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National Council for Social
Studies Hosts Genocide Education Workshop
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Teachers attend The
Genocide Education Project's workshop during NCSS
Conference in Houston, Texas |
At the 88th annual conference of
the National Council for Social Studies, The Genocide Education
Project brought educational resources about the Armenian
Genocide to the country's history teachers.
Through a packed workshop and
informational booth at the George R. Brown Convention Center in
Houston, Texas, teachers were exposed to a wide range of
historical and educational materials they can use to incorporate
the Armenian Genocide into their classes on WWI, genocide, or
human rights.
Each year for the past 6 years,
The Genocide Education Project has provided NCSS participants
with a different workshop theme and new lesson plans and
instructional materials on the Armenian Genocide.
"The NCSS organization is like the
beating heart of the Social Studies education community in the
in this country," said Raffi Momjian, Executive Director of The
Genocide Education Project. "The teachers who attend this
conference are committed to giving their students the best and
most broad understanding of history, in order to equip them to
be productive citizens. Each year, we welcome this opportunity
to educate more teachers about this important piece of history,
and we're confident that those we have reached will take the
lessons of the Armenian Genocide back to their communities and
their classrooms."
This year's workshop, "Deadly
Days: Studying Events that Sparked Select Genocides," was
developed and presented by Sara Cohan, the Genocide Education
Project’s Education Director. Drawing attention to the 70th
anniversary of Kristallnacht (the event that sparked the
Holocaust), the workshop led more than sixty teachers from
schools from around the country through a study of the parallel
events that marked the onset of the Armenian, Jewish, and
Rwandan genocides. Using historical documents including
government orders and news reports, and exploring the key causes
of genocide and its meaning, the participants learned strategies
for teaching about multiple genocides. Educators were also
provided a resource CD including practical lesson plans and
background materials (timelines, eye-witness accounts, UN
documents, government orders, news reports, etc.), and were
given guidance for locating more resources.
In addition to the workshop, The
Genocide Education Project met hundreds of teachers at its
informational booth, discussing the importance of addressing the
subject of genocide and the particular case of the Armenian
Genocide, explaining the various resources available, and
distributing educational materials.
The Genocide Education Project,
whose motto is, "Learning the Past, Building the Future," is a
nonprofit organization established in 2004, to assist educators
in teaching about human rights and genocide, particularly the
Armenian Genocide. The organization has developed and
distributed a variety of lesson plans, including online,
interactive lessons, and hosts educational workshops for school
district administrators, teachers, and students. Educators and
students are welcome to use The Genocide Education Projects
"cyber resource library" at
www.TeachGenocide.com.
The National Council for Social
Studies was founded in 1921 and is the largest US association
devoted solely to social studies education. It is organized into
more than 110 affiliated state, local, and regional councils,
and its members represent K-12 classroom teachers, college and
university faculty members, curriculum designers and
specialists, and leaders in the various social studies
disciplines. NCSS defines social studies as "the integrated
study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic
competence."
The Genocide Education
Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that
assists educators in teaching about human rights and genocide,
particularly the Armenian Genocide, by developing and
distributing instructional materials, providing access to
teaching resources and organizing educational workshops. |
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