Virginia Museum of History & Culture receives Library of Congress grant

A Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Regional Grant will help the Virginia Museum of History & Culture create the Virginia History Day Elementary Teacher Guide, a series of elementary‐level resources to support the teaching of the social studies skills necessary to complete a Virginia History Day project.

These resources will expand VHD participation among fourth- and fifth-grade students by giving teachers the tools needed to implement National History Day in the classroom. In addition, these materials will be available for free to any Virginia educator, increasing the availability of elementary level, primary source focused, and skill‐based teaching tools throughout the state.

Upon completion of the guide, VMHC staff will conduct a series of free professional development workshops across the Commonwealth to introduce the guide and Library of Congress resources to teachers.

“We realize how important a knowledge and understanding of history is in creating a civically-minded and engaged society. The Library of Congress grant will allow the VMHC to continue to grow Virginia History Day and to encourage a love of history among youth across the Commonwealth” said Jamie Bosket, President & CEO of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Virginia History Day is the state affiliate of the National History Day program. Similar to a science fair but for history, the National History Day Contest was founded in 1974 to inspire students to conduct original historical research. Since its creation, the contest has grown into an international competition with more than half-a-million participants and thousands of dollars in scholarship awards and prizes annually.

“Creating a project for the National History Day Contest is challenging. It requires hard work and dedication. But it also provides great reward,” said Dr. Cathy Gorn, National History Day® Executive Director. “The skills of conducting research and recognizing credible sources are crucial to increasing civic engagement in young people.”

The VMHC will use grant funds to pay two content writers $3,600 each to create the guide. Applicants should have experience in elementary education and curriculum writing, but do not need to have prior experience with NHD or be a current classroom teacher.

Knowledge of the Virginia SOLs is required, but applicants do not need to be current public-school teachers to apply. For more information and to-apply, visit the VMHC’s website at virginiahistory.org/learn/educators/professional-development.

The TPS Regional program grants awards to organizations and collaborations of organizations that design and deliver projects using Library of Congress materials for specific educational goals in formal or informal settings.

Learn more about the Library’s TPS program and other resources available to teachers at www.loc.gov/teachers.