Teacher Scholarship

Thanks to continued support from the State Historical Society, Inc., National History Day in Iowa is pleased to offer a teacher scholarship to the 2009 national events.

Funding for Professional Enrichment in Washington, D.C., June 15-19, 2009

Are you looking for ideas to improve your students’ skills in research and historical analysis? Are you hoping to motivate them to produce more in-depth work? Then we may have just the opportunity for you! Thanks to special funding from the State Historical Society, Inc., NHD in Iowa will be selecting one novice National History Day teacher to attend the national finals in College Park, Maryland, June 15-19, 2009. The scholarship teacher will have the opportunity to take part in a teacher workshop, judge top-quality national entries, and enjoy special events in Washington, D.C.

Grant Provisions and Obligations:
The National History Day in Iowa office will provide a stipend valued at $625. Within this amount the following is covered: the participating teacher’s traveling expenses (up to $250), teacher registration fees (value: $35), and lodging and meals in the dorms on the University of Maryland campus (value: $340). The lodging package covers all meals from Sunday to breakfast on Thursday, plus lodging from Sunday, June 14th until checkout Friday morning, June 19th. While the lodging arrangements at the University of Maryland campus are not fancy, team delegation events in the dorms are a central part of Iowa’s NHD experience. Therefore, those who apply for the grant are expected to stay on campus with the rest of the Iowa delegation. If additional family members wish to come along, they may also stay in the dorms by paying the housing fees. However, accompanying family members should understand that the recipient will have certain obligations throughout the week. Teachers are responsible for their own travel plans.
Teachers selected for the grant will:

• Serve as a preliminary round judge in either the junior or senior division. As a judge, you will have the opportunity to evaluate student research and analysis closely and discuss student projects with other experts such as university historians, museum professionals, archivists, or other educators. Judging gives teachers valuable insight into top-quality student work and the expectations for national level entries. (Note: Novice judges will be paired with veterans.)
• Take part in one of two teacher workshops and special teacher activities. Workshops take a full day and occur at the same time as judging on Monday and Tuesday.
• Join the Iowa delegation for touring events in Washington, D.C. Past groups have toured various Smithsonian museums and the National Mall, the White House, visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and met with U.S. Senators and Representatives at the Capitol.
• See the best student work presented in national finals. The projects selected for national finals will help you understand the expectations for top-quality work at National History Day in order to advise future participants in your classes.

While most of the week will be devoted to your own professional enrichment, recipients should understand that they are expected to be a part of the NHD in Iowa team and join in group activities.

Eligibility:
This travel grant is intended for teachers who are interested in implementing the National History Day teaching model into their classroom or improving the NHD experience in their school or classroom. In order to encourage more teachers to use NHD as a part of the normal school curriculum, history and social studies teachers will be given preferential status, but teachers in other subjects are also eligible to apply. Teachers currently coaching a student in the contest cycle are still eligible. Student teachers who plan to begin teaching full-time in Fall 2009 are also eligible. If a teaching contract has already been arranged for the 2009-2010 school year, please include the relevant grade levels, subjects, and school name in your letter of interest.

Process:
Interested teachers should send:
A letter of interest (no more than 1000 words) to the National History Day in Iowa state office in order to be considered. This letter of interest should include:

• Information about subjects and grade levels taught
• Level of experience (if any) with NHD
• Agreement to fulfill the expectations listed above
• Judging preferences regarding age division – Junior Division (grades 6-8) on Monday, June 15, or Senior Division (grades 9-12) on Tuesday, June 16 – and category (papers, exhibits, performances, documentaries, or websites)

One brief letter of recommendation (no more than 1000 words) from an administrator, district coordinator, fellow teacher, student, or parent should also be enclosed.

All materials should be postmarked by May 15, 2009 to:

Millie Frese
National History Day in Iowa
State Historical Society of Iowa
600 E. Locust Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-6860
millie.frese@iowa.gov

If you have questions about the stipend or wish to see a sample schedule for the week, please contact millie.frese@iowa.gov for further information.