The goal of Driven to Teach is to make American history come alive in the classroom by taking Utah public school teachers to important historical sites. The hands-on seminars are designed to inform, inspire, and support excellent classroom teaching.

If you are a passionate teacher that really wants to help your students understand the significance of our past and how it applies to our future, we want to hear from you.

Foundations of America: Colonial America and the Revolution in Boston

Dates of Seminar: June 25-July 1, 2012

Content Specialist: Dr. Jay Buckley, Associate Professor, BYU

Pedagogy Specialist: Dr. Jeff Nokes, Assistant Professor, BYU

Enduring Understanding:

Participants will analyze European colonization and settlement of North America and learn the different reasons behind colonization.
Participants will examine the economic, political, and social patterns in the development of the New England colonies.
Participants will understand the significance of the American Revolution in the development of the United States including
- the ideas and events that led to the Revolutionary movement
- factors affecting the course of the war and contributing to American victory
- the contributions of key people and groups to the Revolution
- the effects of the Revolution
Participants will assess the foundations and principles that led to the development of the Constitution, particularly the Constitutional Convention

Brief Description of Field Study

The Larry H. Miller Education Project and Zions Bank will sponsor a seven-day field study to the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions for teachers of American history. The field study will commence in Boston on June 25, and conclude in Philadelphia on July 1. The theme is “Foundations of America: Colonial America and the Revolution.” Teachers will encounter Wampanoag heritage at Plimoth Plantation, hike the Freedom Trail through historic Boston, and listen to the echoes of the shots heard around the world at Lexington and Concord. En route to Philadelphia, they will visit Historic Mystic Seaport, West Point, and Morristown National Historic Park. Time in the Philadelphia area will include experiences in the Independence Hall Historical Park, Valley Forge, and Washington’s Crossing State Historic Park. In addition to an extensive curriculum of lectures and on-site instruction, teachers will read and discuss several scholarly monographs and pedagogy publications and resources.