Education News for September 2021

Attack on York Town

This primary source is a lithograph with the engraving, "Attack on York Town." The Battle of Yorktown was the decisive battle of the American Revolution. On Sept. 28, 1781, General George Washington, leading his army with support from French allies, began the siege known as the Battle of Yorktown against British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and a contingent of 9,000 British troops at Yorktown, Virginia. On Oct. 19, 1781, the combined American and French forces defeated British troops commanded by General Charles Cornwallis. Cornwallis's surrender to General George Washington effectively ended the War and British rule over the colonies.

This source meets the 4.09 and 8.20 Tennessee social studies standards.

Discussion Questions:

1) What made the Battle of Yorktown (1781) the decisive battle of the American Revolution?

2) Who won the Battle of Yorktown?

3) What ended the Battle of Yorktown?

4) What was George Washington's role in this battle, and how did this affect his military and political future?

For more primary sources on the American Revolution from the collection at the Library & Archives, visit our website.

Education Outreach: Classroom Resources

Teachers, one of the many Education Outreach features on our website is the Classroom Resources page. Here you will find resources that may be useful to you and your students as you explore Tennessee history, American history and the use of primary sources in the classroom. Resources include lesson plans, digital breakouts, book-based lesson plans, primary source analysis questions and more.

Visit our Education Outreach: Classroom Resources page.

Discover Tennessee History Webinar Series

Discover Tennessee History will offer a seven-part webinar series for the 2021-2022 school year. Each month, beginning in September, one of the Discover Tennessee partner organizations will offer a one-hour session exploring topics in Tennessee history with related primary sources and educational resources that can be used with your students.

Click here for details to register for all seven of the 2021-2022 webinars.

Constitution Day

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day are observed each year on Sept. 17. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the US Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Penn. Citizenship Day is also celebrated each year on this date.

Click here to learn the responsibilities of being a citizen. Visit the National Constitution Center for resources to help you commemorate Constitution Day.

Stories from the 16th State: Creating Classroom Engagement with Local History

During the 225th anniversary of Tennessee statehood, the Tennessee State Library & Archives invites Tennessee teachers to attend workshops exploring our state's history. From September 2021 to June 2022, we'll offer this workshop series to educators across the state.

Focusing on the use of primary sources found in the collection of the Library & Archives, this workshop will examine Tennessee history topics from the 4th, 5th, 8th and High School American History curriculum standards for social studies.

Click here for registration information and locations for all workshops.

Tennessee Blue Book: A History of Tennessee - Student Edition

Tennessee History teachers, check out the Tennessee Blue Book: A History of Tennessee - Student Edition for student-friendly text, primary sources and assessment quizzes that tell the story of the great state of Tennessee!

New!! - Students may now take the chapter quizzes online.

Note to Educators: If you would like the answer key to these assessments, please email education.tsla@tn.gov from a school-based email address and specify which chapter(s) you want.

Advanced Placement Resources on the Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL)

Are you teaching an AP course? Using Peterson's Test and Career Prep at TEL (www.tntel.info), students can take multiple practice tests for AP US History, World History, European History, US Government and Politics and more! It's a great way to prepare for the exam. Click here to see the many practice tests offered. Students will need to sign up for a free account.

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