacebuilding Center at the new USIP headquarters, and participate in activities from USIP's educator toolkit. You'll leave with renewed enthusiasm, a kit filled with lesson plans, and exciting resources.
Presenters: Raina Kim, Alison Milofsky, Ann-Louise Colgan, Jeff Helsing, United States Institute of Peace
Fee: $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers

9:00AM-5:00PM
Discovering Hidden Treasures of the Middle East in Washington, DC
Host: Middle East Outreach Council
Let's explore the Middle East in DC together, finding hidden treasures of art culture, history and food in museums, embassies, and other sites throughout the city. Stops include visits to the Embassies of the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Turkey, the Sackler Museum, and the Kahlil Gibran Memorial. Participants will also be able to attend the Middle East Studies Association Film Fest on Sunday, December 4.
Presenters: Barbara Petzen, Middle East Policy Council; Chris Rose, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, The University of Texas at Austin; Zeina Azzam Seikaly, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University
Fee: $50 for members, $60 for nonmembers

9:00AM-3:00PM
Letting the Objects Speak: Civil War Stories from the Smithsonian
Hosts: Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Museum of American History
Join educators from five Smithsonian museums to explore this dynamic period in American history through gallery tours, demonstrations of primary source-based lessons and online resources, and more! By the end of the program, teachers will be energized to teach this dynamic period in American history using the resources of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Portrait Gallery, National Air and Space Museum, National Postal Museum, and National Museum of American History. Lunch is included.
Presenters: Naomi Coquillon, Jenny Wei, National Museum of American History; Suzannah Niepold, Smithsonian American Art Museum; Briana White, National Portrait Gallery; Motoko Hioki, National Postal Museum
Fee: $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers

9:00AM-4:00PM
Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources
Host: Library of Congress
Engage students and build critical thinking skills! Join Library of Congress staff for a mini-institute based on the curriculum of the Library's four-day Summer Institutes. Participants will see how using primary sources in instruction can engage students and help them develop critical thinking skills and build content knowledge. Participants will also learn how they can take back the Library's professional development activities to deliver to their colleagues. Lunch is included.
Presenter: Kathleen McGuigan, Library of Congress
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

9:00AM-4:00PM
Time Travel with Extraordinary Maps from the Library of Congress!
Host: Library of Congress
Transport your classroom to the 1500s with rare maps from the vaults of the Library of Congress. Investigate facsimiles, see the real thing, bring lessons to 2011 with Google Earth. Participants will travel by Metro to the Library of Congress.
Presenters: Sharon Metzger-Galloway, Sara Suiter, Library of Congress
Fee: CLOSED

9:00AM-3:00PM
Using Artworks as Primary Sources
Host: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Discover how works of art can serve as primary sources for studying U.S. History and the American experience. Only a few blocks from the Washington Convention Center, the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection captures the aspirations, character and imagination of the American people throughout three centuries and is one of the largest and most inclusive collections of American art in the world. Museum staff will lead you through engaging learning activities that may be easily adapted for students in grades 5 – 12 with varying learning styles and needs. Learn how to bring the Museum’s collection into your classroom, practice visual literacy techniques, and explore the collections for connections with your curriculum. The workshop will include sessions on using Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), collaborative writing projects, group discussions about learning with objects, and a special tour before the Museum is open to the public. Each participant receives lunch and learning resources from the Museum. For more information about the Smithsonian American Art Museum, visit: http://americanart.si.edu/.
Presenters: Elizabeth Eder, Victoria Lichtendorf, Adrienne Gayoso, Smithsonian American Art Museum
Fee: $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers

