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'Cultural Connections' Framework & Resource Kit Now Available
Cultural education refers to organized programs or learning experiences rooted in arts & humanities, natural sciences, and history & heritage. Cultural education helps us understand and appreciate the world around us. It cultivates a sense of wonder and belonging.
Cultural Connections is a newly published framework and digital resource kit intended to enhance the ability of New York State Schools and Early Childhood Programs to deeply engage students in STEAM and history through cultural experiences, including the arts, science, and social studies. The immersive resource for classrooms, serving Prekindergarten to Grade 3 students, recommends ways schools and collaborating partners can connect with cultural institutions such as museums and science centers for class trips and/or learning experiences that can be brought right into classrooms.
Cultural Connections is organized by content area connections and features a variety of vetted resources. This project was developed by NYSED's Office of Early Learning and Office of Cultural Education. We encourage you to make rich connections with New York State by bringing cultural experiences into the lives of students!
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This year’s Summer Reading slogan is 'Color Our World' and is focused on anything and everything connected to art! Public libraries are busy planning exciting programs and events for students of all ages. Reach out to your local library to see how you can work together to keep students reading and having fun all summer long.
For more information talk to your local public librarian about their Summer Reading Program plans.
Teachers can promote Summer Reading in the classroom and in the school library; invite staff from your local public library to visit and share news about Summer Reading sign up and events; and ask them for outreach materials to help with promotion to students!
Visit the New York State Library's website for resources and summer reading news. Questions? Reach out to nyslyouth@nysed.gov.
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New York State students in grades 4-12 from public, private, and home schools are invited to submit their historical research projects to the New York State Archives Student Research Awards. Winners receive a cash award and all entries containing an annotated bibliography and use of historical records will receive a Certificate of Merit.
The deadline for submission is July 1st. For more information, visit the Student Research Awards webpage.
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The New York History Conference returns for 2025 on Thursday, June 5th and Friday, June 6th at the Cultural Education Center, Empire State Plaza, in Albany, NY.
Special workshop sessions designed for educators will be offered! Attendees will receive Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) credit for attending this conference. In addition, a limited number of travel scholarships are available to help enable teachers to attend! Full details, including the registration link are on the conference webpage.
A 2024 conference workshop, 'Connecting Your Collections to the K-12 Curriculum,' presented by NYSED's Office of Cultural Education, is available for asynchronous professional development.
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The 2025 New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA) In-Residency program is open to students in grades 8-12 from across New York State. Applications are due by March 14 and information can be found on the NYSSSA website.
NYSSSA is once again offering the Empire State Arts Scholarship program, providing students with scholarships to attend summer arts programs in their own communities. Administered by the Office of Cultural Education, this funding supports NYSED's goal of promoting access and equity to arts education by providing need-based grants to students who want to pursue artistic growth opportunities.
Student applicants must currently be in grades 5-12 and the selected summer arts program must be New York State-based. Full details can be found on the NYSSSA website.
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Educators! Join award-winning filmmakers Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein on March 12th at 7 pm ET for a special conversation on the upcoming documentary series, The American Revolution. Burns and Botstein will discuss how film and video can bring fresh insight to our founding story and how civic learning can come alive for students in the classroom. Co-hosted by PBS LearningMedia and iCivics, this is an event you don’t want to miss! Registration is required. | | | |
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The New York State Museum's 2025 Anthropology Teacher Workshop will be a one-day program about New Netherland held in person at the Cultural Education Center in Albany, NY. This event will be held on Friday, March 14, 2025, starting at 9:30am and ending at 3:30pm.
Anthropology is a science that reaches into many disciplines making it particularly useful for teaching many subject areas.
In-person participation is limited to the first 50 individuals who register. The workshop will also be offered online. For more information contact nysmeducation@nysed.gov.
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The New York State Museum is an approved provider of Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE).
Teacher workshops at the Museum:
- Are aligned with New York State Learning Standards;
- Are led by leading science and history research professionals;
- Encourage hands-on and inquiry-based training opportunities;
- Assist teachers in renewing educational material with current content; and
- Provide CTLE Professional Development clock hours
Visit our online catalog of asynchronous workshops and be sure to visit regularly as offerings continue to be added!
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The New York State (NYS) Archives has released the Winter 2025 New York Archives JR! for educators and students. To date, we have mailed over 100,000 free copies of Archives JR! to teachers across New York State and recently released several Special Edition NY Archives JRs!, including “Learn about Archives!” and three others on the history of enslavement and freedom in New York State. Several more will be released later this year. Check out the full list of New York Archives JR! currently available and request your free classroom sets today!
