Teachers create Web pages featuring interviews and digital photographs of residents, placed in the historical context of the community. June 26-30, Smithsonian Folklife Festival Seminar, National Mall, Washington, DC, directed by Betty Belanus and Olivia Cadaval. The 8th annual event allows teachers behind the scenes of the festival, this year featuring New York City, Bermuda, and the building arts. Using Folklife, Oral History, and Cultural Documentation in Secondary Schools, Center for the Humanities at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH directed by Michael Hoberman, sponsored by the American Folklore Society and the state humanities councils of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Middle and high school teachers from throughout New England work with leading regional folklorists, community heritage educators from around the nation, and technology educators.
Participants collaborate on developing lessons and building a regional network.
After the institute, fellows refine their teaching materials and participate in online discussions. July 15-20, Heritage Arts for Teachers, Augusta Heritage Center, Davis and Elkins College, Elkins, WV, directed by Linda Deafenbaugh. Participants experience cultural processes through hands-on activities with a variety of artists, including NEA Heritage Fellows. K-12 teachers develop lesson plans and strategies to present folk artists in the classroom. All summer the Center presents week-long workshops devoted to various forms of traditional music, dance, and crafts, from Cajun to Irish, blues to bluegrass.