Thomas Jefferson and the Boisterous Seas of Liberty
PROJECT SUMMARY: In partnership with the Monticello Foundation, we developed a series of grade leveled teaching resources that 1) serve as best practice models of interactive teaching and 2) complement the student and teacher experience at Monticello and with the Thomas Jefferson and the Boisterous Sea of Liberty digital exhibit. Our goal was to create a history lab environment in which educators and students “do history”, and in so doing reinforce, expand upon, and develop new ideas from the Sea of Liberty content. Archives of primary source materials provided teachers and students support to investigate questions, draw conclusions, and share their work. Our approach was distinctive and appealing for while there are numerous and growing digital archives on the web there are few sites aimed at doing experiential education for the study of the past with a direct focus on the Declaration of Independence and its role in the evolution of American democracy.
A critical component of these teaching-centered resources was a model and framework for investigative, inquiry-based history instruction. Site-based resources focused around a series of teacher-specific tutorials on how to interpret, present, and explore a variety of primary source documents. These tutorials included examples from each of the discreet themes that can be found in the Sea of Liberty exhibit.
PARTNER: Monticello Foundation
FUNDING & SUPPORT: Funding was made possible by the Coca-Cola Foundation.
