The summer workshop is designed to make the colonial period of American history more relevant to middle school and high school students by investigating primary documents from the period, exploring local historical resources such as Tipton-Haynes and Sycamore Shoals, engaging in discussions with academic experts in content areas such as Indian archaeology, experimenting with new technological approaches, and being introduced to proven teaching methods developed by local master teachers.

Participants will be exposed to a wide range of topics such as Indian culture in the Southeast, family life in the colonies, the importance of gender roles, the impact of indentured servitude and slavery, and religion in the colonies, and will have a chance to develop teaching strategies based on these topics to use in their own classrooms.