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2007's Here at Home: A Wisconsin Cultural Tour for K-12 Teachers.
This tour took place June 21-29, 2007. Plans are underway for 2008 tours.
| Tour Route |
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| Curriculum Standards |
| Faculty |
| Tour Costs |
| UW-Madison Course Credit |
| Professional Development Plan |
| Registration |
| More information (PDF) |
Take advantage of an exciting new travel opportunity in 2007.
Learn about Wisconsin 's varied cultures while earning CEU/Credits or meeting the content requirements of your Professional Development Plan.
Join University of Wisconsin faculty, other K-12 teachers from throughout the state and UW students on a special 9-day multi-disciplinary tour exploring the local cultures of Wisconsin . This tour is premised on the idea that resources and content for teaching exist all around us -- in the local environment and landscapes, in family stories, in local music and artistic expressions, in community history and contemporary social issues.
The tour will offer teachers a chance to experience directly the diverse cultures of Wisconsin through on-site guided tours, interaction with local residents, and community-based presentations. The tour itinerary is especially designed for the needs of teachers and will include “inside the community” experiences not usually available to tourists or independent travelers.
The motor coach tour will begin in Madison and take participants through the hills and valleys of southwestern Wisconsin to La Crosse. Next, it's a drive along the majestic Mississippi River and on to Eau Claire. The tour travels north through the Chequamegon National Forest and beyond to the shores of Lake Superior. Heading southeast, through more forests and beautiful lakes, participants will visit the Lac du Flambeau Reservation. Then, the bus motors on to Green Bay for a full day exploring Kewaunee County and southern Door County. The tour travels south along the Lake Michigan coastline to the ethnic neighborhoods of Milwaukee, Wisconsin 's largest metropolitan area. At the end of 9 full days of activities, discussion, companionship and reflection, the tour concludes in Madison .
These are a few examples of stops on the tour where participants can …
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Norskedalen homestead and pavilion |
* Visit a historic Norwegian-American farmstead tucked into the hillside of a southwest Wisconsin coulee. As the light of the long day begins to fade, enjoy a traditional Norwegian supper with fiddle and accordion music provided by the Norskedalen Trio.
* Meet La Crosse Hmong healer Dr. Bee Lo. Visit a Hmong blacksmith shop where master and apprentice metalsmiths practice their craft.
* View the expansive Mississippi River and learn how its valley helps shape a distinctive climate along Wisconsin 's western border.
* Walk along trails in the Chequamegon National Forest or canoe a pristine northern lake. Then enjoy an evening program and overnight stay at a former Civilian Conservation Corps camp now operated by UW System as the Pigeon Lake Field Station.
*Come with the tour to land near the shores of Lake Superior where the Moquah Homemakers will serve a traditional Slovak luncheon and talk about the rural “cutover” community created by their parents and grandparents in the early 20th century.
*Visit the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe Reservation with a stop at the George W. Brown, Jr. Museum and presentation by a traditional artist.
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Roadside chapel in Kewaunee County
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*Enjoy a program on African-American culture at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum in Milwaukee. Learn how African Americans from Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama came to Milwaukee in the “Great Migration,” bringing their distinctive music, foodways and church worship.
* Take a walking tour of the Juan Flores murals in Milwaukee and enjoy supper at Botanas Mexican Restaurant.
*Learn about German and Jewish immigrant culture in Milwaukee . Find out why Milwaukee was once known as “the most German city in America."
These are but a few of the activities that will be offered on this 9-day circle tour of Wisconsin .
What You Can Learn, What You Can Use
“Here At Home” seeks to promote understanding of Wisconsin 's disparate cultures while helping participants gain a deeper awareness of the environmental and human forces that shape local culture. Topics addressed during the tour will include cultural geography, folklore & folklife, meteorology, geology, music, arts, history, rural sociology, urban planning and environmental studies. Four faculty members will accompany the tour with additional guest appearances by scholars from University of Wisconsin campuses.
Curriculum Standards - K-12 teachers will be able to use the information generated through this experience to meet state curriculum standards for such topics as community (Grades PreK-3), Wisconsin history (4-5), immigration (6-8), music as cultural communication (4-12), visual culture (4-12), design arts (4-12), content-based writing (4-12), environmental stewardship (4-12), and earth science (4-12). Teachers will have ample opportunity to take photographs throughout the tour to incorporate into their teaching materials.
In addition to providing content and first-hand experiences, the tour will also address two specific needs identified by teachers: experiential training in ways to study local culture, and simple methods by which to incorporate local culture studies into existing curricula.
The following four faculty will accompany the bus tour during the 9 days.
Dr. Ruth Olson , Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, UW-Madison, will serve as staff folklorist.
Dr. Anne Pryor , Wisconsin Arts Board Folk Arts Education Coordinator, will serve as curriculum specialist.
Debbie Kmetz, Coordinator of Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture, will serve as staff historian and music specialist.
Dr. Steve Ackerman, Director of the UW-Madison's Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies, will serve as resident meteorologist and research scientist.
The multi-disciplinary tour will also feature special guest presentations by University of Wisconsin faculty. Special guests include:
Dr. William Laatsch , UW-Green Bay Professor of Urban and Regional Studies, who will help participants learn to analyze the cultural landscape;
Dr. David Mickelson , UW-Madison Senior Research Scientist in Geology and Geophysics, who will provide an overview of how geological forces shape local culture;
Dr. Mark Louden, Co-director of the Max Kade Institute, UW-Madison, who will lead an exploration of German and Jewish immigrant culture in Milwaukee .
This tour is made possible with funding from the Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment, University of Wisconsin - Madison. Additional support is provided by the Wisconsin Arts Board and the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures.
The generous contributions of these organizations enable the 9-day tour to be offered to teachers for the cost $175 which includes tour transportation, meals, lodging and museum fees.
This 9-day multi-disciplinary tour may be taken by teachers for 1-3 University of Wisconsin credits. Those interested in acquiring UW credit should contact Dr. Ruth Olson for more information reolson3@wisc.edu
UW tuition is not included in the $175 bus tour fee.
Participation in this 9-day multi-disciplinary tour may be used to meet some of the content requirements of a teacher's Professional Development Plan. The tour will address the following Wisconsin standards:
1. Teachers know the subjects they are teaching.
3. Teachers understand that children learn differently.
6. Teachers communicate well.
7. Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons.
10. Teachers are connected to other teachers and the community.
There are 21 seats on this tour available to K-12 Wisconsin teachers and staff. The seats will be assigned on a first-come first-served basis.
Interested teachers and staff should print out and complete the registration form (PDF) and mail it with a check or money order to the Wisconsin Arts Board. A check or money order for $175 must accompany the registration form in order to secure a seat. Purchase orders will not be accepted.
The deadline for registration is March 15, 2007.
Your registration is secure when you receive confirmation via email or standard mail.
There are also 6 seats on this tour available to UW-Madison students. Students have a different application procedure. Interested students should contact Ruth Olson for the application procedure at reolson3@wisc.edu. Student applications are due March 1, 2007.
Click here for more information about the “Here at Home - Wisconsin Cultural Tour for K-12 Teachers” (PDF) or email dkmetz@wisc.edu
Wisconsin Teachers of Local Culture Home Page
Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures Home Page