- Upon completion of a module, e-mail CarolinaK12@unc.edu with the required information and receive a CEU certificate for the designated increment.
- Need a larger CEU increment on one form? You can combine more than one program below and request they be combined onto one certificate.
- Click “SUBSCRIBE” on the Carolina K-12/Carolina Public Humanities YouTube channel to be notified when new content is posted!
- Questions can be sent to CarolinaK12@unc.edu. Happy teaching & learning!
***Teaching Hard History: An Introduction to the WHY & HOW (.2 CEUs)***
This one-hour module explores the general importance of addressing “hard history” in effective & responsible ways in the classroom, and provides key recommendations for doing so effectively and successfully. Designed as an introductory starting point, teachers are encouraged to dive deeper and seek out additional learning opportunities post-module. (***While there are visuals throughout this module, teachers may also choose to just listen to the audio while on the move & reference visuals later.) Pair this introduction with any of the modules below for a higher CEU increment.
SEGMENTS INCLUDE:
- 0:00 – 10:27: Overview, Definitions, & Why Teach Hard History
- 10:27 – 54:35: Recommendations for How to Frame & Teach Hard History (with specific examples of classroom content/lessons)
- 54:35 – end: Preparation, Protections & Transparency
TO RECEIVE .1 CEUs:
- VIEW this 1 hour introductory session on teaching “hard history.”
- REVIEW Carolina K-12’s Tips for Tackling Sensitive History/Controversy in the Classroom. Remember, preparation is key to teaching themes such as this successfully.
- WRITE: After completing these steps, to receive .2 CEUs, e-mail CarolinaK12@unc.edu with the following information:
- In the subject line write: CEU Request
- Include your name, grade/subject taught, and school at which you teach.
- Include the name of the module you completed (Teaching Hard History Intro)
- Include the date you viewed the program recording
- Write one paragraph answering the closing questions provided at the end of the module
***NO FEAR: The Extraordinary Life & Talent of Nina Simone (.3 CEUs)***
“I’ll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear.”
Prodigy. Pianist. Songwriter. Singer. Activist. Nina Simone. Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina on February 21st, 1933, Nina Simone is an icon of American music and one of the most extraordinary artists of the twentieth century. Her activism during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s earned her the title of “Singer of the Black Revolution.”
In this installment of the William Friday Virtual Education Series, Carolina K-12 explores the incredible life and career of Nina Simone, as well as her place in every classroom, from history to ELA to music. Acclaimed musician and educator Dr. Lenora Helm Hammonds discuses Nina Simone’s life and music, from Nina’s early years growing up in North Carolina as a musical prodigy to her activism in the Civil Rights Movement.
TO RECEIVE .3 CEUs:
- READ: Visit https://www.ninasimone.com, read the short “Biography” under ABOUT, and browse the “Timeline.” (The timeline contains lots of primary source imgages and documents!) Also READ A History of Protest Music: When Nina Simone Sang What Everyone Was Thinking.
- VIEW our recorded program on Nina Simone here.
- TEACH about Nina Simone, using Carolina K-12’s lesson plan NO FEAR: The Extraordinary Artistry of Nina Simone or other materials of your choice.
- WRITE: After completing these steps, to receive .3 CEUs, e-mail CarolinaK12@unc.edu with the following information:
- In the subject line write: CEU Request
- Include your name, grade/subject taught, and school at which you teach.
- Include the name of the module you completed (Nina Simone)
- Include the date you viewed the program recording and the date you implemented a teaching activity
- Write one paragraph about what you learned/what are your “take-aways” and how you used and/or revised this material in your classroom; this should include what worked well and the impact it had on students, as well as what you might change in the future (if anything)
Additional resources that were mentioned/shared throughout the program are available here.
***Ahead of Her Time, Behind the Scenes: The Inspirational Life of Pauli Murray (.3 CEUs)***
A poet, writer, labor organizer, legal theorist, and the first African-American woman vested as an Episcopal priest. A life-long activist, who 15 years before Rosa Parks, refused to sit in the back of a bus – and who 20 years before the Greensboro Sit-Ins, organized sit-downs in Washington DC. She earned four advanced degrees and developed friendships with greats from WEB DuBois and Langston Hughes to Thurgood Marshall and Eleanor Roosevelt. She spent her life working to actualize her “single-minded intention of destroying Jim Crow,” and what she coined “Jane Crow.” And yet today, the inspirational life and empowering work of Pauli Murray remains largely unknown to many of our state’s K-12 students. This program, featuring excerpts from readings of the play “To Buy the Sun: The Challenge of Pauli Murray,” by Lynden Harris, discussion with UNC-Chapel Hill scholars Dr. William Sturkey and Kathryn Hunter Williams, elevates the incredible experiences and accomplishments of Rev. Pauli Murray, who was “both ahead of her time and behind the scenes (New Yorker).”
