COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG, U.VA. LAUNCH PROGRAMS
TO MAKE HISTORY COME ALIVE FOR TEACHERS, STUDENTS 

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 7 -- Gaining a greater
understanding of history -- in particular colonial American history
-- is the goal of a series of programs that begin in January. 
	The University of Virginia and Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation are offering "Becoming Americans:  Ties and Tensions," a
videoconference series that will show educators how history can be
used as a teaching tool in a variety of subjects. Curriculum
specialists from schools across the nation, U.Va. historians and
Colonial Williamsburg archaeologists will examine beliefs and
aspirations of English, Native American and African settlers in
17th- and 18th-century Virginia during five live, interactive
programs.
	"The new partnership between Colonial Williamsburg and U.Va.
will give teachers insights into the issues that bind, yet often
divide, America today," said John Payne, director of educational
technologies in the University's Division of Continuing Education. 
	The satellite broadcasts will move beyond the founding of
Jamestown and the American Revolution to examine the underlying
social, economic, family and governmental issues of modern society.
The first broadcast, "History as a Tool," will be offered free to
schools on Wed., Jan. 22.
	Other programs will be "Diverse People and Clashing
Interests" on March 19, "Formative Institutions" on May 14,
"Families in Transition" on Oct. 8 and "Revolutionary Promise" on
Dec. 3. 
	"By glimpsing the past through U.Va.'s and Colonial
Williamsburg's expertise, teachers will learn how to make history
come alive in the classroom," said Pete Pitard, director of school
and group services for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
	Educators will gain a broad range of teaching strategies,
including the use of artifacts, historical documents, reproductions
and reenactments, for classroom use, Pitard said.
	Designed primarily for teachers of grades 4 through 12, the
series will also include lesson plans and historical movies that
teachers can use in the classroom.
	Schools can purchase the broadcasts either as a packaged
series or by a per-session fee.  Schools unable to participate in
the live video conferences can purchase tapes of the sessions.
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January 6, 1997
	For more information, contact John Payne at (804) 982-5254
or Pete Pitard at (757) 229 1000.  Television reporters should call
our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.