We are pleased to offer new courses for the summer months for elementary, middle, and high school students.
The Gilder Lehrman Online History School for middle and high school students and the Gilder Lehrman Online History Camp for elementary school students both provide engaging live interactive lessons by Master Teachers.
Master Teachers will present lessons anchored in primary source documents, many from the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s collection of more than 70,000 American history artifacts. The goal is to engage students and excite them about history so they leave each lesson more knowledgeable about a new idea, theme, document, or pivotal moment in history.
The Gilder Lehrman Online History School and Online History Camp will be hosted on the video conference system Zoom. See the list below for classes, dates, and times. For a more detailed description of each class please visit the corresponding class page.
For more information, please email historyschool@gilderlehrman.org or historycamp@gilderlehrman.org.
Summer 2020 Online History School Class Schedule (Middle and High School)
| Course | Class Overview | Audience | Registration | Instructor |
|
American History through Film: Civil War and Cinema This course will examine a wide variety of content, including award-winning films like Glory, Little Women, and Lincoln to learn how films affect the way we look at American history.
|
|
Middle and high school students (6th–12th graders) | Class is full |
Gena Oppenheim (teacher at Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn and Hamilton Education Program Senior Education Fellow) |
|
American History through Song: Revolution to Depression This course will examine how popular songs intersected and evolved through history from the American Revolution through the Great Depression, focusing on known and repurposed melodies, lyric-writing and rewriting, and political intent as the medium of song documented and even shaped American history. |
|
Middle and high school students (6th–12th graders) | Parents can sign up for individual classes for their students. | Jim Knable
(published author of prose, drama, and song; humanities teacher; Gilder Lehrman Staff Writer) |
|
This course will introduce students to each of the nine Time Periods covered by the College Board’s AP United States History Curriculum. Students use Gilder Lehrman’s APUSH Study Guide and primary source documents to discuss major historical topics. Additionally this course will focus on strategies for reading and writing that are essential for any student planning to take the APUSH course or test during the 2020–2021 school year. |
|
High school students preparing to take the APUSH exam or preparing to take the course during the 2020–2021 school year |
Class is full |
Sara Ziemnik (2017 National History Teacher of the Year Winner) |
|
The History of the Voting Rights Struggle This course will examine the struggle for voting rights from Reconstruction to the present day, mostly focused on the African American–led protests of the 1950s and 1960s through the lens of the film Selma, employing Harvard University’s Hutchins Center Selma Online curriculum, which is led by Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. |
|
High school students (9th–12th grade) |
Registration is now closed |
Alysha Butler (2019 National History Teacher of the Year Winner) |
|
Originally developed by renowned Professor Steven Mintz, this survey-style course will immerse students in American history to 1865. Live sessions bring the material to life, and help students develop the study skills and critical thinking acumen required for college-level instruction. |
|
High school students wishing to experience a college-level course |
Class is full |
Kevin Cline (2016 National History Teacher of the Year Winner) Professor Steven Mintz (University of Texas, Austin) |
Summer 2020 History Camp Schedule (Elementary School)
| Course | Class Overview | Audience | Registration | Instructor |
|
History Camp: History Outdoors Go on an adventure and discover the hidden history of your home town. Students will find that the street signs, monuments, parks, and buildings that surround them each have their own story to tell.
|
|
Upper elementary students (3rd–5th graders) |
Parents can sign up for individual classes for their students. . |
Mary Huffman (2015 National History Teacher of the Year Winner) |
|
History Camp: History’s Treasures Are you ready to be a treasure hunter? In the vaults of the Gilder Lehrman Collection there are more than 70,000 items, and each one is a treasure. The treasures are the stories that each of these documents has to tell. Students will examine a series of documents based on various historical themes and discover the riches hidden within. |
|
Upper elementary students (3rd–5th graders) |
Parents can sign up for individual classes for their students. . |
Mary Huffman (2015 National History Teacher of the Year Winner) |
Registering for a Class
Parents/guardians can register their students on the class calendar or on the individual class pages to sign up for a spot in an upcoming course. An email with the class link will be sent out upon registration confirmation.
For students under 18, parents/guardians must use their email to register students.
Protecting Privacy and Keeping Students Safe on Zoom
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is committed to making the Gilder Lehrman History School a safe and secure experience. In order to safeguard our program we have elected to put the following safety features into each History School and History Camp class.
- The chat feature will be monitored.
- Cameras will automatically turn off.
- Microphones will automatically turn off.
- Gilder Lehrman staff will monitor each session.
If you have any questions or concerns about safety and security, please email us at historyschool@gilderlehrman.org
