K-12 Programs
The Army Heritage Center Foundation has received Congressional awards (Funds for the Improvement of Education) for programs and resources to benefit K-12 history students, teachers and administrators across America. “Voices of the Past Speak to the Future” encompasses educational programs and teaching materials based on the holdings of the Army Heritage and Education Center (AHEC) in Carlisle, PA. AHEC’s U.S. Army Military History Institute (MHI) is one of the world’s largest repositories of primary source materials for American and military history, reflecting the nation’s rich cultural heritage from America’s colonial period to the present. As the Army’s archive for its non-official history, the Institute holds over fourteen million items that document the history of the United States, the U.S. Army and military history.
The 1988 report of the Bradley Commission on History in Schools recommended that states and school districts implement a social studies curriculum requiring no less than four years of history between grades 7-12. The Commission also recommended that history be the core of the social studies program between grades K-6. The “Voices of the Past Speak to the Future” project will fulfill the goals of making history accessible and engaging as recommended in the report and the subsequent National Standards for History. The programs and resources of the Foundation demonstrate the value of using primary source material, in the form of personal diaries, oral histories, personal letters, photographs and artifacts from the Army Heritage and Education Center. The teaching tools include CD-ROMs, primary source documents and posters that reflect the service and impact of the Army on the nation. The tools link to the National Standards for the Teaching of History.
National History Day in Pennsylvania
The Army Heritage Center Foundation is the sponsor organization NHD in PA. The state competition will be held at Millersville University, Millersville, PA in May of 2009. For more information about the state event link to www.pa.nhd.org or contact Lorraine Luciano, Army Heritage Center Foundation Education Director and NHD in PA State Coordinator, lluciano@armyheritage.org; 717-258-1102.
NHD is a year-long education program that engages students in grades 6-12 in the process of discovery and interpretation of historical topics. Students produce dramatic performances, imaginative exhibits, multimedia documentaries, web sites and papers based on research related to an annual theme. The 2009 theme is “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies.” These projects are then evaluated at local, regional, state, and national competitions.
Many different people participate in the NHD program:
- Students
- Teachers
- Colleges and Universities
- Libraries, Museums, and Archives
- Community Businesses
The NHD program serves as a vehicle to teach students important literacy skills and to engage them in the use and understanding of museum and library resources. The program inspires students to study local history, and then challenges them to expand their thinking and apply knowledge of local events to the national, or even worldwide scene. The program also teaches students to become technologically literate through the use of computer and Internet research methods, and the use of technologically advanced applications in their presentations.
Current CD-ROMs Available:
The Stories They Could Tell
Presents first-person stories of individuals who served in the American Army in three distinct time periods – Civil War/Frontier Wars, World War II and the Frontier Wars/Spanish-American War/Philippine Insurrection.
Defending the Long Road to Freedom
Focuses on the African American community’s 180-year long experience with the American military. The centerpiece of this disc is the fifty-year career of Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., the first African American general officer in the U.S. Army.
Designing for Victory 1914-1945
Examines the central role of posters as vital tools of communication on the "home-front" during World War I and World War II. This selection of vintage posters includes examples from both wars and features designs from various countries including the United States, Germany, Great Britain, France, Canada, and Russia.
Teachers interested in receiving a CDROM or an email listing of history standards for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland , Virginia or the National Standards for Teaching American History as they link to the Foundation’s current educational teaching tools, call Lorraine Luciano, Education Director Toll Free 1-866-ARMYHTG or send an email request to lluciano@armyheritage.org
The AHCF is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization.