Teachers Selected for Understanding Sacrifice: WWII in the Pacific
RRCHNM, in partnership with National History Day, the American Battle Monuments Commission, and the National Cemetery Administration, is pleased to announce the selection of 18 teachers to study World War II in the Pacific. This year’s cohort represents social studies, English, JROTC, theater, visual arts, special education and STEM teachers who come from 12 states.
This highly competitive program brings together middle and high school teachers for an 18-month professional development program that includes monthly webinars with George Mason University Associate Professor and RRCHNM affiliated faculty member, Christopher Hamner. The program culminates with a field study in summer 2017 to San Francisco, Honolulu, and Manila to see first-hand the places that influenced the outcome of the war.
As a part of the program, each teacher selects an individual to research who is buried or memorialized in an ABMC or NCA cemetery the teachers will visit. Some teachers involve their class in this research. In addition, each teacher creates a lesson plan that incorporates ABMC and NCA resources to teach about an aspect of the war. These materials are then made available on the award-winning Understanding Sacrifice website, developed by RRCHNM.
The cohort will meet for the first time in November in Washington, DC. During the two-day meeting, teachers are introduced to ABMC and NCA resources, learn techniques for researching their service member, tour the National WWII Memorial, and explore the Smithsonian’s Price of Freedom exhibit.
RRCHNM staff will lead workshops on writing for the web, photography, and videography. The goal of the workshops is to give teachers the tools they need to help capture their research and share it effectively online.
This is the third year of the Understanding Sacrifice program. The first two years focused on World War II in Europe.