9:00AM-4:30PM
Archaeology and Diversity in American History
Hosts: Project Archaeology and Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Human remains show that Africans lived and died alongside English colonists during early colonial settlement in the Chesapeake Bay region, which includes parts of Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Join us at the Smithsonian and experience archaeological inquiry through a classroom-ready curriculum and exhibits at the National Museum of Natural History. Participants will receive a copy of Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter, a supplemental social studies and science curriculum recently endorsed by NCSS. Investigating Shelter was developed using Understanding by Design (UbD) and uncovers social studies content (history, culture, and democratic processes) through archaeological inquiry. Participants will obtain a working knowledge of UbD, the fundamentals of archaeological inquiry, access to Internet-based resources and curriculum enhancements, and materials to integrate social studies content with scientific inquiry skills such as observing, inferring, and using evidence. Participants will practice these skills through the Written in Bone: Forensic Files from the 17th Century exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History. The skeletal record traces the Chesapeake African story as no other evidence can. For people whose cultural and personal identity was stripped away in life, the skeletal record can be vital in discovering personal history and ancestral ties. The clinic will be completely hands-on and interactive and will closely model classroom instruction.
Presenters: Jeanne Moe, Maureen Malloy, Project Archaeology
Fee: CANCELED

9:30AM-3:30PM
Breaking Barriers, Making History: African Americans and Women in Congress
Hosts: Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives; Senate Historical Office; Capitol Visitors Center
The House Historian’s Office, the Senate Historical Office, the Capitol Visitor Center Exhibits and Education Division, and the Center for Legislative Archives are pleased to offer this full-day educational clinic for teachers interested in learning more about the history of Congress. Hosted at the Capitol Visitor Center, the clinic will offer a variety of instructional activities, educational tutorials led by experts in the field, and a special guest speaker. Participants will:
* Have the opportunity to speak with and learn about women and African Americans who served in Congress from House historian Matthew Wasniewski and Senate historians Betty Koed and Katherine Scott
* Receive an in-depth, behind-the-scenes tour of Exhibition Hall in the CVC
* Have the opportunity to participate in a simulated activity focusing on women and African Americans who have served in Congress
* Receive complimentary copies of the publications, Women in Congress and Black Americans in Congress, as well as an online tour of the resources available on House and Senate history, including free educational materials
* Have the opportunity to take a specialized tour of the Capitol which focuses on women and African Americans who served in Congress
* Receive primary sources and lesson ideas for teaching congressional history from the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives
Presenters: Kathleen Johnson, Matthew Wasniewski, Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives; Betty Koed, Kate Scott, Senate Historical Office; Maria Marable-Bunch, Andrea Lewis, Capitol Visitors Center; Christine Blackerby, Center for Legislative Archives, National Archives
Fee: No charge

9:30AM-3:30PM
Discover Your National Archives
Host: National Archives
Explore interactive exhibits, participate in simulated research exercises, learn about nationwide and online resources, gather primary sources for use in your classroom, and discover engaging ways to teach with documents! A light breakfast, lunch, and take-home resources are included. Participants will travel by Metro to the National Archives.
Presenters: Lee Ann Potter, Stephanie Greenhut, Michael Hussey, National Archives; Christine Blackerby, Center for Legislative Archives (National Archives)
Fee: $35 for members, $45 for nonmembers

9:15AM-4:00PM
The 18th-Century World of George Washington and Mount Vernon
Host: Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon remains an iconic image of America. But what does it tell us about the man who commanded the world stage from 1753 until his death in 1799? Participants will meet Mount Vernon educators, curators, and archaeologists in a unique and intense day of discovery, exploring what Washington's home reveals about our nation's first president. Clinic fee includes bus transportation, admission, lunch, and materials. Limited to 23 participants.
Presenters: Nancy Hayward, Acting Vice President for Education, Mt. Vernon; Jamie Bosket, Associate Director for Interpretation, Mt. Vernon; Esther White, Director of Archaeology, Mt. Vernon; Laura Simo, Associate Curator, Mt. Vernon; Meaghan Rafferty, Education Associate, Mt. Vernon
Fee: $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers

