This three-hour ACT 48 Professional Development workshop will provide teachers with a background on the rich history of Germantown, as represented by five exceptional historic and cultural museums. It will provide resources (e.g., the Germantown Historical Society, museum educator-consultants, literature lists and websites) for teachers and students to explore this multicultural study of community history throughout the school year. The visits to the historic houses will enrich teachers’ and students’ on-site learning with a “do it, see it, feel it” approach. Teachers will learn how to elicit good observation and writing skills using these experiences. Workshop instruction in using the pre-and post-visit readings, related literature selections, cross curriculum activities and writing exercises – particularly the varied writing types and styles utilized in students’ “Youth Reporter” assignments- offers excellent preparation for the PSSA Testing later this school year.

During this workshop, teachers will be invited to participate in roundtable discussion around integrating African American History into the core-curriculum standards for Social Studies in 4th and 5th grades. Teachers will explore an exhibit at Stenton Museum to a once-enslaved woman, Dinah, who lived at Stenton in the 18th and 19th centuries. Teachers will then be invited to comment on the role of cultural institutions in helping to teach African American history in the classroom, as well as how History Hunters can assist teachers in African American history education.

This course provides a program orientation, historical background, and an overview of program resources for teachers who wish to participate in the History Hunters Youth Reporter Program, a national-award winning literacy-based education program that takes students to five exceptional museums during the school year. Participating students become “investigative reporters” writing about their experiences with the history, buildings and artifacts in their community. The program is closely tied to state and District Standards and Core Curriculum for 4th and 5th grades, and is adaptable up to the 8th grade. This workshop is a must for teachers planning to participate in History Hunters this year! The workshop will also introduce teachers to the wide variety of enrichment resources available through the program – lesson plans, video clips, activity ideas – as well as provide instruction in effectively integrating the program into the core curriculum.