Schedule

Just Help: Building a Better World | Room 205

Learn about ways to connect civic engagement beyond your classroom walls with playful resources from PBS. Drawing inspiration from multimedia collections including Xavier Riddle, Arthur, Wisconsin First Nations and Youth Stand Up, discover how to provide learning experiences that connect students to the people and places in their neighborhoods. Guide your learners in discovering how their local actions and collaborative efforts can positively impact their community by building a better world. (Grades 3-5)

JAMI HOEKSTRA COLLINS, Education Engagement Specialist, PBS Wisconsin Education

Before Wisconsin: Indigenous Histories, Peoples, Places & Sovereign Persistence | Room 209

Long before statehood, the land now known as Wisconsin was and continues to be the homelands of sovereign Tribal Nations. This session centers the histories, cultures, treaty rights, governance systems, and enduring relationships to land that affirm the inherent sovereignty of Indigenous Nations past, present, and future. Participants will examine Indigenous cultures, place-based knowledge, treaties, and self-governance shape both historical and contemporary realities for Tribal Nations. The session challenges narratives that confine Native peoples to early settlement or pre-1848 histories and instead emphasizes active sovereign persistence, resilience, and continuity. Grounded in accurate, authentic, and community-informed perspectives, this session equips educators with strategies to deepen implementation of American Indian Studies (Wisconsin Act 31) in a school district’s curriculum and classroom lessons. Participants will explore meaningful, sustained integration aligned to Wisconsin state statutes and academic standards, moving beyond standalone lessons or units toward embedded, year round practice. (Grades 3-12)

RON JETTY, Indigenous Education Coordinator, Mary T. Kellner Teacher Education Center, School of Education, UW–Madison

DAVID O’CONNOR, Education Consultant – American Indian Studies, Student Engagement Section, Bureau of Teaching and Learning, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Local Roots of a National Story: University, Museum, and K–12 Partnerships in Teaching America at 250 | Room 213

Explore how local history can serve as a powerful entry point for civic learning, historical inquiry, and media literacy while deepening students’ understanding of America’s past and present. Learn how educators, museums, and universities collaborate to bring local stories into the classroom. Using examples from MKE Roots classroom resources and the Dr. James Cameron Pamphlet Collection, explore primary sources and local historical materials to investigate questions about democracy, citizenship, constitutional rights, and the ongoing struggle to realize America’s founding ideals. Connect with initiatives that empower young people to see themselves as active participants in their communities and in American democracy. (Grades 6-12)

MELISSA GIBSON, Faculty Director, MKE Roots Project, Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach, Marquette University

LAUREN INSTENES, Program Manager, MKE Roots Project, Center for Urban Research, Teaching & Outreach, Marquette University

MIA PHIFER, Senior Education, Collections, & Outreach Coordinator, America’s Black Holocaust Museum

Principles of America at 250 | Room 225

As Americans are gearing up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, teachers are exploring ways in which they can teach founding documents in a way that remains important and relevant. This session will provide insight on the Center’s educational framework–which utilizes storytelling, constitutional thinking skills, and civil dialogue–as they engage with principles around the founding document and its impact on Americans throughout history. (Grades 6-12)

JACLYN JECHA, Senior Manager of Curriculum Development, National Constitution Center

From Questions to Credibility: Empowering Student Voices Through Media Literacy | Room 226

Learn practical strategies for teaching media literacy, see real examples of student-driven reporting, and experience how story pitching, source evaluation, and journalist feedback can engage students in civic inquiry and critical thinking. (Grades 6-12)

JULIE TIEDENS, English Teacher and Media Advisor, PBS News Student Reporting Labs

Revitalizing the Principles and Practice of Democracy through the Power of Experiential Learning | Room 205

In a time of polarization and civic disengagement, experiential learning offers a powerful way to revitalize civil discourse and cultivate shared civic identity. This session, presented by the Center for Civic Education will showcase how civic education rooted in founding principles fosters transformative learning and stronger communities. We will highlight We the People and Project Citizen programs that build students’ constitutional knowledge and strengthen discourse skills, and build life-long civic habits. We will offer a fast-paced overview of Educating for American Democracy-aligned civic learning models including simulated congressional hearings and student-led projects. (Grades 3-12)

MICHAEL BLAUW, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Impact, Center for Civic Education

MICHAEL ARONOW, We the People (APPSE) Teacher/Coach, Wauwatosa East High School

Borderlands: Wisconsin 250 Years Ago | Room 209

What happens when the border crosses you? 250 years ago, in this place that we now call Wisconsin, the arrival of the American system from the east and south became part of a longer story of sovereignty, empire, economics, and culture that had taken shape over centuries. In this session, educators will learn about the many people and nations that had called this place home 250 years ago, and how the arrival of the newly created United States further complicated the tensions and relationships among people already here. Educators will use primary resources, firsthand accounts, and inquiry-based learning to explore this history and create learning resources to share with their students. (Grades 3-12)

ABBY PFISTERER, Chief Learning Officer, Wisconsin Historical Society

NICK HOFFMAN, Chief Creative Officer and State Historian, Wisconsin Historical Society

LEO LANDIS, Director of Curatorial Services, Wisconsin Historical Society

AMY ROSEBROUGH, State Archaeologist, Wisconsin Historical Society

Spot the Fake: Navigating AI-Generated Images in Education | Room 213

This session explores how students can develop media literacy, inquiry skills, and civic awareness through the analysis of AI-generated images and digital content. Participants will learn strategies that help students question sources, identify misinformation, recognize bias, and reflect on the ethical impact of AI on society and civic engagement. The session empowers educators to support students in becoming informed, critical, and responsible digital citizens in an AI-driven world. (Grades 3-12)

NATALIA RASAVONG, Multilanguage Teacher, Racine Unified School District

Many Nations, Many Perspectives: Reframing the American Revolution through Indigenous Voices | Room 225

During this session, educators will learn about the multiple perspectives present during the Revolutionary Era and how those perspectives can broaden our understandings of that time period. Through classroom resources created by PBS LearningMedia and PBS Wisconsin, discover how to bring the power of visual storytelling and a multitude of voices to your classroom. Specifically, we will highlight resources that amplify the voices of Native peoples and their experiences during the American Revolution. (Grades 3-12)

SAM HUNTER-GIBBS, Senior Manager, Audience Engagement, The American Revolution Initiative, PBS LearningMedia

JACLYN JECHA, Senior Manager of Curriculum Development, National Constitution Center

KATE VAN HAREN, 4th and 5th Grade Educator, Pittsville Elementary School

Growing Young Citizens: Civics in the Elementary Classroom | Room 226

Growing Young Citizens: Civics in the Elementary Classroom explores how educators can build civic understanding through daily classroom practices. Participants will learn practical, age-appropriate strategies that center student voice, foster community, and empower young learners to see themselves as active, engaged citizens. (Grades 3-5)

TONI FINK, Elementary Language Immersion Teacher, Milwaukee Spanish Immersion School

CAMILLE PARRA, Elementary Language Immersion Teacher, Milwaukee Spanish Immersion School