Resources for NJ Educators

In recent decades, we as a nation have failed to prepare young Americans for self-government, leaving the world’s oldest constitutional democracy in grave danger, afflicted by both cynicism and nostalgia, as it approaches its 250th anniversary. The time has come to recommit to the education of our young people for informed, authentic, and engaged citizenship.”

– Educating for American Democracy, 2021

RevolutionNJ embraces this call to action and offers a variety of programs and resources for teachers and students to use in exploring the many diverse stories that are part of our past.

How You Can Participate

RevolutionNJ offers a variety of programs and resources for educators to use in the classroom or for professional development. This includes programs such as History Happened Here, educational resources and lesson plans that dive into our A Bundle of Silences: Reimagining Interpretive Approaches to the Past video series, and the Perfect Partners: Public History and K-12 Education webinar series.

The list of programs and teaching resources will continue to grow as we develop educational initiatives statewide for RevolutionNJ. Check this space often for new resources and sign up for our newsletter to stay updated.

The launch of RevolutionNJ’s History Happened Here program is coming in 2024! History Happened Here will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States as students (grades 5 to 12) engage in local historical research, including visits to public history sites to access key primary and secondary sources and gain a better sense of place. Learn more about the initiative by watching the webinar and exploring the following resources below. Any questions concerning History Happened Here can be directed towards Bob Fenster at robert.fenster@sos.nj.gov.

Roadmap to History Happened Here

Here are some guidelines and expectations for participants.

HISTORY HAPPENED HERE

Grades 5-12

NJ Social Studies Student Learning Standards (Grades 9-12)

Teachers may design History Happened Here assignments to align with one or several of these standards depending on the course and time of year.

Guidelines to Public History Site Videos

RevolutionNJ will be sharing videos from an array of public history sites giving students an idea of what to expect when they go to your site and what kind of resources are available.

“A Bundle of Silences: Reimagining Interpretive Approaches to the Past”

Lesson Plans and Educational Resources for Teachers

GRADES 8-12

Lesson Plan 1

This lesson precedes the A Bundle of Silences video series to stimulate interest and skills to critically analyze knowledge and question preconceptions.

Lesson Plan 2

This lesson plan connects to the “Historical Process,” webinar by Dr. Edward Gonzalez-Tennant in the A Bundle of Silences professional development series.

Political Participation Educational Resources

Lesson Plan 3

This lesson plan connects to the “Movement of People” webinar by Dr. Kathleen Lopez in the A Bundle of Silences professional development series.

Educator Videos for Commemorating the 250th

This is a recording of a session for grade 8-12 teachers, history organizations, and social studies providers to learn more about available sources for teaching the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The "Perfect Partners: Public History and K-12 Education" series focuses on how teachers can prepare for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. with resources from RevolutionNJ and by connecting to local sources (historic sites, archives, museums, libraries, historical societies, etc.) in their communities.

Resources

Resources From Our Partners and around the Field:

 

Contact Us

For questions regarding New Jersey’s Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution or RevolutionNJ, please contact: