William E. Hewit Institute for History and Social Science Education
The William E. Hewit Institute for History and Social Science Education was established in 1998 following an endowment from the estate of William E. Hewit. The Hewit Institute funds projects that serve schools, teachers, and students in Colorado. It provides grants to faculty in the University of Northern Colorado’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences to support innovative programs in teacher education, materials development, and special opportunities in the teaching and learning of history and the social sciences.
K-12 Teacher Resources
Doing History/Keeping the Past
Doing History/Keeping the Past makes accessible a variety of historical sources (photos, journal entries, and more) and lesson plans for use in elementary-level social studies. Activities engage students in creating their own historical understanding by interpreting primary and secondary materials.
Colorado's Geography: Mapping Our Past
Colorado's Geography: Mapping Our Past (MapCO) is a set of activities and lesson plans for elementary- and middle-grades students to explore Colorado's historical geography. The project includes standards-based social studies content, using interactive geographic information science (GIS) mapping technology.
New, updated activities for MapCO are now available!
Giant Map of Colorado: Lesson Plans and Materials
UNC recently purchased a Giant Map of Colorado, an oversized vinyl floor map designed to encourage geographic learning, which is available for for teachers and student teachers to borrow. UNC has a variety of lesson plans, resources, and materials available online to accompany Giant Map activities.
Educator's Conferences: Lesson Plans
The Hewit Institute sponsors professional development conferences for K-12 social studies teachers. Participants develop lesson plans following the workshops, published here for other teachers to use.
In 2019, two conferences occurred: the Hewit History Institute: History of Immigration in America, with participants from across Colorado. View the History of Immigration lessons
Coming soon: Lesson plans about anthropology and sociology, written by teacher-participants from Greeley-Evans District 6.
