Savannah, GA, October 24, 2025 – From October 22-24, the Georgia Historical Society (GHS) gave three presentations at the Georgia Council for the Social Studies’ (GCSS) 2025 Conference and hosted an exhibitor table. GHS directly reached more than 800 educators and education professionals from across Georgia.
In the first session, LaPortia Mosley, GHS Community Engagement Officer, led a workshop on teaching cursive writing as a tool to help students read and engage with historical primary sources. As part of Decoding Histories, participants received free educational resources and primary source sets aligned with Teaching with Primary Sources. One participant reflected that even everyday items, like a grandmother’s handwritten recipe, can serve as primary sources that tell their own stories.
Sponsored in part by
In the second session, LaPortia Mosley partnered with Dr. Andrea Christoff and five Georgia College and State University pre-service teachers to highlight how collaborations with statewide institutions can support teaching challenging historical concepts through evidence-based resources. As part of Teaching Challenging Histories: A Primary Source Approach, the pre-service teachers shared how they integrated GHS strategies into their lesson plans, using picture books and primary sources to teach complex historical topics such as 9/11 and the Holocaust.
They also reflected on the impact these approaches have had on their classroom instruction. This partnership highlights the work GHS is doing with pre-service teachers to better equip them with classroom teaching strategies grounded in primary sources. This presentation stemmed from the ongoing partnership between GHS and Georgia College & State University.
Sponsored in part by
In a third session, Breana James, GHS Program Manager, alongside representatives from our partner Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB), shared how educators can use Today in Georgia History in their classrooms. James demonstrated the new activities designed to engage students with history through the investigation primary sources and historical markers connected to Today in Georgia History segments. Representing 24 counties statewide, all 45 participants also got to experience the updates to the program as part of Georgia’s commemoration of the U.S. 250th anniversary.
Sponsored by
GHS attended as part of its US250 commemoration, as the GCSS Conference theme was “Purpose, Impact, Transformation: Our Story at 250.”
For more information about the Georgia Historical Society, please contact Keith Strigaro, Director of Public Relations and Communications, at 912.651.2125, ext. 153, or by email at kstrigaro@georgiahistory.com.
###
ABOUT THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia and American history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.
To learn more visit georgiahistory.com.