Teaching Hudson Valley Diversity

Culture, History, and Nature 1609-2009

FDR National Historic Site & Presidential Library, Hyde Park

July 29-31, Program Overview

TUESDAY, JULY 29    COLONIAL DUTCH TOLERANCE: REALLY?

Essential questions: Did a Dutch "ethic" of tolerance shape the Valley's culture and identity?  If so, how?  What were its limits?

9 TO 10:15 A.M.            WELCOME, INTRODUCTIONS, OPENING TALK

Finding the Reality of Dutch Tolerance in Hudson Valley Society requires an appreciation of the culture and mores the Dutch brought to the "new" world.  Consequently, this talk will begin with 17th century Dutch society, often described as tolerant and freedom loving.  Next, we will explore whether religious differences, personal attitudes, government regulations - or all three - affected how New Netherlanders looked at women and "strangers" such as Indians, Jews, African slaves, and Quakers.  Did Dutch tolerance help form the Valley's cultural identity and, if so, during what period and to what degree?  Did it change over time, and if so, why?  Martha Dickinson Shattuck, editor, New Netherland Project, www.nnp.org

10:30 A.M. TO 12:30 P.M.        WORKSHOPS

1. Biodiversity 101: What It Is.  Why It's Important.  What makes something biologically diverse?  Why should anyone care about biodiversity?  These are just some of the questions we will tackle in this primer on biodiversity in our region.  The workshop will include a short hike to observe local habitats and discuss conservation issues facing these areas; please dress appropriately.  Michael Rubbo, Ph.D., director, environmental stewardship, Teatown Lake Reservation, www.teatown.org.

2. Diversity and Coexistence in New York, 1664-1776.  This workshop will ask how the colony's diverse peoples learned to coexist -- creating a society with many features of contemporary pluralism -- despite differences in ethnic origin and religious belief.  Our inquiry will lead us to consider several factors including the New Netherland Dutch legacy in dealing with heterogeneous populations, the strength of anti-Catholic feeling, the significance of the presence of enslaved Africans, and the limitations of the British system of religious toleration.  Joyce Goodfriend, professor of history, University of Denver; author, Before the Melting Pot: Society and Culture in Colonial New York City, 1664-1730  Goodfriend_Bibliography.  See a short clip with Ms. Goodfriend talking about women in Dutch New York .

3. Women in New Netherland.  The workshop will start with some background on women's place in Holland and how the home culture transferred to New Netherland  We'll explore the daily lives of women as mothers, wives, spinsters and widows, as well as merchants, traders, bakers, tavern owners, and interpreters during the Dutch period.  Finally, we will discuss what happened once the English became dominant in the "new" world.  A bibliography will be available.  Martha Dickinson Shattuck, editor, New Netherland Project Shattuck Bibliography

4. Religious Tolerance (or not) in the Dutch Colonies.  Eric Roth, Historic Huguenot Street, www.huguenotstreet.org.

2 TO 4 P.M.             WORKSHOPS

1. FDR's "Dutchness:" At Home in the Hudson Valley.  Franklin Roosevelt, a proud son of our region and descendant of early Dutch settlers, used his personal heritage as a metaphor for a popular understanding of the Dutch as practical, tolerant, prosperous, and home loving.  For FDR they represented "endurance against great odds - a quality of quiet determination to conquer obstacles of nature and obstacles of man."  His consistent message was of shared kinship writ large on a national, and ultimately, international scale, encouraging people to work together to overcome the enormous challenges of the Great Depression and World War II.  Cynthia Koch, director, FDR Presidential Library and Museum.  www.FDRLibrary.Marist.edu

2. The Mannahatta Project: Exploratory Education for the Quadricentennial.  What was New York like on the eve of European exploration?  We use history, ecology, geography, and Native American studies to imagine the environment before Hudson's 1609 arrival.  Mannahatta, the Lenape name for the island, was typical of nature throughout the Northeast in the 1700s.  This session will introduce project methods, results to-date, and actively demonstrate ways to use findings with students.  Amanda Huron, curriculum development specialist, and Eric Sanderson, scientist and associate director, Living Landscapes Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, www.wcs.org/swhigh_tech_tools/landscapeecology/mannahatta