New York Archives Jr! is a companion publication to New York Archives magazine for grades 4-8. Each issue features one article from New York Archives magazine rewritten at an upper elementary level, community connections, related facts, and learning activities focused on primary source analysis.
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Free classroom sets of the Fall 2024 issue and past issues of New York Archives Jr! are available to all teachers throughout NYS by completing this form.
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Please contact the NYS Archives at 518-473-7091 or via email at archedu@nysed.gov if you have any questions
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At the Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) in Albany, NY, we offer a wide array of books and magazines for all ages in multiple languages. Individuals who are blind, have low vision, or a physical or reading disability that prevents their use of standard print materials are eligible for service.
Check out our print-braille titles, in both fiction and nonfiction, for readers in Prekindergarten to Grade 3. These books feature colorful illustrations, alongside printed text, and a braille plastic overlay. A diverse and inclusive collection with contemporary themes, these books will speak to young readers.
Do you know if your school or library is signed up with TBBL? We encourage all schools and libraries to become familiar with our services and sign up for an account. As a TBBL institutional member, your account provides you with a talking book machine, audio materials and access to BARD, our online catalog. Once you are familiar with these tools, you can demonstrate how they work to others and help eligible individuals sign up for service. If your institution does not have an account, contact us and we will help you get set up.
Already signed up with us? Please contact us to fill out our new updated application for institutions. This is mandatory for any partner organization that serves individuals under age 18, such as public libraries and schools. We recommend checking in with us on a yearly basis, to keep your account current and make sure we have the latest contact information. We want you to use your connection to TBBL to your greatest advantage.
Have you checked out our Blog? We encourage you to visit our website and sign up to receive all our blog updates, including enjoyable book lists prepared to highlight the resources our collection has to offer for various holidays and unique topics.
Questions? Please feel free to contact us at tbbl@nysed.gov or 518-474-5935 or 1-800-342-3688.
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We're commemorating the important role women play in the history of our state, the research of female scientists, and the inspired creativity of female artists.
Learn more about these significant contributions by exploring the Women's History Month educational resources and programs for classroom teachers, educators, and the public from the Office of Cultural Education.
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated each May in the United States to honor the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the country's history, culture, and society.
More than forty classroom resources have been curated into this Asian American & Pacific Islander Culture & History public folder on PBS LearningMedia.
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Jewish American Heritage Month each May is a celebration of the contributions and experiences of Jewish Americans and highlights how America’s Jewish communities have shaped and been shaped by the cultural, social, and economic fabric of the United States.
Educators, explore multi-media resources from PBS in this Jewish Culture & History collection.
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The New York State Library presents the guide Celebrating the 19th Amendment: Women's Suffrage and Anti-Suffrage Documents for Educators. It features primary source documents from the New York State Library on the Women's Suffrage and Anti-Suffrage movements to utilize in your classrooms and libraries.
The 19th Amendment and the Suffrage and Anti-Suffrage movements are primarily taught in Grades 4, 7, 8 and 11. The guide features useful strategies for analyzation of documents and highlights include Suffrage and Anti-Suffrage political cartoons, broadsides, pamphlets, advertisements, election texts and vocabulary. Primary sources with historical figures such as President Woodrow Wilson, Amelia Bloomer, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are featured.
Why primary sources? Primary sources make lessons and presentations come alive for students or participants. Materials shared provide inquiry and context clues to increase awareness and tell a story. Historical context within a narrative of primary source items prepares students to make connections for deeper understanding.
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FindNYCulture.org is a free database of New York State cultural education organizations. Connect with art galleries, historical societies, libraries, museums, parks, planetariums, science centers, zoos, and more! Search this database to connect with organizations that offer learning resources and programs to support your classroom.
Check out the new 'Funding Opportunities' that lists free learning experiences and grant opportunities. Looking to commemorate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the American Revolution? There's a list of upcoming events around New York State - be sure to visit often as it is updated regularly.
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The Skills Enrichment website is a free, K-5 platform for educators and learners.
This website emphasizes Math, English, and Social and Emotional Well-Being lessons for K-5 that align with New York State learning standards and utilizes fun, educational content from PBS KIDS!
Skills Enrichment was developed in partnership by PBS stations WCNY and WPBS to present existing learning resources in an easy-to-use digital space for educators.
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