Institutes & Workshops

The American Civil War Museum provides comprehensive Teacher Institutes and Workshops to help educators create an engaging Civil War learning experience for their students. These workshops are designed to equip teachers with the necessary teaching techniques and resources to effectively teach the complexities of the Civil War, its causes, and its consequences.
By participating, teachers can broaden their knowledge and gain insights into the Civil War, making it easier for them to develop engaging and effective lesson plans that will inspire and motivate their students.

Teachers Institute
June 11-12, 2024

Worth A Thousand Words

This event is full and registration is closed.

Funding for this institute is provided by the Greater Lynchburg Community Foundation, the Walter J. Payne Foundation, and the Williams Companies Foundation.

This institute is open to teachers in grades K-12 in Lynchburg, VA and the surrounding counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell.

Elementary, middle, or high school educators teaching in a public, private, or home environment who desire to broaden their knowledge of the American Civil War are invited to attend. The Teachers Institute seeks participants from diverse grade levels and school settings with a wide range of personal interests.

Worth A Thousand Words

ABOUT

Discover an interdisciplinary approach to teaching the Civil War in this two-day workshop. On day one at the Maier Museum of Art, we will see how science can be integrated into the history curriculum to provide a richer understanding of the difficulties facing armies in the field as Trevor Steinbach, President of the Society of Civil War Surgeons, leads an exploration of Civil War Medicine. On day two at ACWM-Appomattox, young adult author, Tanya Anderson, will use her works, exploring the experiences of young people during the Civil War, to demonstrate how teachers can help their students relate to the past. Each day will consist of instruction time, breakout sessions, museum exploration, and a field trip to a local site. Lunch will be provided each day.

At the end of the institute, teachers will receive a certificate of completion for 14 hours of instruction, an informational packet, and a $50 gift card to be used for the purchase of classroom supplies.

This two-day institute is free and lunch is provided each day.

FEATURED SCHOLARS

Tanya Anderson is an award-winning author and editor of books for young readers. She has worked for more than twenty years in various editorial functions for Pages Publishing Group, Guideposts for Teens, SRA/McGraw-Hill, Darby Creek Publishing, and School Street Media, her own business. Anderson is the author of more than thirty books published in children’s and educational book markets. Her Civil War books, Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg and Gunpowder Girls: The True Stories of Three Civil War Tragedies are griping nonfiction books for young readers. Both received excellent reviews, were Junior Library Guild Selections, and Benjamin Franklin Award gold medalists.

Trevor Steinbach, Ed.D, is a native of Illinois and a lifelong educator. Over the span of his career, he taught high school history and English and served as an elementary school principal. He has a passion for Civil War medicine and has provided historical interpretation at more than 800 events in Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Iowa. He has published 210 articles on medicine in the Civil War Courier national publication and has been a consultant about medical history for films. He is also the President of the Society of Civil War Surgeons, which provides seminars and support for medical reenactors and historians.

How to apply?

Submit a completed application through the Google Form below and email a personal essay explaining why you want to attend, how you’ll contribute, and what you hope to learn to khancock@acwm.org.

APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED UNTIL THE INSTITUTE IS FILLED. APPLICANTS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THEIR STATUS WITHIN A WEEK OF SUBMITTING THEIR APPLICATIONS.

QUESTIONS?
CONTACT KELLY HANCOCK, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS AT 
KHANCOCK@ACWM.ORG.