3. Plantation on the Hudson: Helping Students Come to Grips with Slavery.  Philipsburg Manor's innovative programs actively involve visitors in interpreting 18th-century enslavement.  Workshop participants will: (1) get an overview of slavery in the North; (2) hear about ways to help students confront history; (3) learn about and engage in activities from Philipsburg Manor's document-based programs; (4) leave with ideas appropriate for a variety of students.  In addition, the presenters will discuss the Manor's art contest based on runaway slave advertisements and other programs.  (Most appropriate for secondary educators.)  Thom Thacker, director; Michael Lord, associate director, Philipsburg Manor, www.hudsonvalley.org/content/view/14/44/

4. Voyage of Discovery: An Exploration of Hudson Valley Indian Life Before, During, and After European Contact is the title of a new fourth grade curriculum and resource guide covering geography, environmental studies, native and European cultures, and trade interactions from 1550-1750.  Participants will learn about the user-friendly, reproducible materials and the New Netherland Museum's traveling, hands-on, interactive program examining technology used by early native cultures along with 17th century navigational tools and instruments.  Steve Linehan, Albany middle school teacher; Chip Reynolds, captain, Half Moon replica, and Steve Weisse, New Netherland Museum, www.newnetherland.org

4 TO 5 P.M.  

THV GRANTEES' ORIENTATION with Debi Duke, THV coordinator; Bethany White, educator, John Jay Homestead, (2007-08 grantee); Christina Apkarian, financial assistant, THV's parent, Hudson River Valley Nat'l Heritage Area     

FREE TOURS, ROOSEVELT-VANDERBILT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30    MANY PEOPLES, ONE VALLEY

Essential questions:  What interactions, connections, and interdependencies existed between various racial, ethnic, and religious groups living in the Valley?  How were these groups similar and different in their relationship to the land and landscapes?

9 TO 10:15 A.M.    GROUPS BEHIND THV: WHY PLACE-BASED EDUCATION? 

with Mark Castiglione, Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area/Greenway Conservancy; Jim Johnson, Hudson River Valley Institute at Marist College; Sarah Olson, National Park Service, and Steve Stanne, Hudson River Estuary Program, NY State Department of Environmental Conservation. 

10:30 A.M. TO 12:15 P.M.    WORKSHOPS

1. Agricultural Influences.  Farming has been important to the Hudson Valley for centuries.  It remains vital today, and is a window on history.  Agriculture developed and evolved as settlers encountered each other and indigenous peoples.  This workshop will explore farming in the Valley from about 1600-1800 looking, in particular, at what agricultural practices tell us about relations among different groups of people and their links to the land and the environment.  In addition, we will look at the implications of historical practices, relationships, and values on farming today.  Linda Oehler-Marx and Allison Mitchell, Woodstock Day School teachers, 2006-07 grantees.  Browse Lessons to see their units, "A Deeper Shade of Green" and "Agriculture in the Valley, Grades 3-6." 

2. Exploring the importance of biodiversity on the banks of the river that flows two ways: Visions of our past, present, and future.  This session will explore how the region's diverse wildlife and habitats have changed since the arrival of Europeans.  Participants will learn how early land-use may have shaped ecological communities we see today, and how those communities may fare in the face of urbanization and global climate change.  Finally, we will demonstrate ways to track and monitor wildlife that are inexpensive, easy, and can be incorporated into teaching.  Amielle DeWan, research associate, Natural Resources, Cornell University

3. Vanishing Characters: The Last of the Mohicans and the (Re)Creation of Race and Culture in Early New York.  James Fenimore Cooper's novel, published in 1824, set stereotypes for white American understandings of the colonial past.  His descriptions of Indians, frontiersmen, imperial agents, and women interweave reality and fictions of race, class, and action.  This talk will analyze types from the novel, e.g., "noble savage" and "backwoodsman" and recover the individuals beneath the stereotypes.  Then we'll discuss why Cooper created these characters and how they shape(d) understandings of the past.  Christian Ayne Crouch, assistant professor of history, Bard College, http://inside.bard.edu/historicalstudies/faculty/#Christian%20Ayne_Crouch/

4. When Cultures Collide: The Native Esopus People and their Encounter with European Colonialism is a new curriculum based on local records and artifacts from the Ulster County Clerk's Office, the Senate House Museum, Historic Huguenot Street, and SUNY New Paltz.  The author will introduce the unit, which emphasizes analysis and interpretation, while addressing ELA and social studies standards for the early grades.  Participants will receive free copies of the curriculum including a CD on the role of archaeology in studying the past.  The New York State Archives funded development and this distribution of the curriculum.  Susan Stessin-Cohn, independent historian and archives specialist, Historic Huguenot Street, www.huguenotstreet.org

1:15 TO 2:30        ARM OF THE SEA THEATER:  Performance Pathways of Art & Ecology. 

