Social Studies Department

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Teaching American History Grant
Bringing History to Life

In partenership with the Nash Museum and the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society.

Background

The Teaching American History Grant program is funded under Title II-C, Subpart 4 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The program is designed to raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge and understanding for traditional U.S. History by supporting professional development for teachers in American History. In order to receive a grant, a local educational agency must agree to partner with one or more of the following: institutions of higher education, nonprofit history or humanities organizations, libraries, or museums.

Bringing History to Life Project

The Buffalo City School District has embraced the importance of teaching traditional American history as a separate, yet integrated, component within the New York State core social studies curriculum. The Bringing History to Life Grant program will assist the Buffalo City School District, in partnership with the University at Buffalo’s Departments of History and Learning and Instruction, to establish a multi-year professional development model for teachers of American History. The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and Michigan Street Preservation Society (Nash House Museum) will also provide regional expertise for this project.

History to Life Project Learning Kits

Unique to the Bringing History to Life project is the development of American History teaching and learning kits for grades 4, 5, 7 and 8. The kits will include primary and secondary sources, teaching activities and classroom assessments that may be used with children of varying academic abilities. Participants in this grant will engage in an intense one week Summer Institute and monthly in-services during the school year.

The Nash Museum is in tribute to the Reverend J. Edward Nash, Sr. and his work.

Reverend J. Edward Nash, Sr. was the pastor of the Michigan Street Baptist Church from 1892-1953. Reverend Nash’s statewide and national reputation allowed him to host national civil rights leaders like Booker T. Washington. W.E.B. DuBois and many others. A wealth of speeches, notes and letters have been preserved highlighting Buffalo Niagara’s importance to the nation’s civil rights movement.