Cart 0

Resources for TIP Fellows

Unit Writing Resources


Unit Writing Guide

Slide presentation by Fellow Alima McKnight on writing a TIP curriculum unit


Unit Writing Presentations

Video recording of the February 2, 2022 unit writing workshop, with presentations by Charlette Walker, Rebecca Horner, and Greg Probst on the writing of their units


Unit Writing Guidelines and Deadlines

This document contains the expectations and due dates for the 2024 Spring Seminar Program.


Unit Writing Template

Use this Word Template to build your TIP Curriculum Unit. Template includes required sections and is formatted with correct margins and style sheets for headings and body paragraphs.


Spring 2024 Seminar Locations

This document contains instructions to seminar locations.


Unit Formatting Presentation

Instruction by TIP Director Edward Epstein in how to use the Unit Template to create a TIP unit


Unit Development Workshop

Video recording of the spring 2022 Unit Development Workshop in which three TIP fellows describe their unit writing process and give tips.

General Information about TIP


The TIP Handbook

The handbook gives important information about the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia (TIP) and the requirements for successful completion of the program. It provides resources that are designed to assist in writing a curriculum unit. Download the handbook here.

Program Orientation

Video recording of the January 26, 2022 TIP program 0rientation. Contains essential information for fellows about TIP’s mission and approach, as well as guidance on how to successfully write a curriculum unit.

Library Resources


An Introduction to Penn’s Library Resources

Demonstration of library search techniques by Penn Librarian Lauris Olson
Spring 2022.

Important links for library research

Penn Libraries website: www.library.upenn.edu
Using Electronic Resources: guides.library.upenn.edu/usingeresources
Franklin Catalog: franklin.library.upenn.edu
Copyright Resources to Support Publishing and Teaching (library guide): guides.library.upenn.edu/copyright/onlinecourses


An Introduction to Temple’s Library Resources

Demonstration of library search techniques by Temple librarian Andrea Goldstein
Spring 2022.

Important links for library research at Temple

Temple Libraries website: library.temple.edu

Audiovisual Equipment for Curriculum Unit Implementation

TIP has a set of AV tools available for Fellows to use in implementing their curriculum units. To learn more about borrowing the equipment, contact the TIP office at 215-694-6176. The following items are available for Fellows to borrow:

  • Sony HDR-PJ380 Camcorder
  • Solo 5 Hovercam
  • Logitec C920 Webcam
  • Vivitek D554 Projectors
  • Lenova Thinkpad Yoga 460 Laptop
  • Canon EOS Rebel T6 + 18-55 / 75-300mm Lens Camera
  • Qomo Audio Response System (30 “clickers”)
  • Hisonic HS-122B Portable Wireless PA Amplifier

Step I:

No matter the length of the material excerpt (that is, how much of the total work is used), the fellow should be aware that the work may have outlived its copyright protection and may be in the public domain. Once in the public domain, there are no restrictions on the use of the work.

Currently, works which were under a statutory copyright before 1925 are in the public domain. Therefore, the fellow should realize that there is a great deal of valuable material already in the public domain. As an example, all of Shakespeare’s plays are in the public domain. However, if a new edition of one of the plays is annotated, then this new edition would be copyrighted because of the original contributions of the editor. The original language of the Shakespeare play should be used where there is a question.

In order to acquire information as to the copyright status of certain works, the fellows should search for the work’s status online at http://www.copyright.gov/records. Fellow may request contact information for the copyright holder by writing to the Register of Copyrights at the Library of Congress as follows:

Dear Register:

Please provide information on the copyright status of the following item(s):

Name of work:
Author(s) or composer(s):
Original date of publication:
Original holder of copy:

If this item is not public domain, would you kindly provide:
The Name of owner:
Owner’s Address:

Step II:

If the work or excerpt is not in the public domain, or it is not clear whether it is, the fellow should secure permission to duplicate the material from the copyright owner. The following information is designed to help the fellow locate holders of copyright and secure permission.

Locating the Copyright Holder

The title page of a publication, or its reverse, should contain the copyright notice. This page should include the year of the publication, the name of the copyright owner, and in general, any acknowledgements of other copyright material used in the book. The word “acknowledgement” indicates that some material remains with the original owner.

The address of most copyright holders is printed with the copyright notice, but be aware that publishers may move or the copyright may be sold or transferred to another company. The publishers’ associations listed below can help in supplying further information.

Association of American Publishers
Music Publishers Association of the United States
Association of Magazine Media

Also, the U.S. Register of Copyrights keeps records of all deposits and transfers (FORM A should provide this information). The Copyright Office will, for a fee, conduct a search, on request, if there is real difficulty in locating the current owner of a copyright.

We recommend that fellows write to the copyright holder as follows requesting permission to use the materials:

Dear [Name of Copyright Holder]:

I am a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia working with the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania. I am preparing a curriculum unit for my own and my colleague’s use in school courses. I would like to include, in my unit, the following material, for which you hold the copyright.

[Title, author and/or editor, and edition]
[Material to be used – describe, give page numbers etc.]

My unit, containing this material, will be compiled with other curriculum units which the Institute will reproduce and distribute, free of charge, to teachers in Philadelphia schools and other teachers, upon request. The units are intended to provide new and exciting material for teachers to use in their own classrooms. Teachers in the Institute assemble these materials with the help of grants from various private and public funders. Because of limited, non-profit distribution of the units, for teaching purposes, we request that no royalties be charged.

I request your written permission to reproduce this material in the compiled units. Because units must be made available to teachers at the beginning of the school year, your prompt consideration and reply is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
[Name]

 

The University of Pennsylvania Library System

TIP Fellows receive PennCards that grant them access to the vast collections of the Penn Libraries. The University of Pennsylvania has one of the nation’s oldest academic libraries. The collections comprise of more than seven million volumes, a million of which are in electronic form; over 100,000 journals; and rare and unique cultural materials. The main library, Van Pelt Library, is located at 34th and Walnut Streets. Fourteen other more specialized libraries are located at various sites on campus.

The staff of the library system is knowledgeable and helpful in assisting in the search for particular resources, the extent of the collections, and the use of library computers and workstations. TIP schedules a library orientation session for Fellows at the beginning of the program year to help them become acquainted with the use, procedures, and resources of the Van Pelt and other libraries.

With a PennCard and PennKey online password, TIP teachers can access many collections in the online catalogs, which may reduce the number of physical trips necessary to the campus and the library. TIP teachers are asked to make themselves aware of borrowing policies and etiquette in order to maintain a rich and valuable relationship between the TIP program and the Penn Library system.

More information about hours, collections, resources, and locations can be found on the Penn libraries website at: www.library.upenn.edu.


Parking at Penn

 There are two basic choices: on the street and in the parking garages.

On Street:

  • Walnut, Chestnut, 37th, 38th, and 39th are often good prospects for a spot in the later afternoon, i.e., 4 p.m. or after. Meters are $.25 per 15 minutes for up to three hours. Most meters also take dimes, nickels, or Parking Authority Smart Cards.
  • Give yourself enough time to walk to your Seminar and back with a little bit of leeway in case you linger. The Parking Authority is extremely efficient and will write $36 tickets.

Parking Garages:

  • Parking Garages are more expensive, but have more predictable parking capacity. University garages at 38th and Walnut and 40th and Walnut are a fairly short walk to the heart of campus. The Sheraton Hotel at 36th and Chestnut is also a good possibility. A bit further, but also a good possibility, is the Science Center parking garage in the 3600 block of Market Street.