COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. BOX 2120
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 19
January 28, 2005
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Jo Lynne
DeMary Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
United States History Connects An Interactive Online United States History Course Beginning February 21, 2005 |
United States
History Connects, an interactive online course for Virginia teachers, will be
offered this spring. This class
supports the Standards of Learning for teaching United States History to 1877,
United States History: 1877 to the Present; and Virginia and United States
History. The class is free for Virginia teachers who wish to earn up to 45
license renewal points, or it may be taken for three graduate credits through
Old Dominion University.
The class
will be offered on the Internet at http://historyconnects.pwnet.org/
and is supported with a CD-ROM.
Registration may be completed online at that website. Teachers may register until February 10,
2005, and the class starts February 21, 2005.
The course ends April 1, 2005. Enrollment will be limited to the first
100 teachers who sign up for license renewal points, although there will be
unlimited registration for those taking the class for credit through Old
Dominion University.
The goals of
the course are as follows:
connecting
the events of 20th Century United States history to past events;
analyzing
what it means to be an American;
connecting
economic, political, and social evolutions; and
providing
lesson plans, resources, and links for classroom teachers.
The course
consists of five components, each of which is expected to take approximately
five hours. Each component includes
activities, resource links, a discussion board, and quizzes. The CD-ROM contains videos that explain the
subject matter being discussed.
Teachers will find many ideas, resources, and links that will assist
them in the classroom.
The course
includes the following five topics:
Part I: Why
Study United States History?
Part II: What is an American?
Part III: The Evolution of Revolution
Part IV: Individualism and Community
Part V: The United States and the World
Carolyn J. Lawes, a professor of history at Old Dominion University since 1993, will teach the course. She works regularly with Virginia teachers to improve their ability to teach the Standards of Learning. Please contact her at clawes@odu.edu or at (757) 683-3949, for information about earning graduate credit. Although the course content is the same for everyone, teachers enrolled in United States History Connects for credits will be required to complete additional work.
For more
information, please contact Beverly Thurston, Beverly.Thurston@doe.virginia.gov,
coordinator, history and social science, Office of Middle and High School
Instruction, at (804) 225-2893.
JLD/BMT/yba