Immerse yourself in Virginia's history by visiting one of our exhibitions.
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture currently offers two teachers institutes along with teacher workshops.
Economics and the arts workshop — presented with VCU Center for Economic EducationTuesday, April 9th, 2019
4:00 - 7:00 pm
Artists have always examined the economics of the world around them. At the same time, economic conditions have always affected art and culture. This session, in partnership VCU’s Center for Economic Education, focuses on explaining the interrelationship of economics and the arts. Teachers will receive resources and teaching ideas for immediate use in their classrooms.
A special focus of this session is assisting teachers with how to discuss the economics of building a career with their students. For example, why do people value art? How is art different from other products? How is a career in fine arts different from other careers? How have artists understood economic problems in the past? Understanding economic concepts can help young aspiring artists make wise choices as they seek to share their craft with the community. While this session will be particularly focused for preparing teachers of fine arts (including music, theater, and creative writing) all teachers are welcome.
This session is hosted at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. It will include a gallery tour of the VMHC’s new exhibit: “Fresh Paint: Murals Inspired by the Story of Virginia,” and insights from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts education staff.
Snacks will be included (enough to get you through until dinner). Free parking is available on-site.
For more information, please contact Christina Keyser Vida at 8804.342-9672 or cvida@virginiahistory.org.
Weinstein Properties Story of Virginia Teachers Institute
The Weinstein Properties Story of Virginia Teachers Institute is a week-long program that is offered twice each summer at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Open to all Virginia public and private school K-12 educators, this institute provides teachers with an overview of the rich history of Virginia from the earliest habitation to the present. Participating teachers will explore the vast collections of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture and learn how to teach their students to analyze primary sources and use historical thinking skills.
Save the date for the Summer 2019 Weinstein Properties Story of Virginia Teachers Institutes!
Session 1: July 15 – July 19, 2019. Register here.
While this session of the institute will provide teachers with an overview of Virginia history from the earliest habitation to the present, its primary focus will be on African-American history in the commonwealth, as viewed through the lens of the museum’s newest exhibition, Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality. Participating teachers will learn methods and best practices for teaching hard history while exploring the vast collections of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
Session 2: July 29 – August 2, 2019. Register here.
This session of the institute will provide teachers with an overview of the rich history of Virginia from the earliest habitation to the present. In addition, participating teachers will explore the vast collections of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and learn how to teach their students to analyze primary sources and use historical thinking skills.
For more information, contact Michael Plumb at 804.342.9642 or mplumb@VirginiaHistory.org.
Primarily Virginia is an online course designed for teachers to explore Virginia’s past by examining objects and primary sources. These pieces of the past will be used as a lens to examine different historical eras in Virginia history. All course work is to be completed through the course website, and there are no required in-person class meetings.
The course is offered three times a year and is free of charge to Virginia teachers, thanks to the generous support of the WestRock Foundation.
For additional information, please contact Hailey Fenner, 804.342.9689, hhouse@VirginiaHistory.org.
These programs are designed to strengthen the analytical abilities of middle and high school teachers. Teachers will learn historical thinking skills—sourcing, contextualization, corroboration, and close reading—by using letters, diaries, documents, photographs, and maps from the society’s collections. These workshops can be conducted at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture or in your school and are perfect for in-service teacher training.
For more information, contact Michael Plumb at 804.342.9642 or mplumb@VirginiaHistory.org.