11:00AM-5:00PM
The Secret History of History: International Spy Museum
Host: International Spy Museum
Teaching history through the lens of intelligence is not only timely but timeless. In a post 9/11 world a focus on intelligence and its role through history is critical. Join International Spy Museum staff for a 2,000 year journey through the secret history of history. Enter the shadow world of espionage in this clinic which will provide a keynote presentation with a former spy, a behind the scenes exploration of the Museum’s artifacts and stories with the Museum’s Historian and former CIA analyst, and hands-on simulation and lesson demonstrations with the Museum’s educators. Each participant will leave with a comprehensive packet of resources, the Museum’s Cuban Missile Crisis simulation publication, and a newfound appreciation for how spying has often changed the course of history. Participants will be served a gourmet sandwich lunch and as only the Spy Museum can, a celebratory martini at the end of the clinic…shaken, not stirred!
Presenters: Jacqueline Eyl, Mark Stout, Peter Earnest, International Spy Museum
Fee: $35 for members, $45 for nonmembers

8:30AM-12:00PM
Five Freedoms: A New Perspective on the Civil Rights Movement
Host: Newseum
See the Civil Rights Movement from a fresh angle through rare primary source news footage, and learn how the First Amendment has empowered social movements then and now. Includes a guided tour of the clinic-related content in the Newseum galleries and continental breakfast.
Presenters: Kirsti Kenneth, Newseum
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

9:00AM-12:00PM
Become a City Planner at the National Building Museum!
Host: National Building Museum
Learn about the National Building Museum's educational programs, tour the Museum, and participate in a hands-on school program about city planning, plus receive ready-to-go lessons for your classroom!
Presenters: Lara Marks Finder, Mary Hendrickse, National Building Museum
Fee: CANCELED

10:30AM-1:30PM
Japan and the Environment: Geography, Climate, Culture, & Art
Host: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Cosponsored by: National Consortium for Teaching about Asia
How do Japan’s geographical features and climate conditions connect to Japanese culture, religion, and art? Join us for an exploration of the links between Japan’s natural environment, cultural beliefs, and artistic expression. Learn about the geography of the Japanese islands and the way the environment has shaped life in Japan. Examine Japanese artworks in the Freer Gallery of Art that reflect and express the importance of the natural environment and find out how to use objects to teach cultural concepts. Includes a hands-on session learning ikebana (known as “Japanese flower arranging”), the art of using plants and other materials in containers to construct a 3-D sculpture. The ikebana session will be led by a certified teaching artist from the Sogetsu school of ikebana. Participants will receive materials from the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia and the Freer Gallery of Art to support teaching about the clinic topic in the classroom. Light refreshments will be provided.
Presenters: Elizabeth Benskin, Freer Gallery of Art--Smithsonian Institution; Mary Hammond Bernson, East Asia Resource Center, University of Washington; Anne Prescott, Five College Center for East Asian Studies, Northampton, MA
Fee: CANCELED

12:30-4:00PM
From Words to Actions: How Suffragettes Reinvented the First Amendment
Host: Newseum
Use primary sources to uncover how the women's suffrage movement pioneered our modern understanding of the First Amendment, from founding their own newspapers to rallying at the White House. Includes a guided tour of the clinic-related content in the Newseum galleries and lunch.
Presenters: Kirsti Kenneth, Newseum
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

1:00-4:00PM
Diplomacy at the Department of State--and in Your Classroom
Host: United States Department of State
In a dangerous world, diplomacy is our first line of defense. The United States Department of State hosts this clinic to show how to weave "diplomacy" into your social studies curriculum through rotating sessions involving the Department's Historians and a tour of the Diplomatic Reception rooms. Participants will receive the new CD-ROM, "Key Documents and Lessons in U.S. Foreign Policy," other recent DVD/Curriculum packages, and a poster game board. Some prizes will be distributed in "diplomatic pouches."
Presenters: Susan Holly, Senior Historian, U.S. Department of State; Ambassador Edward Brynn, Historian of the Department of State; Lynda Wagner, Senior Educational Consultant, U.S. Department of State; Carol Vogler, Senior Educational Consultant, U.S. Department of State
Fee: SOLD OUT

