Summer Institute for Teachers

Summer Teachers Institute

There are currently no plans for a 2025 Summer Teacher's Institute but stay tuned to this page and ISRE's social media accounts for future opportunities for K-12 teachers.

Discover a wealth of lesson plans on the Reconstruction Era made by South Carolina teachers for South Carolina classrooms from the 2023 and 2024 Summer Institutes:

RECONSTRUCTION LESSON PLANS

History of the Summer Teachers Institute

Summer institutes were held in 2023 and 2024 as a partnership between the Institute with the Study of the Reconstruction Era (ISRE) and the South Carolina Council for African American Social Studies (SCCAAS) under the name “Sins of Omission: Beaufort, South Carolina, Civil War and Reconstruction.” During the week-long institutes South Carolina teachers were exposed to historic sites and primary sources that would help illuminate the rich history of the Reconstruction Era in South Carolina. Historical experts and curriculum specialists assisted participants craft lesson plans that have since been made available online and can be used by teachers in classrooms throughout the state.

The Summer Institute began in 2015 as “America’s Reconstruction: The Untold Story” and was initially funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities as a multi-week professional development opportunity for teachers from across the nation. The three week program combined field trips and seminars by top historians to help illuminate the complicated and compelling story of Reconstruction in Beaufort, South Carolina. 

ISRE works with many wonderful partners for our Summer Teachers Institutes including, but not limited to, the SC Council for African American Social Studies, Reconstruction Era National Historic Park, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Penn Center, the Mather Institute, First African Baptist Church, Tabernacle Baptist Church, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (Edward Wallace Camp #21) and many others including Beaufort-area historians, community leaders and cultural heritage experts.

 

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