Workshop Descriptions

Digital Deerfield: An Introduction to Using PVMA's Websites in the Classroom

Let us take you on a brief tour of PVMA's acclaimed websites: American Centuries: View from New England (www.americancenturies.mass.edu ) and Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704 (www.1704.deerfield.history.museum). Take some time for your own tour of the sites, and join us for a discussion of how teachers can use sites in their classrooms. Learn o use the "magic lens" for close up views of photographs and transcriptions of historic documents; zoom in and out of maps, up and down, right and left; create your own chronology of artifacts and documents; and dress and undress a character in historic garb. Grades K-12

Addresses Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for History and Social Science; English Language Arts; Mathematics; Science and Technology

Invasion of the OTHERS : Immigration to the Connecticut River Valley in the 20th Century

The face of the Connecticut River Valley drastically changed in the first quarter of the 20th century with a wave of immigrants. Most of these 'strangers' came from Eastern Europe. We explore what drove them to emigrate and what drew them here. Discuss ways to help students understand the immigrant experience of both the newcomers and the locals. Who were “the Others”?  All of us.   Grades K-12

Addresses Massachusetts Curriculum  Frameworks for History and Social Science; English Language Arts

Living on the Land – Part One: Contact Period to 1704 -Share and Share Alike – Native and European Land Use Patterns

European and Native American peoples both leave distinctive imprints on the land.  In addition, each group needs to use the same land but in different ways.  Participants will understand some of the differences between these imprints and land uses by closely examining a Northeast Woodland bark wigwam, an 18^th century English home and artwork

depicting communities and their surrounding landscapes. Grades K-12

Addresses Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for  History and Social Science; Science and Technology

Living on the Land – Part Two: 1700s - The Yeoman Farmer

In Part Two of our workshop series about the New England landscape, we will explore changes on the land in the period from 1704 to the end of the American Revolution. Eighteenth century New England villagers built their homes, barns, and businesses within a burgeoning colony, in a region of many diverse resources. Were New England villagers self-sufficient? Independent? And how does the place where we live affect the way we look at the world? As we explore these questions, we will practice skills of “learning to look” at architecture, maps, images, and documents such as deeds and tax valuations, for the clues they give into lifeways of the past. Grades K-12

Addresses Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for  History and Social Science; Science and Technology

Living on the Land – Part Three: 1800s - The Middle Landscape

In Part Three of our workshop series about the New England landscape, we examine the rapidly changing environment of the Connecticut River Valley and its surrounding hilltowns in the 19^th century. The rise of industrial manufacturing, westward expansion, and the Civil War all had an impact on this landscape, which nonetheless came to be depicted as a pastoral ideal in landscape paintings such as Thomas Cole’s “Oxbow.” will explore the various ways people and the land shaped each other as we examine the dynamics of the region’s 19^th century experience through consideration of objects and documents, photographs, maps, and commentary. Grades K-12

Addresses Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for  History and Social Science; Science and Technology 

Picturing the Past

Delve into history with a look at children's historical picture books. This workshop offers a review of new releases as well as some lesser known favorites. Participants will receive a bibliography of books covered in the review. Grades K-6

Addresses Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for History and Social Science; English Language Arts.

Speak Up! Elocution, Recitation & Public Speaking for Your Classroom 

Who remembers “speech class”?  American public education has a long tradition of teaching young citizens the skills of public speaking. In this workshop, we will take a look back in time to see how these skills were taught in an earlier era, and entertain ourselves with a 19^th century simulation. Discussion follows on how to promote speaking skills in today’s students, with suggestions for integration of history content at all grade levels.  Grades K-12

Addresses Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for  History and Social Science; English Language Arts

What Was So Great about George Washington?

Explore through a variety of sources how early 19^th century Americans celebrated the life of George Washington, “the American Cincinnatus.”       Grades K-12

Addresses Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for  History and Social Science; English Language Arts; Arts

What’s Wrong with this Colonial picture?

Writers of children’s books sometimes lump life in the 18^th century under one big “colonial” umbrella, with little or no distinction made between the great differences that took place from one end of the period to the other in regard to technology, education and other topics.  In this workshop we will break down the time period from 1607-1776 into smaller sections, discuss the changes that took place in each, and examine good and bad examples of children’s literature about “colonial life”.  This workshop is appropriate for teachers of grades K-3. Grades K-3

Addresses Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for  History and Geography

Westfield State College Locations:

Woodward Center – 395 Western Avenue Computer Lab, Room 240

Scanlon Hall – 577 Western Avenue – Banquet, Parlor, and Living Room locations

Administrative Building, 333 Western Avenue – Room A, basement

Directions to Westfield State College

From the North:

- Take Interstate 91 South.

- Get off I-91 at Exit 14, which is I-90/Mass. Pike.

- Take Mass. Pike West five miles to Exit 3 (Westfield).

- Turn right onto routes 10/202 South, travel for about two miles through town to the Westfield Public Library (on your right).

- Turn right onto Court street/Western Avenue for 2.5 miles.

- Westfield State College is on your right.

From the South:

- Take Interstate 91 North.

- Follow directions from above.

From the East:

- Travel to I-90/Mass. Pike until you reach Exit 3.

- Follow directions from above.