1:00-4:00PM
Teaching Civil War to Civil Rights
Host: African American Civil War Museum
Explore the meaning of freedom and equality in American through the context of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. This clinic focuses on historical events, themes, and the historian’s task in interpreting history. This includes engaging participants in historical investigation, examination of primary sources, writing, analysis and problem solving. To complement their historical study participants will discuss successful strategies for delivering historical knowledge and encouraging active learning in the K-12 classroom.
Presenters: Dawn Chitty, Frank Smith, Hari Jones, African American Civil War Museum
Fee: $10 for members, $20 for nonmembers

9:00AM-3:00PM
The National World War II Memorial: An Opportunity for Learning
Friends of the National World War II Memorial present dynamic web-based learning activities developing historical thinking and service learning skills in context to the American legacy of World War II. Meet and hear New York Times bestselling author Andrew Carroll discuss his book, War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from America’s War, get an up close and personal tour of the National World War II Memorial by the sculptor, Ray Kaskey, and learn about the myriad ways that the Friends of the National World War II Memorial can help you to expand and develop your teaching of the Second World War by receiving hands-on training with their new educational feature on their web site. Participants will also hear from a representative of the American Battle Monuments Commission and receive a copy of the National World War II Memorial dedication book as well as a copy of Carroll’s War Letters.
Presenters: James Percoco, George Kerestes, Rolland E. Kidder, Friends of the National World War II Memorial; Ronald Grosso, American Battle Monuments Commission; Andrew Carroll
Fee: $30 for members, $40 for nonmembers

9:00AM-3:00PM
Digital Field Trips: National Parks, Social Media and Student-Generated Content
Pearson and the National Park Service are teaming up to provide you with a feet-on-the-ground workshop designed around using social media and digital tools to develop lesson plans and examples that help students create 21st century projects based on Essential Questions for the social studies classroom.
This workshop will use the local national monuments and parks to explore an Essential Question “Why are Symbols Important?” Working in small groups teachers will outline a lesson plan around the Essential Question, identify national symbols or parks to use in illustrating their answer, and visit those sites to capture the media (audio, video, photos, etc) that will then be combined into a project. A key take-away here is that each team will learn how to use and apply these techniques to their own cities and neighborhoods for future projects. The projects will then be posted online in various Social Media sites, or a location developed by Pearson and the National Park Service, for use in classrooms across the country.
Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops, video cameras, etc for capturing the multimedia needed to create the final project and share these assets for other teachers and students to use.
Participants will learn many new skills from the session as well as from the exploration of our National Parks, such as:
1. Using Social Media in the classroom.
2. Using flip Cameras, mobile devices, iPads, iPhones and more.
3. Learning to guide students to create their own content.
4. The importance of the Essential Question and backward design in the classroom.
5. How to use our Nation's National Parks.
6. Remaining connected to the world through Social Media.
Presenters: Wendy Davis, National Park Service; Glenn Diedrich, Greg Slook, Pearson
Fee: CANCELED

10:00AM-4:00PM
Use Technology to Supercharge Student Engagement
Join TCI to discover how to integrate meaningful technology into your instruction. We'll show you web tools and classroom technology and how to apply them in the one-computer classroom.
Presenters: Bert Bower, Brian Thomas, TCI
Fee: $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers

10:00AM-4:00PM
If I Had Learned Social Studies Like This: Thought-Filled Projects
When preservice teachers experience intellectually and emotionally rich project work, they understand its importance for diverse students. An urban teacher education program prepares teachers to plan and teach project-based curriculum. Teacher educators, professional developers, administrators, classroom teachers and coaches will learn how an urban teacher education program is preparing teachers to integrate the teaching of social studies content with thinking and emotional processes through complex project-based curriculum.
Presenter: Christy Folsom, City University of New York
Fee: $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers

10:00AM-1:00PM
Discovering the Hidden Treasures of Washington, DC
Veteran teachers will provide hands-on strategies and lesson plans concerning GPS, Global Positioning Systems, using 21st Century tools for learning, to enhance students' geographic understanding utilizing geocaches.
Presenters: Paul Nagel, Louisiana Geography Education Alliance; David Faerber, Tara High School
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

