COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine, and WASHINGTON D.C. — Wreaths Across America, in collaboration with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, will soon launch of a new webinar series for educators.
The four-part quarterly webinars “aim to equip educators and youth of all ages with the vast resources available from the Library of Congress and will focus on how teachers and students can participate in collecting, preserving, and sharing veterans’ stories critical to our nation’s history and the teaching of the next generation about the value of freedom,” a press release states.
Kikthawenund Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a non-profit organization based in Anderson, arranged the first local Wreaths Across America event in December at Pendleton at Grovelawn Cemetery. Plans are for it to be an annual event honoring all service members.
The new Wreaths/Veterans History Project series will begin at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, and be co-hosted by Cindy Tatum, Wreaths Across America curriculum developer and Gold Star mother, and Andrew Huber, senior liaison, Library of Congress Veterans History Project.
Later dates for webinars in the series include May 14 and dates to be announced in August and October.
Registration is open for the first event at learn.wreathsacrossamerica.org/teach-webinars.
“One of the goals of this webinar series is to provide valuable resources to educators as well as students, who we know will benefit from developing listening and interviewing skills, developing a more impactful understanding of history from sharing personal stories and learning more about multi-media practices,” Tatum said in the release. “To have this opportunity to collaborate with the Veterans History Project through the Library of Congress is an expansion of our TEACH program we hoped for as we aim to empower educators to inspire the next generation.”
According to the release, educators who participate will have the chance to: develop a more thorough understanding of the use of the Library of Congress as an educational resource; provide a project for experiential learning for students in developing interviewing techniques and listening skills; increase awareness of the WAA K-12 curriculum and wreath-laying projects that develop community development and leadership opportunities for students.
“This webinar series is designed to give educators and classrooms all the tools they need to start using the Veterans History Project website for primary source research and create their own primary source materials for inclusion in the Project,” Huber said in the release. “Participants will learn about VHPs standards and requirements as well as basic oral history techniques so they can join the dozens of schools nationwide documenting and preserving the history of our nation’s veterans. Hearing and collecting these incredible firsthand accounts of U.S. veterans is an unforgettable experience for any student interested in American history.”
Educators and homeschoolers can explore the TEACH program curriculum and stay informed about new lesson plans on WAA’s website at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/teach.
The program offers a curriculum tailored to kindergartners through high schoolers, engaging them with stories of courage and character while emphasizing character development and service projects.
For more details, visit www.loc.gov/programs/veterans-history-project/about-this-program/.
