This afternoon the summer group travelled to the Massachusetts Historical Society for an excellent seminar on foreign relations. I had only ever used this organization for their John Adams papers and was a bit surprised at how much the library had on the Spanish American War and the Philippine American War. Among other very useful ready to use curriculum, there is one in particular that connects to our theme. Jason Raia, a teacher from Pope John XXII High School in Everett, MA created a lesson plan with the sources at the Historical Society called Adams Family Foreign Policy: Letters and Diaries from Europe. This lesson plan is perfect for a US I teacher who is seeking to introduce a greater world perspective. The European perspective in the Revolutionary Era can be oversimplified to a few military leaders, the Prussian influence, and the British military. This lesson plan uses the resources of society to offer a mush fuller context.
As a side note, while exploring the site tonight I came across this page that lists the teacher seminars that the MHS offers:
http://masshist.org/education/seminars_for_teachers.cfm
The History Connected Teaching American History grant project works to improve the quality of history instruction by supporting professional development for middle and high school teachers of American history. This blog supports the project's work by showcasing U.S. history content, resources, and teaching strategies.
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