Jason Groth

Since its founding in 1907, the OAH has promoted "excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and presentation of American history." The 2005 OAH Annual Meeting is the perfect forum for scholars looking to enhance their professional skills and knowledge of teaching American history. A thread of sessions, focusing on teaching issues at all levels, will run throughout the four days of the meeting in the form of workshops, round tables, panel discussions, and other presentations.

These sessions will address the use of primary sources, literature, and electronic media in the history classroom as well as other topics of interest to precollegiate teachers. State-of the-Field sessions, created to illuminate recent developments in specific areas of American history scholarship and teaching, are an excellent resource for all teachers, from precollegiate to university.

Teachers, for example, can learn more about using nontraditional sources in the classroom by attending sessions such as "Mingling 'Fact' with 'Fiction': Helping Teachers Integrate Literature into Their Classrooms"; "Popular Musics, Historical Publics: Using Popular Music to Teach Social History in the Classroom and Beyond;" and "Teaching History with Historic Maps on the Web: A Workshop." There are also sessions exploring new ways of teaching familiar subjects. "Military History: Why it Matters and How You Might Teach It" and "Teaching the American History Survey: An Interactive Panel Discussion of the Methods and Madness of the Survey Course" promise to breathe new life into subjects that regularly challenge educators. Teaching American History grantees and those interested in applying for a grant in the near future will also discover tips about collaboration with museums and university, liberal arts, and community college faculty at "Local Communities, American Communities: A K-16/Museum Collaboration" and "Building Meaningful K-16 Partnerships in the Teaching American History Program: A Roundtable Workshop on the Challenges and Lessons Learned by History Teachers in Northern California School Districts."

New to the meeting? Attend our "First-Timer's Session" and learn how to navigate and make the most of the Annual Meeting. In our exhibit hall, find the latest in books, lesson plans, and other teaching materials written specifically for American history teachers. Be sure to drop by the Teacher Hospitality Corner, a space set aside for K-12 teachers to relax, refresh, and meet others, including OAH representatives.

Visit with colleagues from all levels of teaching and make new connections at the Regional Receptions on Thursday evening. On Friday, pick one of the ten offsite sessions and see historic locations like Alcatraz and the Presidio, or take the time to explore the Bancroft Library or the Chinese Historical Society. Relax Friday evening with other precollegiate teachers at the Focus on Teaching reception. Saturday begins with the College Board AP breakfast and offers a luncheon for Focus on Teaching attendees, where Bruce Fehn of the University of Iowa will speak on "Privileging the Visual in Teaching American History."

For the third year in a row, thanks to the generous support of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, precollegiate teachers can apply for travel fellowships for the Annual Meeting. More than forty teachers received these awards last year. As many or more are available to cover travel expenses for this year's meeting, with grants ranging from $200 to $400. All precollegiate history teachers are eligible to apply and can find applications on the OAH web site at <http://www.oah.org/meetings/2005/travelgrants.html>. Teachers can also obtain professional development certificates at the meeting. Do not miss this unique chance to share your love of teaching and American history with colleagues from across the teaching spectrum.

Jason Groth is the OAH Program Proposal Coordinator.