AVAILABLE NOW!

Over one hundred fifty years after it began, the Civil War still fascinates us - the vast armies marching to war, iconic leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Robert E. Lee, the drama of a nation divided. But the Civil War was also about individuals, the hundreds of thousands of ordinary men and boys who fought and died on either side and the families and friends left at home.

"This Wicked Rebellion: Wisconsin Civil War Soldiers Write Home" tells this other side of the story. Drawing from more than 11,000 letters in the Wisconsin Historical Society's Civil War collection, it gives a unique and intimate glimpse of the men and women who took part in the War for the Union. Follow Wisconsin soldiers as they sign up or get drafted, endure drill and picket duty, and get their first experiences of battle. Join them as they fight desperation and fear, encounter the brutality of slavery, and struggle with the reasons for war.

WCSS 2013 Coming Soon! 

Sarah Klentz, National History Day Coordinator

It's already time to begin thinking about NHD contest season and we need your help! Our program is growing and will include more than 10,000 6-12th grade Wisconsin students this year.

2013 contest dates are as follows:

·         Milwaukee Regional: Saturday, March 2

·         Madison Regional: Saturday, March 9

·         La Crosse Regional: Wednesday, March 13

·         Eau Claire Regional: Thursday, April 4

·         Green Bay Regional: Saturday, April 6 

·         Stevens Point Regional: Sunday, April 7

·         State Contest (Madison): Saturday, May 4

As a judge you'll analyze student projects (exhibits, documentaries, websites, papers, or performances) and provide feedback. You can select your preference for the category you'll judge and you'll work in a team with other judges to make decisions. You need not be a history expert! We also need people who are willing to volunteer to be room monitors. This job allows you to view student work while making sure the room stays on schedule and that viewers don't interrupt student presentations. Both of these roles are crucial to the smooth running of an NHD contest! You'll be provided with a light breakfast and lunch on the day of the event.

Please sign up to be a judge or volunteer here: http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/teachers/historyday/volunteer.asp 

Once you've signed up you'll start to receive important information about your assignment closer to the event date. Please pass along this link to others that you think may be interested in supporting excited NHD in Wisconsin students. I look forward to seeing you this spring!

Thank you!

Sarah Klentz

National History Day Coordinator 

Spring has arrived on Madison's Capitol Square with the visitation of thousands of students from across the state continuing their discovery of Wisconsin history

Celebrate spring March 26-29 by exploring a different side of history at Playtimes of the Past: Let's Go Fly a Kite. Young visitors are invited to drop in and explore the Aztalan House, visit the Woodland Indians wigwam, discover the lead mine, and witness an amazing view of the State Capitol. Afterward, create your own kite design to remember your visit to the Wisconsin Historical Museum.

The  Wisconsin Historical Museum is pleased to share its exhibits, collections and stories with school groups. You can review your visit options by checking out the Wisconsin Historical Museum's Printable Field Trip Catalog. Museum Education staff look forward to working with you to identify your group needs and tailor a program to enhance your museum visit.

If you are interested in making reservations for a spring or fall of 2013 Wisconsin Historical Museum field trip, please email our Museum Education staff or phone 608-264-6557.

Wisconsin Media Lab is proud to present "The Ways," a new ongoing series of stories from Native communities around the central Great Lakes. The online educational resource for 6-12 grade students features videos, interactive maps, and digital media exploring contemporary culture and language. The Ways supports educators in meeting the requirements of Wisconsin Act 31, seeking to expand and challenge current understanding of Native identity and communities.

From a music video exploring Ojibwe language and identity in an urban landscape to a glimpse inside a Native family fishing business on Lake Superior, "The Ways" explores connections between traditional ways and those of today. The engaging series features tribal communities of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Upper Peninsula ofMichigan. An interactive map shows story locations and compares treaty lands, reservations, and Native population around the central Great Lakes.

The Ways is produced by Wisconsin Media Lab with advisory support from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin, and Native American Public Telecommunications.

Wisconsin Media Lab, a division of ECB, creates and curates cost-free PK-12 multimedia educational content. Our award-winning resources align to Common Core State Standards, span all curricular areas and are easily accessible online.

Hildegard and Loretta Kuse, Educators, Kuse Farm Museum and Nature Preserve

Seventy years ago a wise local teacher reminded her students that to read their texts effectively they, "needed hooks in their heads to hang things on". No matter how well written books are, readers still need to build on previous experience and information, frame quality questions, and locate and use primary source materials.

How can fourth graders with little life experience and a limited understanding of "long ago" relate the long timeline of Wisconsin history to the ways local events and objects influenced their lives?

Today's technology connects students to exotic creatures and d  istant places. Can they use that same technology to "see" how the often-overlooked items in their own backyard relate to important ideas in their texts? Certainly! At the Kuse Farm Museum and Nature Preserve, QR codes at locations along trails allow smart phone and I-Pad users to visualize historical events that occurred in these locations. They also help to identify native plants and geological features throughout the preserve.  

Our website,  currently under development, is designed to help students and teachers in the Taylor County school system connect local resources to the curriculum.  The server is funded by a local grant and maintained by school media specialists, with the photography, historical research, and writing donated by two retired educators.

Local historians and citizen scientists in other communities can work with schools to use contemporary technology in similar ways. For help on getting started or more information about "localizing" your classroom experience, please feel free to contact us.