A woman sits in front of a class of children talking to them.

Students listen to a presentation from Rosie the Riveter as part of a Kentucky Chautauqua event from Kentucky Humanities,
Photo submitted

Kentucky Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has been providing resources to teachers throughout the Commonwealth for many years. To enhance your social studies curriculum, current offerings include Kentucky Chautauqua®, Think History, Vote Worthy, and Democracy and the Informed Citizen.

Kentucky Chautauqua®:
Imagine hearing Madeline McDowell Breckinridge relive the fight for women’s right to vote. What would it be like to accompany William Wells Brown on his journey to freedom? Join Daniel Boone as he shares his adventures and cunning facility with the land and native peoples. Listen to Rosie the Riveter talk about women’s importance to World War II.

Students across Kentucky are experiencing history in a dramatic way with these Chautauqua in the Schools presentations. Presenters are available to come to classrooms and interact with students. Three presentations are currently available as virtual presentations. Others can be scheduled to visit as soon as your school allows visitors.

Think History
Kentucky’s story each weekday on WEKU FM! If you are not in the WEKU listening area or you want to share these broadcasts with students on your schedule, you can listen anytime and anywhere. The 90-second segments cover everything from the Revolutionary War to horse racing, basketball, burgoo and Kentucky’s journey to statehood. They feature the many colorful characters who have contributed to Kentucky’s unique history and culture, including Henry Clay, Mary Todd Lincoln, Stephen Bishop, Reverend Newton Bush, Laura Clay and Anna Mac Clarke.

Imagine starting off your social studies class each day with one of these fascinating moments from Kentucky’s history. You could take it a step further and have your students write their own Kentucky history moment and then record them and share them with the class.

Vote Worthy
Vote Worthy is an informative public radio program discussing the presidential inauguration, the electoral process, voting rights and the future of our democracy. Vote Worthy is funded by the “Why it Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation” initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. It consists of two one-hour radio programs.

Joshua A. Douglas, professor of law at the University of Kentucky, and Renee Shaw, KET public affairs managing producer and host, discuss numerous election-related topics with guests from across the state.

Part 1 (Originally aired in October 2020): Guests included Margie Charasika, president of the Louisville League of Women Voters; Brian Clardy, associate professor of history at Murray State University; and Scott Lasley, professor and head of the Political Science Department at Western Kentucky University.

Part 2 (Originally aired in January 2021): Guests included Constance Alexander, Karen Armstrong-Cummins, Soreyda Benedit-Begley, Charles Booker, Charles Boteler, Mac Brown, Aris Cedeño, Marylynn Collins, Clarence Glover, Silas House, Selena Sandefer Doss, Mark Neikirk, Pantsuit Politics’ Sarah Stewart Holland, Lyndon Pryor, Frank X Walker, Crystal Wilkinson and Richard Young.

Your students can listen to these programs at any time to learn about the importance of voting and issues surrounding elections and the change in power.

Visit Kentucky Humanities online, and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @KyHumanities.