K-5 Social Studies Newsletter
December 2017
Office of Teaching and Learning 614-365-5727
Leslie Kelly, Director of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction
Christine Weatherholtz, K-5 Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, cweatherholtz3151@columbus.k12.oh.us
Matthew Doran, 6-12 Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, mdoran2067@columbus.k12.oh.us
CCS Professional Development Opportunities
December 2, 2017
4:30-6:30
Garden Initiative Schools ONLY
Garden Tunnel Build Workshop
Westerville North HS
950 County Line Rd.
Westerville, Oh 43081
The CIMS #: 1000029140
If we build it they will come!
Participants at this PD will create the garden low tunnel bed. The PD will be led by garden experts, Cynthia Walters from Slow Foods Columbus, and Jeff Bracken educator and experienced school gardner. The first garden build, held on November 11th, was a wonderful time of learning and building.
December 5, 2017
4:30 - 6:30
Ohio History Day for Grades 4 - 5
Ecole Kenwood French Immersion
3770 Shattuck Ave, Columbus, OH 43220
CIMS #: 1000030196
An exciting learning opportunity for your students!:
Participants at this PD will get information about the Ohio History Day competition. This experience for our children is an excellent learning opportunity that provides them with experiences in research, presentations and cooperative learning in an interactive student led learning environment. Experts from the Ohio History Center and our own Technology Coordinator will be presenting and helping participants prepare. You will have time to discuss, plan and get materials/technology ready to start your team in January.
February 6, 2017
4:30 - 6:30
Integrating Vocabulary Through Nonfiction Text
K-5
Ecole Kenwood French Immersion
3770 Shattuck Ave, Columbus, OH 43220
CIMS #: 1000030352
This PD will provide information about effective strategies for integrating social studies and science vocabulary using nonfiction text. Participants will receive a copy of, Vocabulary Games for the Classroom, by Carleton and Marzano, and a small group text set of their choice. This will be an interactive time of planning and preparing for implementation, as well as, learning about the research that supports the strategies. It is a great time for teaching partners to come together to learn, plan and create.
Inside the Social Studies Website
http://www.ccsoh.us/ssresources.aspx
Primary:
Although it varies slightly in focus, the primary topic for K-2 is community and our place in it. Be sure to check out the lesson plans for community on the grade level course sites which you can access with the address above.
Intermediate:
This site has been shared before, however, this is a great site for reminding us of some of the strategies that we may have forgotten about, or if you are new to education, some great strategies for introducing or reviewing a topic or vocabulary. After clicking on the web site, click on the word "Strategies" to the left of the chalkboard image. Scroll down and check out the "Semantic Feature Analysis" strategy. This is an excellent tool to use during research.
Some Websites to Support Your Good Work
Read Works:
Read Works has some excellent articles at each of the grade levels to review or introduce the topic and vocabulary that supports the social studies curriculum. Each of the articles have questions and vocabulary information. Several of the sites below have paired texts to implement a comparison written response. Also, this site has a read aloud feature to allow students to read the article independently after the lesson. Below is just a sampling of readings that support your 2nd quarter curriculum:
Kindergarten/1st:
Living in Groups: School, Family, and Community: https://tinyurl.com/y7kbv7rx
2nd Grade:
Shaping Communities: https://tinyurl.com/ybrg6zyo
3rd Grade:
Agriculture, Industry and Environment: https://tinyurl.com/y7lgcrjy
4th Grade:
American Revolution: https://tinyurl.com/yab5jxyp
5th Grade:
Early Indian Civilizations (Mayan): https://tinyurl.com/y9a3tsss
Ohio History Day Competition: This year's theme is "Conflict and Compromise in History".
Ohio History Day information:
- The youth division includes 4th and 5th grades only.
- The youth division has only 2 categories: Individual /Group Exhibit or Individual /Group Performance.
- Teams will compete at the school level and the best projects will advance to the state competition at Ohio Wesleyan University.
Come to the December 5th PD to meet Dr. Betsy Hedler | Youth Coordinator, Ohio History Day, and learn about how to get your students ready. Also, Lynda Ray will be there to share Google resources. (See the PD information above.)
Here is a link to get more information:
Spruce Run Community Event for December: Ohio Wildlife: Tracking, Scat and Fur
10:00-2:00
4175 Sunbury Rd
Galena, Oh.
This short introductory program begins indoors at 10:00 a.m. in the house conference center with a presentation and hands-on materials. After the presentation, feel free to put your tracking skills to work and take a winter hike to see what tracks you can find. This same program will be repeated at 11:00, 12:00 and 1:00. Make sure you stop by the classroom for other activities and crafts.