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This spring, Humanities Texas will hold professional development workshops throughout the state for Texas social studies and language arts teachers.

Westward Expansion

On February 1 and 2, 2017, Humanities Texas will hold two one-day teacher workshops in San Antonio and Austin focusing on the westward expansion of the United States in the nineteenth century. Topics to be addressed include innovations in transportation and communication, Manifest Destiny, the Mexican War, and Native American resistance.

Critical Reading and Engaged Writing

On February 10, 2017, Humanities Texas will hold a one-day workshop in Austin on strategies for teaching critical reading skills and designing engaging writing assignments. The workshop will provide teachers with strategies for improving students’ critical reading skills and media literacy and developing engaging writing assignments that extend students’ understanding of a variety of literary and informational texts. Workshop faculty includes Adriane Bezusko and Brian Bremen of The University of Texas at Austin, Kirsten Ostherr of Rice University, and Cathy D'Agostino, a former high school teacher who now serves as a consultant with teacher programs organized by the College Board.

Slavery, Secession, the Civil War, and Reconstruction

On February 15 and 16, 2017, Humanities Texas will hold one-day teacher workshops in Dallas and Houston focusing on slavery, secession, the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Workshop faculty includes Michael Les Benedict (The Ohio State University), Daniel Feller (University of Tennessee), and Jennifer L. Weber (University of Kansas).

Teaching Drama

On February 24, 2017, Humanities Texas will hold a one-day workshop in San Antonio on strategies for teaching dramatic texts that frequently appear in middle and high school curricula. The workshop will emphasize close interaction with scholars and the development of effective pedagogical strategies and engaging assignments and activities. Plays to be covered include Antigone, Oedipus Rex, Julius Caesar, The Crucible, and Death of a Salesman. Workshop faculty includes David Kornhaber, Elizabeth Richmond-Garza, and Paul Sullivan, all of The University of Texas at Austin.

Teachers at all workshops will receive books and other instructional materials and be trained in the examination and interpretation of primary sources. Content at all of our spring workshops will be aligned with the TEKS. For details on eligibility, substitute and travel reimbursements, and venues or to apply online, visit the Upcoming Institutes page on the Humanities Texas website.