TO RECEIVE .3 CEUs:
Additional resources that were mentioned/shared throughout the program are available here.
***Exploring The High Cost of “Cheap”: The Hamlet, NC Imperial Foods Factory Fire of 1991 (.4 CEUs)***
While the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is known as one of the most infamous incidents in American industrial, less attention has been paid to the September 3, 1991 fire that swept through an Imperial Foods chicken processing plant in Hamlet, North Carolina – in which 25 of the 81 working died, and twice as many were injured. The plant had no working sprinklers or alarms, and the emergency exits were locked from the outside. This program examines this recent event in North Carolina history and discusses how deregulation, the demand for cheap labor and cheap goods, and cultures of silence and intimidation in a low-wage employment environments depreciated workers’ lives. Playwright Howard Craft, author of the acclaimed play Orange Light, which poignantly focused on the human stories involved and impacted by the plant fire and the working conditions experienced beforehand, provides readings of play excerpts as a reminder of the importance of empathy and humanization.
TO RECEIVE .4 CEUs:
***A “Reign of Terror” in North Carolina: Wyatt Outlaw, the Kirk-Holden War, & the KKK Hearings (.3 CEUs)***
In January 1871, the US Congress convened a committee which took testimony from witnesses about Klan atrocities across the American South. The results were published in 1872 in a 13 volume “Report of the Joint Select Committee Appointed to Inquire in to the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States.” Volume II contains the testimony taken by the committee in relation to North Carolina, as well as the report of the trials in the United States circuit court held in Raleigh. These primary sources paint a jarring, yet little known picture of our state’s past. In this program, historians shine a light on this historical record and explore the activities of the KKK and other hate groups in late-1800s North Carolina, the state and national governmental responses, and ultimately, the KKK testimonies and trials themselves. We will also examine the complex ways this history is still with us today, including the recent invocation of the resulting 1871 KKK Act in a federal lawsuit. Provided by Carolina K-12, North Carolina Museum of History, and Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition.
TO RECEIVE .3 CEUs:
- READ The life and tragic death of Wyatt Outlaw and N.C. state senate pardons governor who stood up to Klan, then WATCH Remembering Wyatt Outlaw (4 min. news segment.)
- VIEW our recorded program on Wilmington 1898 here. (Please note presenter LeRae Umfleet’s audio is inconsistent at points. A copy of her PPT is available here.)
- REVIEW Carolina K-12’s Tips for Tackling Sensitive History/Controversy in the Classroom. Remember, preparation is key to teaching themes such as this successfully.
- TEACH about these topics using Carolina K-12’s lesson plan From Wyatt Outlaw to the “Kirk Holden War”
- WRITE: After completing these steps, to receive .3 CEUs, e-mail CarolinaK12@unc.edu with the following information:
- In the subject line write: CEU Request
- Include your name, grade/subject taught, and school at which you teach.
- Include the name of the module you completed (Wyatt Outlaw, the Kirk Holden War, & the KKK)
- Include the date you viewed the program recording and the date you implemented a teaching activity
- Write one paragraph about how you used and/or revised this material in your classroom, including what worked well and the impact it had on students, as well as what you might change in the future (if anything)
Additional resources that were mentioned/shared throughout the program are available here.
