Mark Wilensky Awarded 2011 Gilder Lehrman Colorado History Teacher of the Year Award

Watch the Common Sense book trailer!

PRESS RELEASE: Mark Wilensky Awarded 2011 Gilder Lehrman Colorado History Teacher of the Year Award and is in Top 5 Finalists for National Award by Sarah Keeney, Marketing Director, Savas Beatie LLC
Monday, September 19, 2011

El Dorado Hills, CA, September 19, 2011 -- The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine author Mark Wilensky was awarded the 2011 Gilder Lehrman, History Channel, and Preserve America’s Colorado History Teacher of the Year Award.

The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine: An Interactive Adaptation for All Ages by Mark Wilensky (Savas Beatie, 2008)

"I am so thankful to work for a school district that allows teachers the freedom to teach meaningful history curriculum in creative and individual ways," said Wilensky, a teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History awards the National History Teacher of the Year title each year in its effort to promote the study and love of American history. State winners received a $1,000 prize and an archive of classroom resources and all state winners are finalists for the $10,000 National History Teacher of the Year Award. The national winner will be announced in fall 2011.

Mark Wilensky teaches 5th Grade at Wheat Ridge 5-8. The award ceremony will take place October 6th at 6 pm at the Jefferson County Board of Education Meeting.

“Mark Wilensky provides a rich classroom learning environment that includes authentic learning activities and differentiation. He is successful in having his students meet and exceed our district curriculum standards as demonstrated by academic growth. Students are highly engaged in learning and students feel welcomed and supported. Students and parents know that Mr. Wilensky will be their educational advocate and that he is there to help them succeed,” said Warren Blair, principal at Wheat Ridge 5-8.

Wilensky's interactive Common Sense offers an array of colonial history sprinkled with audio, video, and text graphics linked to a dynamic online website. This adaptation includes the original Common Sense, a new adapted version in plain language, an extensive chronology of pre-revolutionary events leading up to the publication of Paine's pamphlet, and adapted versions of the Olive Branch Petition, A Proclamation For Suppressing Rebellion And Sedition, and the Boston Port Act. Wilensky also includes a wide variety of insights on colonial coins and mercantilism, and many humorous illustrations designed to convey the important concepts of independence and liberty.

About the Author: Mr. Wilensky is a fifth-grade teacher in Jefferson County, Colorado, where he has been accused of teaching his Colonial America and Revolutionary War classes with enthusiastic zeal. Mark holds a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. He has taught expelled and court-ordered students in coordination with the District Attorney's Office, and worked with the Colorado Department of Education on a national study to find ways to eliminate gaps in education for homeless and highly-mobile children.

The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine: An Interactive Adaptation for All Ages

By Mark Wilensky
List: $18.95
ISBN: 978-1-932714-36-4
Published September 2008 by Savas Beatie LLC

Available at bookstores nationwide and online.

For more information, visit Savas Beatie or the Common Sense website.