The Delaware History Museum
The Delaware History Museum, an educational facility of the Historical Society of Delaware, offers "hands on" history programs on African-Americans in Delaware for students in grades 3-6 and 7-12. The activities include an Underground Railroad game for younger students to stimulate them to think about race relations, and the use of primary documents from the Historical Society's collections for older students. It has also developed education packets, including two for secondary students titled: "African American History: The Struggle for Equality in Delaware" and "The Free Negro in Wilmington." Beginning December 8, 1998, the Museum will feature a special permanent exhibit on the history of Delaware. The exhibit will include a section on slavery in Delaware and the Underground Railroad, and incorporate a variety of related video screenings -- including WHYY's award-winning video "Freedom's Edge." There will also be three dimensional figures of Thomas Garrett, the abolitionist and the famous Harriet Tubman. The Delaware History Museum is located at 504 Market Street in Wilmington, Delaware. The Museum also arranges for tours of the old "Town Hall Museum," where escaped slaves who were captured were imprisoned and where abolitionist rallies were held. For additional information, call (302) 655 - 7161.
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, located at 1300 Locust Street in Philadelphia, has excellent collections which document the political,commercial and social history of the colonies and the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries; the mid-Atlantic states prior to the Civil War; and Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia region from the colonial period to the present. Some of those documents include a printer's proof of the Declaration of Independence with two sets of its signers; manuscript drafts of the Constitution; and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society's papers (1775 - 1995). The Society has developed three "document sets" for teachers and students which serve as introductions to historical research, employing documents from the Society's extensive collections. The first, titled "Constructing the History of Blacks and Women in Philadelphia in the Mid-1800's" includes papers of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, and curriculum ideas for grades 4-12. The second, "Pennsylvania - The First 150 Years" highlights Pennsylvania history before the American Revolution, and includes ideas suitable for students in grades 4-7. The third, "Courage in the Face of Crisis-Bring Out Your Dead" chronicles the 1793 yellow fever epidemic in a collection consisting of letters, diaries, census data, and other materials selected for use by high school and college students.
The African-American Genealogy Group
Founded at the African-American Museum of Philadelphia in 1989, The African-American Genealogy Group encourages and supports people interested in researching their family roots. The group holds monthly meetings, and also sponsors educational seminars and field trips.
Webquest
A web quest is a way of integrating the World Wide Web into classroom instruction. Students are actively involved in using the Internet to answer research questions, inquire about important issues, and solve real world problems. To learn more about web quests and the web quest format created by Dr. Bernie Dodge of San Diego State University, click here.
Teacher's Guide: Africans in America
This guide has been endorsed by the National Council for the Social Studies. It provides a general overview of the four program series, and also identifies central themes, curriculum links, and people "to look for" when viewing . For each program in the series, the guide provides a general and specific lesson plan. The general lesson plan includes before and after discussion questions as well as learning activities pertaining to the program, while the specific lesson plan highlights a short program segment and related primary sources to support learning activities. There are also descriptive listings of books and web sites associated with the lesson plans. The Africans in America Teacher's Guide incorporates guidelines for using primary source documents and the web, supplementary books and web sites, and other resources created specifically to complement the series. Teachers from the Philadelphia area will undoubtedly be very interested in close-to-home sections of the Guide such as those which focus on "Revolution" (curriculum links to Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence, and Revolutionary War) and "Brotherly Love," with people "to look for" including Richard Allen, James Forten, and Thomas Jefferson among others.
Kathy Lee, a master teacher selected by WGBH, will be conducting several training workshops for teachers from the School District of Philadelphia and the surrounding region this winter, in the months of December and January. The workshops will focus on ways in which the Africans in America series can be integrated with curriculum and instruction. For further information, e-mail klee400@aol.com or fax (215) 753 - 1177. The Teacher's Guide is among the resources which will be made available to those attending the workshops. A limited number of additional copies of the Guide are also being made available to teachers from the Delaware Valley region through WHYY, courtesy of WGBH. Click here to order a free Teacher's Guide for the Africans in America series.
Teacher's Study Guide: Freedom's Edge
This study guide was prepared as a supplement to "Freedom's Edge," an original, award-winning documentary tracing the history of slavery in Delaware. The Guide begins with a brief overview of that history, followed by suggested class projects which include interpreting population statistics and relating the statistics to historic events as well as analyzing timelines and demographic maps. It also incorporates questions to answer after viewing "Freedom's Edge," plus a brief bibliography linked with suitable research questions. Copies of the Guide are available through WHYY, courtesy of TV12. Click here to order the Freedom's Edge Teacher's Guide.
The New Jersey African-American History Curriculum Guide, Grades 9-12
This first resource guide for teachers combines American, black American, and black New Jersey pasts into a common history. It is designed to help teachers integrate African-American history into high school courses. The guide is organized into 15 chronological units. Each unit represents a period of the African-American historical experience. One, titled "The Still Family Reunion," combines learning activities centering on the Still family's history and Underground Railroad routes through South Jersey. Copies of the guide are available through the Publications Office of the New Jersey Historical Commission, P.O. Box 305, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0305.
The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies Programs
The Balch Institute offers programs which "validate participants' cultural identities and historical experiences while also challenging them to examine attitudes about and relations with those who are different from themselves." The current Balch exhibit, "Discovering America: The Peopling of Pennsylvania," traces the diversity of ethnic groups who have populated Pennsylvania from its earliest history to present times, including African-Americans. The Institute also offers a variety of workshops: one based on the exhibit; one on intergroup relations; one on the history of African-Americans; another on the civil rights movement. It also offers guided tours, including a tour of Philadelphia's African-American neighborhoods and historic sites. The Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies is located at 18 South Seventh Street, Philadelphia, (215) 925-8090.