***Network to Freedom: Exploring the Agency, Resistance & Resilience of NC’s Freedom Seekers (1.0 CEUs)***
For enslaved people throughout the history of North Carolina and America, freedom was not something that was simple or gained overnight. And while we often think of slavery in only a binary (that people were either enslaved or they were free) below the surface of the brutal and inhumane period of chattel slavery, there was more complexity as well as community. From the enslaved North Carolinians who sought and/or defined freedom for themselves, to those free and enslaved who assisted freedom seekers in escaping, to the rich and complex communities that were formed between enslaved and free people, a wholly accurate understanding of this period must include attention to the various ways Black people strove to experience varied concepts of freedom through their individual and collective agency, resistance, and resilience. In this seminar, hosted by NC African American Heritage Commission and Carolina K-12, along with NC Historic Sites, and in partnership with the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom and others, we explore this rich history, including: North Carolina’s Underground Railroad network, the rich Maritime communities free and enslaved Blacks formed, maroon settlements, the role of North Carolina’s rivers in seeking freedom, the assistance of Quaker communities to freedom seekers, and the role of Black people in aiding and supporting one another throughout both enslavement and freedom. As noted by Dr. Hasan Jeffries, “Trapped in an unimaginable hell, enslaved people forged unbreakable bonds with one another. Indeed, no one knew better the meaning and importance of family and community than the enslaved. They fought back too, in the field and in the house, pushing back against enslavers in ways that ranged from feigned ignorance to flight and armed rebellion. There is no greater hope to be found in American history than in African Americans’ resistance to slavery.” North Carolina’s rich and complex history of freedom seeking, in both overt and subtle ways, is testament to such hope.
TO RECEIVE 1.0 CEUs:
- READ the articles and sites listed under “Pre-Readings” on this page.
- VIEW our recorded program here.
- REVIEW Carolina K-12’s Tips for Tackling Sensitive History/Controversy in the Classroom. Remember, preparation is key to teaching themes such as this successfully.
- TEACH about these topics using one or more of Carolina K-12’s lesson plans, including:
- WRITE: After completing these steps, to receive 1.0 CEUs, e-mail CarolinaK12@unc.edu with the following information:
- In the subject line write: CEU Request
- Include your name, grade/subject taught, and school at which you teach.
- Include the name of the module you completed (Network to Freedom)
- Include the date you viewed the program recording and the date you implemented a teaching activity
- Write one paragraph about how you used and/or revised this material in your classroom, including what worked well and the impact it had on students, as well as what you might change in the future (if anything)
Additional resources that were mentioned/shared throughout the program are available here.
***Wilmington 1898: The Hidden History of An American Coup D’État (.6 CEUs)***
On November 10, 1898, the only successful coup d’état ever to take place on American soil began with the torching of a black owned newspaper in Wilmington, North Carolina, and ended with white supremacists overthrowing the local government. The coup was the culmination of a white supremacy and propaganda campaign waged all across the state, designed to strip black men of the right to vote, remove them from public office, and stoke fear. Throughout the events of 1898 and after, at least 60 (and possibly hundreds) of black men were murdered, and more than 2,100 African Americans were banished or fled the city, turning a black-majority town known as a symbol of black hope and progress, into a stronghold of white supremacy. In this session, three award-winning historians, authors and experts on this period – LeRae Umfleet, David Cecelski, and Dr. Freddie Parker – discuss the events leading up to and taking place during the Wilmington coup, as well as discuss the lasting legacy of this little known history. After a brief presentation from each panelist, they answer and discuss questions posed by attending educators. During the second half of the session professors of education Lisa Brown Buchanan (Elon University) and Cara Ward (UNC-W), as well as middle school teacher Cori Greer-Banks, discuss strategies for teaching 1898 Wilmington, teaching “hard history” in general, as well as the challenges teachers often face in this work.
TO RECEIVE .6 CEUs:
- READ: a) The Ghosts of 1898: Wilmington’s Race Riot & the Rise of White Supremacy, followed by b.) The Summer of the Red Shirts.
- VIEW our recorded program on Wilmington 1898 here. (Please note presenter LeRae Umfleet’s audio is inconsistent at points. A copy of her PPT is available here. Additionally, a longer/more in-depth version of LeRae’s lecture is also available by viewing our program “Democracy on the Line: Hope, Hostility & Lasting Legacies.”)
- REVIEW Carolina K-12’s Tips for Tackling Sensitive History/Controversy in the Classroom. Remember, preparation is key to teaching themes such as this successfully.
- TEACH about 1898 using our lessons (full or modified) such as The Wilmington Coup of 1898 or Exploring 1898 Wilmington with CROW, a novel for young adults, or by using any of the strategies discussed in the recorded program.
- WRITE: After completing these steps, to receive .6 CEUs, e-mail CarolinaK12@unc.edu with the following information:
- In the subject line write: CEU Request
- Include your name, grade/subject taught, and school at which you teach.
