Educators' Update from the Wisconsin Historical Society

November 2012 

In This Issue
Mapping Wisconsin History
Welcome Back!
Interactive Whiteboard Resources
From the Library-Archives Division
National History Day Updates
November at the Museum

  The joy of maps abounds in this exciting CD of classroom materials from the Wisconsin Historical Society's Office of School Services and the Wisconsin Cartographers' Guild, creators of the best-selling book, "Wisconsin's Past and Present: A Historical Atlas." For use either independently or as a companion to the Atlas, this publication includes color and black and white maps depicting landscape and glaciation; American Indians; migration and ethnic settlement; cities and counties; mining; timber; agriculture; and industry and transportation. Background information, classroom activities, and worksheets give educators the opportunity to explore and integrate Wisconsin history and geography with students from grades four and up. Order using this code: NOVED12 before 12/31/2012 to receive 20% off of the retail price!    


Join Our Mailing List

The Wisconsin Historical Society Educator Update contains the most current education-related news from the Wisconsin Historical Society. With information on classroom resources, National History Day, the Wisconsin Historical Museum, the Library-Archives Division, historical sites all around Wisconsin, and more, our monthly roundup is packed with ideas for Wisconsin educators.

Introducing the new School Services Director
  

Welcome back to the Wisconsin Historical Society Educator Update! My name is Kurt Griesemer, and I'm the new School Services Director with the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Kurt and Sid
Sid & me

 

For the last six years I worked for the Educational Communications Board (ECB), directing and coordinating videos, websites, curriculum tips, lessons plans, and other materials for students and teachers. Prior to joining the ECB in 2005, I taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade for five years in Minnesota and Wisconsin and keep current my elementary (1-6) teaching license in Wisconsin. I received my BA in history from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and my MS in elementary education from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

 

It is my goal to provide you, the educator in the field, at home or in the classroom, with easy access to the vast resources that the Wisconsin Historical Society has to offer. Whether providing teacher-tested lesson plans, information on educationally sound field trips, or simply connecting the dots between you and the information you seek, School Services is here to help you find the right resources for your education needs.

 

Welcome back, educators-let's see what we can find.

 

Sincerely,

 

Kurt Griesemer
School Services Director

Interactive Whiteboard Resources Now Available
 
Kurt Griesemer, School Services Director

Developed for use with Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story, these new interactive components are designed to reinforce importance teaching concepts embedded in each chapter.

With direct ties to Thinking Like A Historian, vocabulary activities, end-of-chapter assessments, video, and more, each interactive provides you, the teacher, with new ways to engage your student in the study of Wisconsin history.

Contact Maris Education for your login and password and download chapters 6 and 7 today!

Please email questions, comments, and your suggestions for improvements to Kurt Griesemer or at 608.264.6547.

Historical Wisconsin Maps Now Available Online


Michael Edmonds, Head, Digital Collections & Web Services  

 

You can now grab maps showing Wisconsin history from the Society website. Our staff has been scanning and tagging maps for 18 months, and nearly 1,000 are available online free. You can search for and grab maps now on our new Preview website. The Preview site is the "beta" version of the new wisconsinhistory.org currently under development. The maps and atlases content now reside there.  

 

Read more about our new Preview website.

 

Approximately 200 modern reference maps of basic cultural and geographic data show everything from county boundary lines, to where American Indian tribes lived, to where German immigrants settled. Hundreds of other maps scanned from rare books, manuscripts, magazines and journals cover all aspects of the state's history.

 

Need a map showing how your county's boundaries developed? A birds-eye view of your city? A French explorer's map from the 1600s? Maps of Civil War battles in which Wisconsin troops fought? You'll find them all on the Preview website.

 

You can right-click and copy any map to your own computer, put it in a PowerPoint, or photocopy it for a class assignment. It's your history, after all.

 

Questions? A feedback link on every page goes directly to staff who can usually answer immediately. And if you need a map that's not online, use the feedback link to tell us. We'll add it to the collection asap.
National History Day: Program Growth & Research Field Trip Opportunities

Sarah Michele Klentz, Interim National History Day Coordinator

 

National History Day (NHD)has had a busy fall! We've traveled around the state, introducing over 2500 students to NHD, including many schools entering the program for the first time.  

   

Many students have already started their NHD experience with a Research Field Trip. Research Field Trips allow students to visit the Wisconsin Historical Society Library and Archives. These half-day trips introduce students to our institution and also provide time to complete in-depth research on their topic.

 

Classroom visits (and Research Field Trips) are happening now! Schedule yours today by emailing interim State Coordinator, Sarah Michele Klentz or at 608.261.2465. 


November Highlights from the Wisconsin Historical Museum
 
Beth Lemke, Museum Educator, Wisconsin Historical Museum

Join co-authors Terese Allen and Bobbie Malone
, Saturday, November 10th, 10:00am-noon, at the Wisconsin Book Festival for a presentation on their book,  The Flavor of Wisconsin for Kids. Designed for kids and adults to use together, The Flavor of Wisconsin for Kids documents the history and traditions of food in our state and presents it in a colorful, kid-friendly format that's both instructional and fun. The authors will discuss the history of food in Wisconsin and give a cooking demonstration of some seasonal recipes. Kids and adults are encouraged to help! A book signing will follow.

--

History Sandwiched In: German Immigrants and World War I, Tuesday, November 13th, 12:15-1 pm Author Stephanie Golightly Lowden discusses the political climate in Wisconsin during World War I and how it impacted German-Americans. Her research of this time period inspired her children's novel, Jingo Fever, which explores the timeless issues of immigration and bullying. A book signing will follow the presentation.

--

Holiday Open House, Nov 23, 2012 - Nov 24, 2012   10 am-4 pm Enjoy free rides on the Holiday Trolley on State Street and the Capitol Square, plus special offers and complimentary refreshments at the Wisconsin Historical Museum and other participating museums and businesses on State Street and the Capitol Square.

Thanks for reading! Interested in additional Wisconsin Historical Society newsletters? Please visit our website.
  
Sincerely,

 

Kurt Griesemer
School Services Director
Wisconsin Historical Society

Visit our website at www.wisconsinhistory.org
� 2012 Wisconsin Historical Society

Collecting, Preserving and Sharing Stories Since 1846