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Winter/Spring/Summer 2006 HITS Workshops

Our first workshops through the grant have been incredibly exciting opportunities for our teachers. Each of our workshops continues to attract more teachers as what the workshop offers is both the pedagogy of working in a classroom as a historian as well as learning more deeply of a specific content.


One-Day Workshops

The development of American democracy

Jan 23

Introductory History Day

Feb 13

Advanced History Day

Feb 15 

Founding fathers & founding documents

Mar 21

Re-envisioning democracy in the Civil War era

Apr 13 World wars & liberties in the 20th century
May 4

Field trip to Fort Snelling, Governor Ramsey House and the State Capitol illuminating Minnesota's connection to U.S. history


At the Founding Documents workshop our teachers received documents that they could immediately use in their classrooms. These diverse documents teach to the ideas of Liberty and Freedom for all and the argument of who was to be included in the definition of all.  Our second workshop involved delving into the democratic process as it broke down into Civil War and again documents and diverse accounts of who was affected and what led to their decisions.  Our third workshop, World Wars & Liberty, was a sold-out event.  Four professors from the University of Minnesota brought in their expertise to a rapt audience. Our latest workshop, a field trip to Fort Snelling/Sibley House/Minnesota State Capitol, was incredibly powerful.  We had an excellent site history through the Minnesota Historical Society presenters.> Photo Gallery

Jun 19 - 23

THE MAKING OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: HISTORICAL ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES.

Our Agenda covered the following topics and was very rich in primary resources and deep historical content. » Photo Gallery

  • Introduction to Historical Thinking, Methods and Tools -- Mike Foster (MN DOE)
  • Race and Ethnicity in U.S. History -- Erika Lee (UMN), Keith Mayes (UMN)
  • Historical Patterns in U.S. Immigration and Migration -- Erika Lee (UMN)
  • Grounding Contemporary Immigration Debates in Historical Perspective -- Erika Lee (UMN), Louis Mendoza (UMN)
  • Reconsidering Columbus and Conquest: Encounters in Colonial Spanish America -- Sarah Chambers (UMN)
  • Atlantic migrations and the Slave Trade, 1492-1807 -- Lisa Norling (UMN)
  • History of American Population and Censuses, Using Census Data in the Classroom -- Cathy Fitch (UMN)
    »» CLICK HERE for more information about using census data in the classroom
  • Introduction to the Immigration History Research Center, 20th-century Refugee Immigrants in Minnesota -- Joel Wurl (UMN)
  • Introduction to Oral History -- Erika Lee (UMN)
  • Oral History and Disciplinary Literacy -- Lana Mahoney (SPPS), Carrie Newman (SPPS)
  • Frontiers and Middle Grounds in American History -- David Chang (UMN)
  • American Indian Sovereignty and Citizenship -- Brenda Child (UMN)
  • Teaching American Indian History with the Minnesota SS Standards -- Brenda Child (UMN)
  • Incorporating Disciplinary Literacy in History into the Classroom -- Carrie Newman (SPPS), Lana Mahoney (SPPS)
  • African American Identity and Culture in 20th-c U.S. and Twin Cities -- Keith Mayes (UMN)
  • Latino/a Migration to Minnesota -- Louis Mendoza (UMN)