- Include the name of the module you completed (Wilmington 1898)
- Include the date you viewed the program recording and the date you implemented a teaching activity
- Write one paragraph about how you used and/or revised this material in your classroom, including what worked well and the impact it had on students, as well as what you might change in the future (if anything)
Additional resources that were mentioned/shared throughout the 1898 Wilmington event can be found here.
A recording of a discussion with the director and several actors from the film The Red Cape, a dramatization about Wilmington 1898, is also available here.
***Rifles, Radio & Resistance: Robert F. Williams & the Black Freedom Movement (.6 CEUs)***
While our history books usually include a watered-down version of the American Civil Rights Movement and its use of non-violent direct action, little attention is paid to the courageous resistance to white supremacy enacted by men such as North Carolina’s Robert F. Williams. The defiance of Mr. Williams and thousands of other activists, including the partnership of his wife Mabel, illustrates how black Southerners were prepared to defend themselves, their families, their homes, and their rights however necessary – including armed self-defense. In this session, we will examine the influences, philosophies, leadership, and action of Robert F. Williams, which as written by Dr. Tim Tyson, “illustrates that ‘the civil rights movement’ and ‘the Black Power movement’ emerged from the same soil, confronted the same predicaments, and reflected the same quest for African American freedom.
TO RECEIVE .6 CEUs:
- READ: Robert F. Williams, “Black Power,” and the Roots of the African American Freedom Struggle
- LISTEN: This 3-hour interview with Mabel Williams, wife and partner of Robert Williams, is an incredible and enlightening listen. The transcript and audio are available at: https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/sohp/id/12844/rec/5 (To access the entire 3 hour interview, you will need to click “Download” & save the audio to your device.)
- VIEW our recorded program on Robert F. Williams here.
- REVIEW Carolina K-12’s Tips for Tackling Sensitive History/Controversy in the Classroom. Remember, preparation is key to teaching themes such as this successfully.
- TEACH about Robert and Mabel Williams using this lesson plan or other resources you find: How Should Robert F. Williams Be Remembered?
- WRITE: After completing these steps, to receive .6 CEUs, e-mail CarolinaK12@unc.edu with the following information:
- In the subject line write: CEU Request
- Include your name, grade/subject taught, and school at which you teach.
- Include the name of the module you completed (Robert Williams)
- Include the date you viewed the program recording and the date you implemented a teaching activity
- Write one paragraph about how you used and/or revised this material in your classroom, including what worked well and the impact it had on students, as well as what you might change in the future (if anything)
Additional resources that were mentioned/shared throughout the Robert Williams program can be found here.
***More Than a Mill Worker: Ella May & the Loray Mill Strike (.3 CEUs)***
Ella May (also known by her married name, Ella May-Wiggins) was part of a generation of hopeful Appalachians who left the mountains for the North Carolina mills in search of a better life. Yet, despite her persistence, fortitude and strong work ethic, she struggled to provide for herself and her family due to low wages, long hours, and excruciating working conditions. By 1929, twenty-eight-year-old Ella was a single mother who had lost four of her nine children to poverty. After settling in a predominately African American community called Stumptown in Gaston County, and working seventy-two hours a week on the night shift at American Mill No. 2 in Bessemer City, Ella turned to the National Textile Workers’ Union, who were organizing a strike at the nearby Loray Mill, as her last hope for survival.
This program discusses the tenacious life of Ella May, the conditions she fought against, and her subsequent murder at only age 29 for organizing Black and white millworkers in fighting for a 40-hour week and living wages. We will also discuss the role Ella’s music played in the resistance (and hear a few of her ballads), as well as North Carolina’s long history of complicated labor laws and anti-unionization.
TO RECEIVE .3 CEUs:
- READ: The Loray Mill Strike in Gastonia and Mill Mother’s Lament: Ella May Wiggins and the Gastonia Textile Strike of 1929.(Teachers can contact CarolinaK12@unc.edu for a copy of this article if needed.)
- VIEW our recorded program on Ella May & the Loray Mill Strike here
- REVIEW Carolina K-12’s Tips for Tackling Sensitive History/Controversy in the Classroom. Remember, preparation is key to teaching potentially controversial themes (which can include union and labor history.)
- TEACH about Ella May using this lesson plan or other resources you find/create: Ella May & the Loray Mill Strike
- WRITE: After completing these steps, to receive .3 CEUs, e-mail CarolinaK12@unc.edu with the following information:
- In the subject line write: CEU Request
- Include your name, grade/subject taught, and school at which you teach.
