Arizona Department of Education
Special Projects & Constituent Services
History Teacher of the Year
2008 PRESERVE AMERICA HISTORY TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Overview
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and Preserve
America announce the fifth annual Preserve America History
Teacher of the Year Award, which honors outstanding teachers of American history
across the country. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History,
founded in 1994, promotes the study and love of American history. Increasingly
national and international in scope, the Institute's programs and initiatives
serve audiences ranging from students to scholars to the general public.
Preserve America is a White House initiative that encourages and
supports community efforts to preserve America’s cultural and natural heritage.
The History Teacher of the Year Award, under the rubric of
Preserve America, recognizes outstanding American history teachers from
elementary school through high school, and the crucial importance of American
history education. Finalists are selected from each of the fifty states, the
District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and U.S. Territories. From
these local winners, a national honoree is recognized as the National
Preserve America History Teacher of the Year.
Winners will be chosen based on several criteria.
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Qualifying Criteria
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At least three years of classroom experience in teaching
American history in middle or high school.
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A deep career commitment to teaching American history, which
includes local and state history.
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Evidence of creativity and imagination in the classroom that
address literacy and content beyond state standards.
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Close attention to primary documents, artifacts, historic
sites, and other primary materials of history, including oral history.
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Evidence of thoughtful assessment of student achievement.
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Eligibility
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Any full-time middle or high school teacher may be nominated
who teaches American history (including local and state history) as his or
her primary subject, or one of the subjects they are responsible for in the
classroom.
-
Any full-time middle or high school teacher may be nominated
who focuses on American history within the framework of their school
program.
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Procedure
First Round: Nominations
Submit the following:
- The nominee’s resume.
- A full letter of nomination that addresses the award criteria and
includes quantitative measures of student achievement. Nominations can be
made by a department or division head, a school director, social studies
director, principal or superintendent.
- A letter of support from a colleague, immediate supervisor, or education
professional familiar with the nominee’s work.
Second Round: Additional Materials for Consideration
From this pool of nominations, the state coordinators will select up to five
finalists who will be asked to submit additional materials that include:
- A one-page statement of the nominee’s philosophy of teaching American
history.
- A sample lesson plan, no longer than 3 pages. Primary document
attachments are not included in the page limitation.
- A sample extended project assigned to students, demonstrating use of
primary documents, artifacts, historic sites, etc. Nominees can include up
to ten pages of student work in this category.
- An 8-10 minute video, which is not a class session, but a segment during
which the nominee demonstrates class projects, and discusses his or her most
effective teaching practices, and how student achievement is assessed.
Students are not present in the video.
Please submit an original and three copies of written
materials.
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Deadlines
First round nominations and all supporting materials must be postmarked no later than
Friday, April 25, 2008. Finalists advancing to the second round
will be notified no later than Monday May 5, 2008.
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Awards
State winners will be announced and honored at local ceremonies. The Gilder
Lehrman Institute of American History honors each state winner with an award of
$1,000. The Institute also presents the winner’s school with an archive of
primary historical materials, named in honor of that teacher, for use in the
school library or resource center. Winners are selected in each state by panels
of distinguished history educators under the supervision of the Gilder Lehrman
Institute and Preserve America.
The National History Teacher of the Year is selected from the 50+ state
winners, (including the District of Columbia, Department of Defense and U.S.
Territories) by a panel of prominent historians. The 2008 national winner will
be honored in a fall ceremony in New York City. The winner, together with the
nominating supervisor, will travel to the national recognition ceremony with
expenses paid by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
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Nominations
Address nomination package (original plus 3 copies of written materials)
by April 25, 2008 to :
Adria Lugo
Director, Special Projects
Arizona Department of Education
1535 W. Jefferson Street, Bin #2
Phoenix, AZ 85007
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Contact Information
Constituent Services
Arizona Department of Education
1535 West Jefferson Street, Bin 2
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Tel: (602) 542-3710
Fax: (602) 364-1532
Director: Adria Lugo
Adria.Lugo@azed.gov
This page was last updated on
Friday, March 14, 2008.
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