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Teacher of Merit Award

Florida History Fair is seeking nominations for the Teacher of Merit Award for creative history teaching within and outside the classroom. To be eligible, a teacher must be a participant in the Florida History Fair program. The individual selected will receive a $500 U.S. savings bond at the state contest, sponsored by the Florida Council for the Social Studies, and be nominated for National History Day's Richard Farrell Teacher of Merit Award, which brings a $1,000 prize. Evaluation criteria for the state and national awards are presented below.

1. Development and use of creative teaching methods that interest students in history and help them to make exciting discoveries about the past.
Examples include:

• active learning projects within and outside the classroom, such as mock debates between historical characters or oral history projects within the community;
• innovative use of primary historical source material in the classroom;
• use of communication technology in history research and classroom learning;
• practice of teaching methods that link history to students' broader interests-for example, through interdisciplinary approaches to history topics or the development of projects that link history to current events and debates; and
• the use of teaching methods that build a range of skills in students as they study history.

2. Exemplary commitment to helping students develop their interest in history and recognizing their achievements.
Examples include:

• exemplary support and guidance for students working on history fair projects;
• assistance in helping students showcase their history projects within the community and/or publish their material;
• overall commitment to the intellectual development of individual students; and
• encouragement of students to use their understanding of history to become engaged, informed citizens in their community and beyond.

Interested teachers should submit an application form and a description (750 words or less) of how they meet the evaluation criteria. They also must submit three letters of support, written by a student, parent, colleague, or administrator. Additional support materials such as newspaper articles about the nominee may be included.

Applications must be mailed or faxed to the FHF state coordinator by April 4, 2008.

Download the Teacher of Merit Application