June 6, 2008
Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators:
The California Museum’s California Hall of Fame
The California Department of Education is proud to partner with The California Museum to develop new educational resources inspired by the Museum’s flagship program, the California Hall of Fame. Teachers have embraced the California Hall of Fame concept and have asked to use these individual Californians’ stories–their triumphs, accomplishments, and dreams–as a way to inspire their students while teaching history.
I am writing to solicit your help in asking interested educators in your county, district, or school to contribute lesson plans about the inspiring people who have been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. The Museum will use those lesson plans as part of their teacher resource materials for the California Hall of Fame education program. All materials developed for this program will be made accessible to teachers from The California Museum’s Web site in an easy downloadable format. Educators whose lesson plans are selected will receive complimentary admission for their class to tour the Museum during the 2008–2009 school year, an annual teacher membership, and recognition in the final resource packet and on the Museum’s Web site.
The California Museum will be unveiling their new teacher resource materials in the fall of 2008. If any of your teachers are interested in submitting their lesson plans to be part of this new, inspiring program, please e-mail them to Shelly Atkinson, Education and Programs Manager for The California Museum, by Wednesday, August 6, 2008, at satkinson@sos.ca.gov.
First Lady Maria Shriver established the California Hall of Fame in 2006 to honor legendary people who embody California’s innovative spirit and have made their mark on history. I sincerely hope you will work with us to make this remarkable education resource available to the teachers of California to help teach history and inspire kids to make their mark on history.
Enclosed is the California Hall of Fame fact sheet, including a list of the new 2008 inductees. For more information about The California Museum and the California Hall of Fame inductees, please visit the Museum’s Web site at http://www.californiamuseum.org (Outside Source).
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Ken McDonald, Consultant, Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division, at 916-319-0447 or by e-mail at KMcDonal@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
(Original signed by)
JACK O’CONNELL
JO:km
Enclosure (PDF; 84KB; 2pp.)
cc:
Maria Shriver, First Lady of California
Shelly Atkinson, Education and Programs Manager, The California Museum
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814