- Include the name of the module you completed (Ella May)
- Include the date you viewed the program recording and the date you implemented a teaching activity
- Write at least one paragraph about what you learned and how you used and/or revised this material in your classroom, including what worked well and the impact it had on students, as well as what you might change in the future (if anything)
Additional resources on Ella May & the Loray Mill Strike can be found here.
***Jim Crow in North Carolina (.5 CEUs)***
Jim Crow was a system of racial apartheid in the American South that lasted for nearly one hundred years, affecting every part of Southern life, from racial segregation to social etiquette. The system had many features, but its primary function was to promote and maintain a white supremacist racial order, the remnants of which are still shape our present. This program explores the history of Jim Crow in North Carolina through a conversation with historian and legal scholar Richard Paschal, author of the new book Jim Crow in North Carolina: The Legislative Program from 1865 to 1920. (Live participants also enjoyed a performance of the musical “The Movement,” a historical acapella that chronicles the fight against Jim Crow that took place in the Children’s March of 1963. While this recording does not include the performance, it does include a conversation with the show’s creator.) The program ends with an overview of the newly launched website, On the Books, a project of UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries that provides the first-ever catalogue of searchable Jim Crow laws for the entire state of North Carolina – https://onthebooks.lib.unc.edu/. Accompanying lesson plans & resources are available under the TEACH tab of the site.
TO RECEIVE .5 CEUs:
- READ: Jim Crow is Still Alive in NC (which discusses Richard Paschal’s book) and https://onthebooks.lib.unc.edu/laws/the-laws-in-context/ (which provides and overview of the On the Books site.)
- VIEW the recorded program, Jim Crow in North Carolina. The first hour contains an interview with author Richard Paschal; the final 30 minutes contains an overview of the website On the Books.
- BROWSE the website On the Books.
- REVIEW Carolina K-12’s Tips for Tackling Sensitive History/Controversy in the Classroom. Remember, preparation is key to teaching themes such as this successfully.
- TEACH at least one lesson from the TEACH tab to utilize (or modify and utilize) with your students. (***The overview lesson for the site is similarly titled Jim Crow in North Carolina.)
- WRITE: After completing these steps, to receive .5 CEUs, e-mail CarolinaK12@unc.edu with the following information:
- In the subject line write: CEU Request
- Include your name, grade/subject taught, and school at which you teach.
- Include the name of the module you completed (Jim Crow in North Carolina)
- Include the date you viewed the program recording and the date you implemented a teaching activity
- Write one paragraph about how you used and/or revised this material in your classroom, including what worked well and the impact it had on students, as well as what you might change in the future (if anything)
Additional resources that were mentioned/shared throughout the live event can be found here.
***“The Light of Truth”: Teaching and Learning About Ida B. Wells (.5 CEUs)***
Anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett believed that “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” These programs explore the incredible work of Ida B. Wells, and how to teach comprehensively about our shared “hard history” to ensure students understand the implications of our past and are empowered to address the challenges of the present. From integrating primary sources to focusing on resistance in the stories we elevate, explore ideas, strategies, and specific lesson plans for teaching about Ida B. Wells-Barnett, racial terror lynching, the lasting legacies of racial violence, and more.
TO RECEIVE .5 CEUs:
- REVIEW Carolina K-12’s lesson plan, Ida B. Wells & her Light of Truth. If you are unfamiliar with Wells, the materials in the lesson plan can provide a good overview.
- VIEW this 1 hour session on the history of racial terror and lynching, followed by this 1.30 pedagogical session about teaching these topics/themes.
- REVIEW Carolina K-12’s Tips for Tackling Sensitive History/Controversy in the Classroom. Remember, preparation is key to teaching themes such as this successfully.
- TEACH about Ida B. Wells in your classroom and/or related themes. (Use/modify this lesson or create your own about Ida B. Wells, or use these lessons to explore racial terror lynching in the classroom.)
- WRITE: After completing these steps, to receive .5 CEUs, e-mail CarolinaK12@unc.edu with the following information:
- In the subject line write: CEU Request
- Include your name, grade/subject taught, and school at which you teach.
- Include the name of the module you completed (Ida B. Wells)
- Include the date you viewed the program recording and the date you implemented a teaching activity
- Write one paragraph about how you used and/or revised this material in your classroom, including what worked well and the impact it had on students, as well as what you might change in the future (if anything)
Additional resources that were mentioned/shared throughout the live event can be found here.
