2020 Programs and Dates

Quick Links:

• Week-Long Sessions (Summer 2020)
• Three-Day Seminars (Summer 2020)
• Workshops
• Tuition and Scholarships

The Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute of
Colonial Williamsburg

WEEK-LONG SESSIONS

Elementary School (for educators in grades 3–6):
Becoming Americans (1606–1781)

Elementary school sessions focus on the daily life of colonial Virginians and the transition from subject to citizen that occurred during the Revolutionary War period. Teachers will be immersed in hands-on activities at Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown that highlight the stories of the people living during this time.

June 6–12, 2020
June 13–19, 2020
June 27–July 3, 2020
July 25–31, 2020
August 1–7, 2020

Objectives
Sample Schedule

For More Information and to Register

Secondary School (for educators in grades 7–12):
Emerging American Identity (1606–1865)

How do we define our identity as Americans? How do many diverse cultures come together to form the basis of this American identity? What will it become in the future? During this course, participants will examine how the concept of an American identity began in the colonial period and continues to evolve and transform with each generation of Americans. Through inquiry-based analysis of primary sources while exploring throughout the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area, teachers examine how that identity influenced American citizens to shape and change the Republic through the 1860s.

June 13–19, 2020
June 20–26, 2020
June 27–July 3, 2020
July 25–31, 2020
August 1–7, 2020

Objectives
Sample Schedule

For More Information and to Register

For Teachers From New York City Public Schools
Elementary School Level: Becoming Americans (1606–1781)
Secondary School Level: American History and Content Literacy (1606–1781)

These six-day, immersive sessions held onsite in Williamsburg, Virginia, are designed for American history educators who teach in New York City. Participants will explore best practices in history education through site visits, character interpretations, primary source analysis, modeled classroom lessons, inquiry-based exploration, and collaboration with fellow teachers and Colonial Williamsburg staff. CTLE credit is available.

July 11–17, 2020
Elementary Sample Schedule
Secondary Sample Schedule

For More Information and to Register

THREE-DAY SEMINARS

African Americans in Eighteenth-Century Virginia (for educators in Grades 3–8)

This seminar explores the lives, roles, and perspectives of enslaved and free black Virginians in the eighteenth century. Participants will pursue a deeper understanding of the diversity of the experiences of enslaved and free black people during the colonial period and the American Revolution.

June 22–25, 2020
July 13–16, 2020

Objectives
Sample Schedule

For More Information and to Register

Straight from the Sources: Women in Eighteenth-Century Virginia
(for educators in Grades 3–8)

This seminar explores the lives, roles, and perspectives of eighteenth-century women. Participants will pursue a deeper understanding of women’s contributions and constraints during the time leading up to the American Revolution.

June 8–11, 2020
June 29–July 2, 2020

Objectives
Sample Schedule

For More Information and to Register

Apprenticeships, STEM, and Colonial Daily Life (for educators in Grades 3–8)

This seminar explores the interdisciplinary links between colonial history and STEM in trades, specifically applied sciences and engineering. Through a hands-on, Project Based Learning (PBL) approach, participants engage with trade experts, investigate applied science principles such as the use of simple machines, chemical reactions, engineering, and combine these experiences into dynamic classroom lesson plans that incorporate primary sources and PBL.

June 15–18, 2020
July 27–30, 2020

Objectives
Sample Schedule

For More Information and to Register

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Other Workshops

WEEKEND WORKSHOPS

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  The Idea of America Seminar
  (October 8–11, 2020)

  The Idea of America framework views U.S. history as an enduring "Great Debate." How do we balance the values Americans share—law and ethics, freedom and equality, unity and diversity, common wealth and private wealth? Colonial Williamsburg's new "Idea of America" seminars explore how these values have shaped our American identity and how you can apply them to the fundamental issues facing our nation today.

  More Information

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DISTRICT AND REGIONAL WORKSHOPS

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  The Idea of America
  for Secondary School Teachers

  In this one-day workshop in your district, a Colonial Williamsburg educator inspires teachers with interactive, media-rich strategies that link American history and active 21st-century civic engagement.

  Sample workshop topics include but are not limited to:

  • The Great Debate and Living History Seminar
  • Teaching Civic Engagement through American History

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  Bringing History to Life in Your Classroom
  for Elementary School Teachers

  In this one-day workshop in your district, join a Colonial Williamsburg educator and explore American history from multiple perspectives through primary sources, interdisciplinary lesson plans and innovative instructional strategies to bring history to life in the classroom.

  Sample workshop topics include but are not limited to:

  • Events Leading to the American Revolution
  • African American Life

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CUSTOMIZED GROUP WORKSHOPS

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  The Colonial Williamsburg Professional Development staff can customize arrangements for your teacher group's (of 15 or more) visit to Colonial Williamsburg. Not only can we help you with the educational portion of your visit, but we can also make arrangements for Colonial Williamsburg lodging, meals, and local transportation. For more information or a price quote on a customized teacher professional development program, please email [email protected] or call (757) 565-8417.

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More Information:

• Participant’s Guide to the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute 2020
• How Do I Find the Shillings to Attend the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute?
• Testimonials from Past Participants

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