Ann Hale of Fort Worth, formerly of Lampasas, joined outstanding teachers from across the state recently at "From Disunion to Empire: The United States, 1580- 1900," an institute sponsored by Humanities Texas and Trinity University.

The institute drew 40 teachers to the Trinity campus for four days of seminars, lectures and workshops exploring U.S. history in the second half of the 19th century.

U.S. Rep. Kay Granger nominated Ms. Hale for the opportunity.

"I came to the institute because I have a great interest in this time period in our history, and because I wanted to add greater depth to the literature I teach," said Ms. Hale, an English teacher at Haltom High School.

"Giving a talented teacher like Ms. Hale the opportunity to interact with her peers and leading scholars will enable her to engage students with exciting new perspectives on state, regional and national history," said Humanities Texas executive director Michael L. Gillette.

With presentations by prominent scholars Orville Vernon Burton and H.W. Brands and workshops examining documents, photographs and paintings, the San Antonio institute introduced participants to diverse topics and resources. The institute faculty included representatives from the National Archives and Records Administration, who provided participants with facsimiles of historic documents that support the teaching of American history.

"I always try to link the literature my students are studying to the historical period depicted," Ms. Hale said. "I will be able to use material I have received to do that."

Another institute, held in Denton in June, featured presentations by Brands and noted historian Heather Cox Richardson.

The institutes were made possible with support from a We the People grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, an affiliate of Humanities Texas.