The troupe will discuss its upcoming production, Mutual Strangers: HenryHudson and the River that Discovered Him, and perform selections from its current Hudson River show, At the Turning of the Tide. Known for its contemporary works of mask and puppet theatre, the company fuses visual storytelling with live music in a potent, magic realist style.           www.armofthesea.org

2:45 TO 4:30 P.M.    WORKSHOPS

1. Before and After the Zebra Mussel.  While most of us know about the invasion of the zebra mussel, the dramatic changes it has caused in the river's food web are not as familiar.  Looking at plankton with a microscope, participants will learn about the Hudson's food web and then use data to create diagrams showing changes caused by the zebra mussel.  This lesson is geared towards teaching high school students about food webs while exploring changes in biodiversity resulting from invasive species, but could easily be adapted for lower grades.  Cornelia ‘Lia' Harris, coordinator, Changing Hudson Project, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, www.ecostudies.org

2. Hudson River Panorama: 400 Years of History, Art and Culture is a special exhibit (February 7, 2009 to January 3, 2010) featuring historical artifacts, works of art, and written records from the collections of the Albany Institute of History & Art.  The exhibit will highlight natural history and the environment and give voice to diverse peoples who lived in the presence of the river.  This workshop will provide an overview of the exhibition and preview related professional development opportunities and object based lesson plans.  W. Douglas McCombs, curator of history, and Erika Sanger, director of education, Albany Institute of History and Art, two-time THV grantee, www.albanyinstitute.org 

3. Walking in Someone Else's Shoes.  Explore European, Native American, and African children's lives in Colonial New York through hands-on activities and reflective journal writing.  Participants will learn how hands-on activities enrich students' understanding of ethnically diverse groups and lifestyles.  From chores, to education, to recreation, experience life by walking in the shoes of colonial children.  Andrea Boccio-Doran, Title 1/K-5 math/reading teacher, and Sue Peluse and Cindy Slayton, 4th grade inclusion teachers, Krieger Elementary, Poughkeepsie City Schools, 2007-08 THV grantees

4. Weaving People and Place Together: Telling the Biodiversity Story at Sam's Point Preserve.  Learn how The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is putting people into the "biodiversity story" with programs at Sam's Point Preserve in the Shawangunk Mountains.  Using oral histories from Ellenville's senior citizens, field studies, artifacts, and local historic newspaper accounts, TNC is teaching students and the community about fire's important role in preserving biodiversity and building support for management of globally rare fire-dependent species at the Preserve.  Cara Lee, director, and Heidi Wagner, preserve manager, Shawangunk Ridge Program; Jennifer Gilles, science teacher, Ellenville MS, and Emma Sears, environmental educator,  2007-08 THV grantees, www.nature.org

4:30 TO 5:30 P.M.     FREE TOURS, ROOSEVELT-VANDERBILT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES

THURSDAY, JULY 31    BEYOND TOLERANCE

Essential questions:  What do we know about diversity and tolerance in today's Valley?  Can/ should schools play a role in moving us beyond tolerance to acceptance and equity?  If so, what should educators know and do and how should they prepare for the future? 

9-10:30 A.M.        DISCUSSION -- BEYOND TOLERANCE: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT DIVERSITY IN TODAY'S VALLEY & WHAT IT MEANS FOR EDUCATORS

Barbara Carvalho, David Kallick, and Lee Miringoff will describe their research into the Valley's current and future demographic trends including findings on education and the state of relations among racial and ethnic groups, new residents and old.  Felipa Gaudet, kindergarten teacher, and Aviva Kafka, principal, at a Hyde Park elementary school, will reflect on what these findings mean for educators who want to welcome and serve all children and their families.