10:00AM-1:00PM
Giving Diversity a Voice: Allowing our Nation's Capital to Speak
Join United States Senator Michael D. Brown and find out why, in the heart of the world’s greatest democracy, geography, politics and demographics have worked to make the people of the District of Columbia unequal citizens Examine this uniquely American story with the help of activists, educators and local politicians. Learn how you can use this 210 year old struggle for civil rights to engage students in active learning projects that will enhance their social studies education. A multi-media presentation, followed by practical exercises you can use in the classroom, along with materials for teachers and students will be provided. In addition we will have some surprises and you will leave with everything you need to bring democracy in action into your classroom. Lunch will also be served to all participants.
Presenters: Anise Jenkins, Stand Up for Democracy; Patricia Brown, DC Public Schools; Michael Brown
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

10:00AM-1:00PM
Teaching about Federalism through Health Care and Immigration Laws
Join Street Law for an interactive exploration of the Commerce and Supremacy Clauses and their application to current issues like federal health care reform and state laws that affect immigration.
Presenters: Megan Hanson, Lee Arbetman, Street Law
Fee: CANCELED

2:00-5:00PM
Google: Tricks and Tips for Using Google Apps
Maximize Google's free products. Learn the tips and tricks for maximizing Google searching and Google apps. Using the cloud can expand your instruction for 21st -Century students.
Presenter: Brenda Barr, National Geographic
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

2:00-5:00PM
Engaged Learning: When Primary Sources and Social Media Collide
Social media is changing the way students learn. Take this clinic to purposefully engage learners and promote higher order thinking by combining the power of social learning and primary sources.
Presenters: Peggy O'Neill-Jones, Metropolitan State College of Denver; Kelly Jones-Wagy, Overland High School; Michelle Pearson, Hustrom Options School; Cynthia Stout
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

2:00-5:00PM
Geospatial Thinking and GIS in the U.S. History Classroom
Enliven your social studies classroom through the use of online GIS programs that encourage higher-order thinking skills and allow students to explore how geography affects history.
Presenters: Patti Winch, Diane Harazin, Fairfax County Public Schools; Erin Poppe, Hayfield Secondary School
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

2:00-5:00PM
Problem-Based Learning to Integrate Elementary Social Studies and Literacy Learning
Storypath uses setting, character and plot to organize the curriculum. This integrative approach is highly successful in engaging learners in social studies understanding while applying literacy skills in real-life contexts. Free Storypath of your choice.
Presenters: Margit McGuire, Seattle University; Bronwyn Cole, University of Western Sydney
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

2:00-5:00PM
Teaching about Japan: A JOI-Ful Experience
Enhance teaching about Japan in the elementary classroom through cross-curricular lessons, native Japanese teacher, children's literature, authentic resources, and professional development opportunities! The first thirty teachers receive classroom-ready resources.
Presenters: Mari Maruyama, Kana Morishita, The Laurasian Institution; Linda Wojtan, National Consortium for Teaching about Asia; Lynn Parisi, University of Colorado at Boulder; Janie Hubbard, The University of Alabama
Fee: CANCELED

2:00-5:00PM
Teaching History as Mystery
Teaching history as mystery engages participants in problems and issues embedded in doing history as detectives, grappling with evidence, developing interpretations, and making judgments, within a framework of global connections.
Presenters: Jack Zevin, David Gerwin, Robert Dytell, Jeffrey Feinberg, Queens College/City University of New York
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

2:00-5:00PM
Using Global Nonfiction Texts in the Elementary Classroom
This session will provide elementary teachers with resources and teaching strategies that use nonfiction texts and primary sources to enhance students' literacy skills and global content knowledge.
Presenters: Jennifer Hanson, Ann Marie Gleeson, Marcy Prager, Primary Source
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers

2:00-5:00PM
The War of 1812--Other Perspectives
A re-examination of the War of 1812 and its impact on Native cultures, including new insights on Andrew Jackson from the latest research involving his papers.
Presenters: Mark Finchum, Jefferson County High School; Dean June, Attica Schools; Mike Clare, University of Ontario Institute of Technology; Frances Hagemann; Barbara Johnson
Fee: $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers