The 9th annual workshop for folklorists and educators, held in conjunction with the annual American Folklore Society meeting, took place on the morning of Saturday, October 19 at the Hyatt Regency in Rochester, NY.

The Wisconsin team of Mark Wagler, Ruth Olson, and Anne Pryor guided participants through a hands-on exploration of how the three of them developed a highly successful countywide cultural tour--and what students and teachers learned during this ongoing project. The team led participants through a series of considerations related to conducting a local culture project such as possible themes, how to develop classroom community, how to identify and attract needed partners, how to secure funding, specific classroom activities that explore local culture, addressing curriculum standards, managing logistical issues, how to document the project and present the findings, and how to evaluate student work and the overall project.

The specific activities were fieldwork exercises Mark had conducted with his 4th/5th graders: a self-survey on home remedies, creating cultural symbols for your family's culture, and interviewing about foodways. Recommended associated websites are:

Dane County Culture Tour:
csumc.wisc.edu/cmct/DaneCountyTour/index.htm

Wisconsin Folks: arts.state.wi.us/static/folkdir/index.htm

Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures: csumc.wisc.edu

Mornings-in-the-Marsh:
danenet.danenet.org/heron/wagler/m-o-m/index.html

Heron Network: danenet.danenet.org/heron/

Writing about pumpkins during a visit to the Madison Farmer's Market.

In the final hour of the Institute, Rick Hill (Tuscarora) of the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations Iroquois) Resource Confederacy, an educator and museum curator, will lead discussion of issues of authenticity and representation of Native Americans in K-12 education. Rick addressed issues of accuracy in resources on Native people, and connecting more effectively with Native American educators and students.

The section and the Network for Folk Arts in Education will sponsor its 10th annual Saturday-morning workshop at this year's AFS meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Celebrate ten years of interactive workshops showcasing best practices, new projects, and the latest in K-12 folklore in education. The workshop will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2003, 8:30-12:30 (final times and program TBA). For more information, contact Bea Roeder at bearoeder@yahoo.com or Paddy Bowman at pbowman@ix.netcom.com.

The 2003 Section meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 9th from noon to 1:30 p.m.--but be sure to check the final program to confirm.