Aviva and Felipa's school has been recognized as "gap closing" by New York State and last year, Felipa was runner up to NYSED's Teacher of the Year.  Barbara is director of the Marist Poll and Lee is director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion; they conducted the Dyson Foundation's 2007 survey, "Many Voices, One Valley."  David is a fellow at the Fiscal Policy Institute and lead author of "Working for a Better Life: A Profile of Immigrants in the New York State Economy."

10:45 TO 12:30 P.M.    WORKSHOPS

1. Children, Education, and Recent Immigrants to the Hudson Valley.  Bring questions to this informal discussion.  Possible topics:  Are new immigrants learning English; how long does it take?  What jobs do immigrants do and what are the ranges of their education and income levels?  How do new immigrants feel about their children's schools; how can we support involvement?  What immigration trends or patterns should educators know about?  What organizations or other resources can help teachers, historic site staff, and environmentalists learn about and connect with immigrants in their communities?  David Kallick, senior fellow, Fiscal Policy Institute.  See David's Power Point at http://www.fiscalpolicy.org/immigration HudsonValley.pdf. 

2. Incredible Journeys: Building Elementary Curriculum from Immigrant Students' Experiences.  This workshop will explore ways to integrate immigrant students' rich and diverse experiences into elementary classroom and art curriculum.  The presenters will share resources, activities, and practical strategies we use successfully to encourage immigrant students and families to share their stories and valuable cultural backgrounds.  Felipa Gaudet, kindergarten, Tomi Nonemacher, art, and Paige Kelly, grade 4, Violet Avenue ES, Hyde Park

3. Planning for Biodiversity in Hudson Valley Communities.  The Hudson Valley supports rich biological diversity, including more than 2,000 species of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.  Connecting New York City and the state capital, the region is also desirable habitat for humans.  This workshop will ask how we can be stewards of our natural heritage as our communities continue to grow and develop.  We will discuss important considerations for biodiversity conservation, resources available to assist concerned citizens with land use planning, and conservation success stories.  Laura Heady, bio-diversity outreach coordinator, NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program, www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5096.html  

1:30 TO 3:15 P.M.    WORKSHOPS

1. Acknowledging and Celebrating Difference: Meeting the Needs of Farm Worker and Immigrant Children and Families.  Participants will sample strategies designed to help them better serve farm worker and immigrant children in their schools and communities.  We also will engage in activities to identify, acknowledge, and celebrate differences without valuing some over others.  "Constructive Conversations," a model for community dialogue, will be used to discuss participants' experiences with immigration and difference.  Margaret Gutierrez, director, Mid Hudson Migrant Education Outreach Program, & Maryellen Whittington-Couse, diversity specialist, NY State Migrant Education Diversity Project

2. Fostering Achievement through Equity for All.  This session will focus on strategies that foster democratic classrooms and culturally responsive teaching.  Participants will examine existing patterns of curriculum and instruction and learn ways to make them more engaging, multicultural, and gender fair.  Beverly Braxton, classroom teacher, Warwick Valley Central School District

3. Religion and Respect in the Classroom.  A brief multimedia presentation will introduce participants to the research findings of college students who were part of a seminar called "World Religions in the Hudson Valley."  The students conducted fieldwork at local religious establishments of many faiths.  A facilitated discussion on teaching about and understanding locally practiced religions -- including ways to cultivate respect that transcends tolerance among students of all ages -- will follow.  Bring questions and ideas.  Kristin Scheible, assistant professor of religion, Bard College, http://inside.bard.edu/religion/faculty/

4. Using Biodiversity Data in Classrooms: Practical Lesson Plans.  A wealth of information about the diversity of living things in the Hudson Valley is readily available on the web.  This session will explore the teaching of science, math, and geography using data from the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas, the state Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, and fish data collected by students on Hudson River Snapshot Day.  ES and MS lessons based on these resources will be available.  Steve Stanne, interpretive specialist, and Chris Bowser, science educator, Hudson River Estuary Program, www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html and www.nerrs.noaa.gov/HudsonRiver

3:30 to 4:30 p.m.    THV'S COMMUNITY: APPLYING FOR GRANTS, SUBMITTING LESSONS

FREE TOURS, ROOSEVELT-VANDERBILT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES