Educators' Conference
July 15th-19th, 2012
The Conference
A s part of the 2011-2015 commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War and our Education 150 initiative, a select group of 50 Middle School Social Studies and Language Arts educators will be invited for a conference, made possible by a generous donation from the David Bruce Smith Education Initiative of the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. The conference will help educators to connect students to the relevance of the Civil War and confront challenges facing educators in engaging their students with the people and places of the Civil War within the context of Social Studies and Language Arts, and address the curriculum needs of teachers and the active learning needs of students.
Presented by Gettysburg National Military Park and the Gettysburg Foundation, sessions will feature experts in education and history.
Click Here for the Conference Agenda
Dowload a PDF of conference information here.
Download the Paricipant Pre-Conference Information Form
Click here for information about preparing for the conference.
Educators
The Richard Bartol, Jr. Educators’ Conference in Gettysburg is for educators who teach the Civil War era to middle schoolers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington D.C. and face challenges in connecting students to the Civil War or lack the necessary tools and approach to effectively engage their students in Civil War exploration.
Daily Activities
Each day an inspiring keynote speaker will address the theme of that day, such as “People and Events of the Civil War Era,” “Linking the Civil War to Language Arts” and “Linking Literature with Life.” The keynote message will be followed by break-out sessions and field trips that expand on the practical relevance of the day’s theme and will provide ways to connect students to the Civil War using each educator’s local setting and resources.
If the day’s keynote speaker’s theme is Language Arts, a presenter may work with participants in Gettysburg’s Soldiers’ National Cemetery, reading letters graveside, and dissecting the Gettysburg Address. Later, participants may select break-out sessions, such as “Teaching the Gettysburg Address”, “Researching Soldiers’ Letters and Diaries from Your Area” or “Civil War Fiction for Your Students.” All break-out session will provide content and resources such as lesson plan modeling. Educators will leave the week-long conference with experience from master teachers, a customized trunk of teaching aids, and inspiration to demonstrate to their students the hardship and courage of the people whose reality was a nation at war and how it
applies today.
Location
Conference attendees will be housed at Gettysburg College, a liberal arts college located in downtown Gettysburg. Food and lodging will be provided on the college’s campus. Other conference events will take place in a variety of historic locations in town, as well as the Gettysburg National Military Park. Each setting will be relevant to the subject matter being discussed and enrich the learning experience.
To Apply
Applications are due March 15th, 2012. Any submitted by mail must be postmarked by March 15th.
Successful Applicants will be notified by April 2nd, and will have until April 16th to accept or decline the invitation. (No updates will be available to applicants until after the first week of April when selections are complete.) Selected educators will be regularly updated on important conference information, including pre-conference readings and preparation.
The following items must be submitted together in order to apply:
Application
Application Essay
Reference Information
Applications may be completed online or downloaded here and mailed to:
Gettysburg National Military Park
Attn: Education Specialist
1195 Baltimore Pike, Suite 100
Gettysburg, PA 17325
Email quesitons to:
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