History, Together provides resources for school-based teams of to align their schools American history curriculum to the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, adopted by the state Department of Education in August 2003, and to integrate the American history learning standards with learning standards in language arts, math and science.

Participants in the program take a graduate-level course in American history, with credit awarded through our partnership with the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. The course content derives directly from the grade three-through-five American history standards in the state Framework.

Using the knowledge acquired and honed in this course, the teams of teachers work together to set school-specific goals for American history education in grades three, four and five. (Please click here for the project template) The grant pays for substitutes to allow teachers time to meet every two or three weeks during school hours. The Project provides a facilitator and various planning tools to help the teams develop a scope and sequence for American history, create detailed projects, units or lesson plans for their colleagues, and institute in their building their vision of teaching American history.

Participants receive:

• free tuition and books for the graduate course in the American history topics taught in grades three, four and five
• graduate credit (if desired)
• Professional Development Points toward re-certification
• a $500 stipend for the school-year
• another $150 stipend for a summer institute
• opportunities to present their work to colleagues, and
• a chance to make a real change in their school.

Schools sponsoring teams will receive $2500 toward the purchase of American history resources and reimbursement for coverage of classrooms for team meetings.

The grant also sponsors convocations, in which teams share progress and frustrations with the process, and summer institutes during which teachers from the just-concluded year can offer help to those teachers whose work is just beginning.