Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum announces teacher workshop series      

[JAN. 5, 2007]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Education Department announced on Friday its calendar of upcoming complimentary workshops for educators. These hands-on, in-depth workshops provide educators with background content, lesson plans, activities and resources on a variety of topics relating to Abraham Lincoln and Illinois history. All workshops are geared to the Illinois State Learning Standards.

"We believe these workshops are a wonderful resource for teachers of all grade levels and disciplines," said Erin Bishop, director of education. "They provide historical background but also involve hands-on activities and ideas to use in the classroom. Moreover, our workshops take a cross-curricular approach and tie into the Illinois Learning Standards. And they are free!"

"Research Colloquium" will be offered on Jan. 26 and 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In this two-day intensive session, participants will explore and research the vast holdings of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The first day will familiarize educators with the library collections. Pursuing a topic of their own choosing, educators will learn how to access digital resources from the library collections, how to use the library for research and how to obtain usable reproduction documents to take back to the classroom.

On the second day, working with educators from the library and museum, participants will create an effective lesson plan based upon the primary resources they have gathered and tailored to their students' and their own needs. By the end of the workshop, educators will have a workable lesson plan to take back to the classroom, complete with primary documents from the library collections.

The "Slavery in Illinois" workshop on Feb. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon will mark Black History Month. Slavery played a prominent role in America's and Illinois' political, social and economic history in the period leading up to the Civil War. Slavery affected every discussion from the future of the nation's economy to Western expansion and the admission of new states into the Union. Politicians were increasingly pressured to make their opinions known, and Abraham Lincoln was no exception. In this workshop, participants will explore the history of slavery in Illinois and examine primary documents and artifacts to analyze Lincoln's position on slavery, to understand the historical context of the times and to increase understanding of the influence of race on politics in the antebellum era.

Created in conjunction with the upcoming temporary exhibit on Mrs. Lincoln, the "Meet Mary Todd Lincoln" workshop will be offered on March 7 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. This workshop will explore the fascinating life of Mary Todd Lincoln from her childhood to her courtship with Lincoln, their marriage, family life, and the joys and sorrows of life as the wife of a famous politician and president during one of the most dramatic eras in our nation's history. Examine primary documents and artifacts, read her letters, and step into her world. Classroom activities addressing Illinois Learning Standards will be presented.

The "Teacher Orientation" workshop will be offered on March 28 from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. and on April 14 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This four-hour workshop introduces educators to the resources available at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Educators learn how to schedule a tour, how to prepare their class for a visit and methods for making the most of a school trip to the museum. In addition, participants find out how to access digital resources from the library collections, how to use the library for research and other opportunities for professional development and classroom activities available through the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Education Department. The session includes a tour of the museum.

All workshops are free and will be conducted in the first-floor classroom of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Professional development units will be offered for each workshop.

Advance registration is required. To register, contact Carol Manning, education coordinator, at 217-558-8929 or [e-mail]. For additional information, visit www.alplm.org/education.

[Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum news release]