Timespan: 7 hours (6 hours of PD)

Provider: Poughkeepsie Public Library District Big Read

Audience: Educators grades K-12

Date: Tuesday, August 26th 2025

Start/End Times: 8:00 am – 3:00 pm (lunch and coffee provided)

Location: Sadie Peterson Delaney Library at Family Partnership Center

*Documentation verifying teacher attendance will be provided to registrants who have prior in-service approval from their home districts*

Independence. Freedom. Liberty. The rallying cries of the American Revolution are no less prevalent today, no less powerful, yet these words mean vastly different things to different people in 2025. Our students inhabit increasingly polarized worlds where shared understanding can’t always be relied upon. How can historical narratives with conflicting perspectives help students practice sitting with tension and making sense of contradictions? How can teachers use the power of historical narratives to deepen students’ empathy and foster understanding across differences–and teach valuable lessons about what it means to be an America today? 

In this day of professional development, educators will explore thought-provoking and powerful ways to teach the American Revolution and the 2025 Big Read titles (Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara; Alexander Hamilton: The Graphic History of an American Founding Father by Jonathan Hennessy; Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson; Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson; Independent Dames by Laurie Halse Anderson). 

Questions? Contact Michele Muir at mmuir@poklib.org or (845) 485-3445 x3325.

This program is made possible in collaboration with The Art Effect.