Looking for a history or social studies professional development provider for your middle school, high school, or university? Contact Cynthia Resor, author, historian, and retired university history/social studies education professor. Below are a few examples of sessions presented at conferences, however, content can be tailored to your needs.
Check out my time-travel videos and more on my YouTube Channel
Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau
Cooking in Kentucky Before the Civil War
Cooking before the modern conveniences of electric appliances, pre-packaged foods, and modern recipes was hard work! In this presentation, Cynthia Williams Resor explores the lives of average women in Kentucky, free and enslaved, as they prepare recipes from early 19th century cookbooks such as Lettice Bryan’s The Kentucky Housewife. Look over the shoulder of a Kentucky woman as she produces, preserves, and prepares food in a typical pre-industrial kitchen. What kitchen tools did she use? What foods were plain, everyday fare and what was prepared for special occasions? How did she juggle cooking and the other daily chores? The answers to these questions and more will make you appreciate a microwave!
Mourning in Kentucky in the 1800s
Mourning the dead was an important part of life in the 19th century. Cynthia Williams Resor will begin her time-travel tour of this culture of mourning in Kentucky cemeteries by examining the symbols on tombstones and their meanings. Explore customs and beliefs associated with death through the eyes of 19th-century writers and artifacts of mourning such as hair mourning jewelry, stationery, clothing. Finally, we’ll visit the new funeral parlors of the late 1800s and memorial park cemeteries of the early 1900s to discover why mourning customs changed.
2022 Kentucky Journalism Award Winner for Best Special Series/Documentary on Radio– “Public Education in Kentucky” with Tom Martin and Neil Kesterson; Listen to the interviews.
“Globalization in the Ancient Mediterranean: Integrating Geography & Economics with Ancient History.” Kentucky History Education Virtual Conference, Summer 2020.
“Why are Relationship Rules Different for Women and Men? The Social History of Etiquette through Time.’ National Council for History Education Virtual Conference, April 2020.
“Designing Food-Themed Interdisciplinary Inquiries for EVERY Social Studies Class.” National Council for the Social Studies Conference, Austin, Texas, November 2019.
“Quacks! Making Media Literacy Relevant Now and in the Past.” National Council for the Social Studies Conference, Austin, Texas, November 2019.
“Exploring Daily Life through Primary Sources: The History of Dating and Courtship.” Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers 62nd Annual Conference, Louisville, KY, November 2018
“Teaching Literacy Skills with Interdisciplinary Daily Life Themes: Family, Food, and Housing.” Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers 62nd Annual Conference, Louisville, KY, November 2018
“Historical Cookbooks for Primary Source Lessons & Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning.” Indiana Council for the Social Studies, Indianapolis, IN, November 2018.
“Kentucky Homes Through Time: Teaching Geography, Culture, and History with Primary Sources.” Kentucky History Education Conference, Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY, July 12, 2018
“Kentucky Cookbooks for Primary Source Lessons and Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning” Literacy Innovations for Neighborhoods in Kentucky (LINK) Summer Institute, Lexington, KY, June 27, 2018.
What did a Medieval Peasant Eat? Food, Nutrition, and Exercise as an Interdisciplinary Theme across the Curriculum.” Let’s TALK: Conversations about Effective Teaching and Learning – Kentucky Education Association annual conference, Elizabethtown, KY, June 18, 2018.
“Essential Questions: Themes for Courses that Go Beyond ‘Just the Facts.’” Pedagogicon Conference, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, May 18, 2018.
Books by the Banks, Cincinnati Regional Book Festival, Saturday, October 20, 2018; Exhibitor and Panelist: “Passion Projects”
Southern Kentucky Book Fest, April 26 & 27, 2018, Bowling Green, KY
“Homes Through Time: Teaching Geography and Visual Literacy Skills with Daily Life Themes,” Tennessee Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Nashville, TN, March 2, 2018.
“Relationship Etiquette Now and in the Past: Connecting to Students’ Lives through Social History” Indiana Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN. November 1, 2017 & Ohio Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio. September 25, 2017.
“Civil and Civic Behavior: How the “Rules” of Behavior Change over Time,” Kentucky Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Frankfort, KY. September 15, 2017.
“Novels aren’t Just for English Classes: Studying History Using 19th Century English and American Novels as Primary Sources,” Kentucky Reading Association Annual Conference, Louisville KY. October 28, 2016.
“Peasants, Farmers & Railroad Workers: Uprisings in European and American History,” Kentucky History Education Conference, Frankfort KY. June 23, 2016 and Teaching American History Annual Summit. Teaching American History Grant. Richmond KY. June 2014
“Primary Sources for Social Studies Courses about the Distant Past (pre-1400)” Kentucky Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Highland Heights, KY. September 2015.
“Transportation in Kentucky: How To Incorporate Local History into Every Social Studies Lesson” Kentucky Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Highland Heights, KY. September 2014.
“The American Vacation: A Theme to teach History, Geography, and Government” Kentucky Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Highland Heights, KY. September 2014.
“Local History, Geography & Literacy” National Council for Geography Education Annual Conference.” Memphis, TN. August 2014.
“Myth and Adventure of the Crusades” Teaching American History Annual Summit. Teaching America History Grant. Richmond KY. June 2014
“How Long Does it Take to Walk from Quebec to Kentucky – War of 1812” National Council for Geography Education Annual Conference. Denver CO. August 2013
“1950s in Kentucky” Teaching American History Annual Summit. Teaching American History Grant. Richmond KY. June 2013
“Kentucky in the 1920s – Using Local Newspapers” Teaching American History Annual Summit.Teaching American History Grant. Richmond KY. June 2013
“PIRATES: An Exciting Interdisciplinary Theme for Social Studies.” National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. Seattle, WA, November 2012.
“Pirates! Thematic Instruction in Middle School Social Studies”, Kentucky Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Bowling Green KY, September 22, 2011
“Taxes through history: What did taxpayers receive in return?” National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. Denver, CO, November 2010.
“Geography in Community Cookbooks.” National Conference on Geographic Education. National Council of Geographic Education. Savannah, GA, September 2010.
“Travel in the Middle Ages.”Frazier International History Museum Lecture Series. Frazier International History Museum. Louisville KY, May 2010.
“Place Based Education: Geography in Education Reform.” National Council for Geographic Education Conference, National Council of Geographic Education. Puerto Rico, September 2009.
“The Economics of Personal Food Choices.” National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. Atlanta, GA, November 2009.
“Who Am I? A Primary Source Mystery.” National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. Atlanta, GA, November 2009.
“Immigration & Cultural Diversity in Ancient Rome and Modern America.” Kentucky Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. Louisville, KY, September 2008.
“Teaching about Average People in American History: Housing.” National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference. Houston, TX. November 2008.
Books and articles by Cynthia Resor
About the header image: Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, c. 1901.
Library of Congress.