Teaching American History

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Smithtown Branch High School Baseball Team 1928
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How can we encourage students to know and
understand American History?
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How can we promote the inspired teaching of
American History ?

• .

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Was the American Revolution Really a
Revolution?




Dr.
Michael Barnhart
Ask questions that connect with students.
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DidPocahontas save the Jamestown Colony?



Dr. Michael Barnhart
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Did the FDRs New Deal Really Help End the Great
Depression? Dr. Michael Barnhart
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Was Hiroshima necessary?
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Teaching American History

• Exploring Controversies to Better
• Understand Americas Past
• A Three Year Grant Funded to the Smithtown
  Central Schools
• by the United States Department of Education

Smithtown Central Schools
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Teaching American HistoryExploring Controversies
to Better Understand Americas Past

• Ask questions that require a deep understanding
  of history and compel students to make an
  evaluation.
• Design classroom activities where all students
  must explain and justify their positions.
• Expect students to decide and justify their
  answers by using historical data.
• Provide teachers the high quality instructional
  updates in history and teaching methods.

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Teaching American HistoryExploring Controversies
to Better Understand Americas Past
William Floyd Union Free School Dristrict

• In Partnership With
• Professional Education Program-OutreachStony
  Brook Universityand
• William Floyd Public Schools

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• Grant Director Michael Chlystun
• Grant Coordinator Michael Gatto
• Grant Design
• Michael Chlystun Michael Gatto
• Stony Brook University Advisor and Liaison
• Chandrani Roy
• Consultant Advisors
• Spectrum Educational Group
• Gilder Lehrman Foundation

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Teaching American HistoryExploring Controversies
to Better Understand Americas Past

• Program Aims
• Enhance teacher knowledge of history
• Introduce and reinforce effective teaching
  practice.
• Encourage inspired teaching.
• Encourage students and teachers to become active
  learners.
• Improve student achievement.

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Exploring Controversies to Better Understand
Americas Past
How can we help our social studies teachers
offer the best instruction to our students?
Summer And Saturdays School Year

• Grant Funds will offer teachers
• Workshops in the most effective instructional
  techniques.
• Graduate level seminars led by distinguished
  historians.
• Opportunities to take hands on training in
  living- history museums
• Opportunities to meet with colleagues in local
  and national conferences

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Stony Brook University Instructional Program

• 2008-2010
• CEE Summer In-service Workshops
• Michael Gatto, Instructor
• Cooperative Groups in the
• Social Studies Classroom
• Blueprints for Critical Thinking in
• The Social Studies Classroom
• Using Documents in the Social Studies Classroom
• Graduate History Courses
• Dr. Michael Barnhart, Instructor
• Exploring Controversies in Colonial History
• Exploring Controversies in Nineteenth
• Century American History
• Exploring Controversies in Twentieth Century
  American History

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Exploring Controversies to Better Understand
Americas Past
Dr. Michael Barnhart SUNY Stony Brook
Distinguished Teaching Professor Historian in
Residence Dr. Barnhart will lead instruction in
graduate history courses and lead informal
seminar discussion groups in the Smithtown and
William Floyd Schools . Michael Gatto
NBCT Teacher Trainer Additional
Instruction Gilder Lehrman Historian-Consultants
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Model and Directly Teach Best Teaching Practices

• The foundation of a dynamic Academic Controversy
  program is the use of cooperative groups in the
  classroom.
• Research shows that students learn more when
  they are active learners.
• Academic Controversy encourages students to use
  their knowledge of history to explain their
  positions and justify their conclusions.

Cooperative Learning Center University of
Minnesota
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Controversy Question
Both Sides Drop Advocacy and Try to Come to
Consensus
Cooperative Learning Center University of
Minnesota
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Teaching American HistoryExploring Controversies
to Better Understand Americas Past
Grant Activities 8/2008 - 6/2010
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• Local Participants
• Smithtown Historical Society
• Long Island Museum at Stony Brook
• Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
• SUNY Stony Brook/Professional Teaching Program
• National Participants
• Gilder Lehrman Foundation
• National Archives
• Colonial Williamsburg
• Old Plymouth
• Sturbridge Village
• FDR Library/Hyde Park

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Exploring Controversies to Better Understand
Americas Past

• Grant Executive Board
• Michael Chlystun Grant Director/Director of
  Social Studies S.C.S.D.
• Jeff Cohn, Teacher S.C.S.d.
• Michael Gatto Grant Coordinator/Stony Brook
  University Instructor
• Maureen Smilow Lead Teacher S.C.S.S.
• Karen Ricigliano Assistant Superintendent for
  Personnel S. C.S. D.

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• Planning for grant used faculty surveys
• Social Studies staff met with representatives of
  the Gilder Lehrman
• Foundation and Dr. Michael Barnhart to plan and
  make
• suggestions for the grant program
• Grant Application Supported By
• Jennifer Bradshaw
• Director of Curriculum
• Edward Thompson John Dolan
• Principals Smithtown High School
• Joan NilesAssistant Superintendent for Finance
  and Operations
• John Nolan
• Network and Systems Coodinator
• Steve Epstein
• Budget and Capital Projects Coordinator
• Annamarie Leodis
• Senior Accountant

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• Administrative Support By
• Mary Cahill
• Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and
  Administration
• Karen Ricigliano
• Assistant Superintendent for Personnel
• Edward Ehmann
• Superintendent of Schools

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Teaching American HistoryExploring Controversies
to Better Understand Americas Past

• Calendar
• 2008-2009
• 8/26-8/28
• Monday Thursday
• Cooperative Learning in the Social Studies
  Classroom
• Two In-service Credits SUNY Stony Brook
• 8/25 8/26 8/27 5/28
• Monday-Thursday
• 830 a.m.- 330 p.m.
• Academic Controversy in American History
• Graduate /In-service Course Sessions
• Introduction to Exploring Controversies to
  Better Understand Americas Past
• 8/29
• Friday
• 830 a.m.- 330 p.m.
• Academic Controversy Saturday Sessions
• SUNY Stony Brook

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Teaching American HistoryExploring Controversies
to Better Understand Americas Past

• Where can I get more information?
• Teaching American HistoryExploring Controversies
  to Better Understand Americas Past
• Teacher Guide
• Websites
• Cooperative Learning Center
  www.co-operation.org
• F.D.R. Library at Hyde Park www.nps.gov/
• National Archives www.archives.gov/education
• Colonial Williamsburg www.history.org
• Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
  www.gilderlehrman.org
• Long Island Museum www.longislandmuseum.org
• Plymouth Restoration www.plimoth.org
• Smithtown Historical Society
  www.smithtownhistorical.org/
• Old Sturbridge Village www.osv.org

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By what date do I need to apply for Cooperative
Learning in the Social Studies Classroom
and/or Academic Controversy in American
History? Monday June16, 2008 Class Size
Limit 30 Participants for Each Class How do I
apply? Send application form in Teaching
American HistoryExploring Controversies to
Better Understand Americas Past Teacher Guide
to Mike Chlystun c/o Michelle

• By what date do need to apply for the