KCSS Sunflower
Fall Newsletter August 2017
As social studies educators, you are responsible for teaching students the content knowledge, discipline specific thinking skills, and civic values that are vital for fulfilling the duties of citizenship in a participatory democracy. Our task at the Kansas Council for the Social Studies is to provide leadership, service, and support to make your job easier.
Use the resources and information below as you continue to hone your instructional skills. Feel free to pass the newsletter on to others!
Save the date!
2017 Kansas Social Studies Conference
The annual state Social Studies conference is scheduled for November 5 - 6, 2017 in Wichita, Kansas at the historic Hotel at Old Town Conference Center. The event is co-sponsored by KCEE, KGA, KSHS, KSDE, KCSS, and KCHE. You don’t want to miss this – make plans now to attend!
The conference theme, Kansans Can: Social Studies Leading the Way, is focused on the teaching and learning of historical thinking skills and assessments with a special highlight on economics and the state board’s Kansans Can vision. You’ll walk away smarter after learning more about:
- the upcoming Spring 2018 social studies assessment
- civic engagement strategies
- tech integration tools
- current best practices
- reading and writing ideas
- the latest from the Kansas Council for Economic Education
Extra bonus? The conference is in the center of Old Town with all sorts of fun things to do. So get registered now!
Planners are still looking for session proposals. Have an idea for a conference session? They want to hear from you! Send them your proposal.
KCSS Teacher of the Year Nominations
The KCSS Judy Cromwell Excellence in Teaching Award is intended to reward and encourage high quality instruction in the social studies. Winners of the award exhibit innovative and effective instructional strategies, utilize state and national standards, foster a spirit of inquiry, develop democratic beliefs and values, and participate in professional organizations.
Nominations for the 2017 KCSS Teacher of the Year are now being accepted at both the elementary (K-6) and secondary (7-12) levels. Winners will be announced at the November state social studies conference and are awarded $250, conference registration, and travel expenses. Both winners are automatically considered for the Kansas State Combined Teaching Award and are also eligible for the National Council of the Social Studies Teacher of the Year.
To learn more about the process and to nominate a teacher, click here.
Professional Learning Opportunities
- State Assessments, Civic Engagement, and Social Studies Best Practice
October 2 - Hutchinson, KS
Join KCSS board members Kori Green, Adam Topliff, Jill Weber, and Glenn Wiebe as they share social studies best practices that support the 2018 state assessment and literacy integration as well as ideas and strategies that support KSDE mandated Civic Engagement practices. (Secondary 6-12) - Slaying the Giant: Integrating Social Emotional Skills with Social Studies Projects and ELA
October 2 - Hutchinson, KS
KCSS board member Lori RIce will share a variety of tools, resources, and activities that focus on building and supporting social and emotional skills as part of your social studies instruction. She will also facilitate conversations around state standards, ELA integration, and civic engagement. - Access to Inquiry for English Learners through Primary Sources
October 11 & 12 - Hutchinson
The Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Program is making the best of inquiry-based instruction in social studies and humanities accessible to all learners – including English Learners. This two day course will feature exemplars of best practice using primary sources and analysis tools and is specifically designed to assist both 5-12 social studies teachers and those working with ELL students to improve the historical thinking skills and content acquisition of English Language Learners. (Title III funds may be used for this training.)
Charlottesville: A Response from the National Council for the Social Studies
On August 17, the NCSS issued a statement concerning recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia and provided a list of teaching resources that can assist you in your instructional design.
"As members of the National Council for the Social Studies, we express deep concern for the events taking place in Charlottesville, Virginia, and their aftermath during the past week. Acknowledging the long term and divisive history of racial hatred and religious intolerance in the United States, we deplore acts of reckless violence and declarations of white supremacy, which tear at the foundation of our common civic unity and faith in democratic ideals.
As social studies professionals, we strive to prepare students for civic competence and active participation in our society. Such active participation only happens with a sustained commitment to providing rigorous social studies instruction everyday as part of a well-rounded education.
Soon, students will return to class, whether in university or K-12 classrooms. These events continue to stress the need for sustained public discourse and instruction about the world around us. We cannot remain silent about such critical themes as culture or global connections and expect our public to have appropriate civic engagement.
How should social studies educators address these issues in the classroom? While such a conversation can be very difficult for some students and in some contexts, social studies teachers carry the responsibility for fostering democratic values and engaged citizenship in the classroom. We are tasked with brokering difficult conversations about issues of equity and social justice that engender open-mindedness and thoughtful responses to harmful language and actions. We encourage all social studies teachers and teacher educators to equip our children and students with the tools to eradicate hate, fear, and violence in our democratic society."
NCSS invites its members and the general public to share resources and sustain conversations about civic competence. Here are some resources to prepare to teach about Charlottesville and similar situations should they arise in the future.
- Yes, Race and Politics Belong in the Classroom: Ten Tips for Teachers to Engage Students in Difficult Conversations
EdWeek - Teaching About Charlottesville
Facing History and Ourselves - What Should Teachers Say About the Hate Speech Seen in Charlottesville?
USA Today - Talking to Students About Charlottesville Violence and Racism
NEAToday - Resources for Educators to Use in the Classroom in the Wake of Charlottesville
National Public Radio - The Role of Media Literacy in Teaching Your Students About Charlottesville
PBS NewsHour Extra - The Illusion of Progress: Charlottesville’s Roots in White Supremacy
(Long read but solid background on statue origins with serious amount of primary sources)
Citizen Justice Initiative, Carter G. Woodson Institute for African-American and African Studies, University of Virginia
Other Resources
- Resources for Educators
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - The Reconstruction Era and the Fragility of Democracy
Standing up to Hatred & Intolerance
Facing History and Ourselves - Uncomfortable Conversations: Talking About Race in the Classroom
National Public Radio - After Charlottesville: Teaching about Racism, Anti-Semitism and White Supremacy
Anti-Defamation League - There Is No Apolitical Classroom: Resources for Teaching in These Times
National Council for Teachers of English - What is the alt-right?
Teaching Tolerance - Whose Heritage? Public Symbols of the Confederacy
Southern Poverty Law Center - 10 Ways to Fight Hate
Southern Poverty Law Center
Need a Specific Example of What a Lesson Like That Might Look Like?
Find the original Landmesser lesson from Voices of History here and Derek's Google Slides version here.
Sweet Teaching Tools & Helpful Articles
- Why Geography Matters Now More Than Ever
The folks over at #worldgeochat share why we need to always remember geography instruction. - Pros and Cons of Using Movies in Class
Using movies in class can be engaging and helpful for students. But there right and wrong ways to integrate videos into your instruction. This article looks at the pros and cons of including movies in lesson plans and gives advice to help ensure that movies are used in an effective manner. - 13 Unexpected and Fun Geography Lessons to Enhance Your Curriculum
We can never have enough geography ideas! - Teaching with Primary Sources: 35 World History Activities
FInding solid world history lessons can be tough. Check out this set from Ancient to the Present. - World War I Centennial: National Archives
As the largest repository of American World War I records, the National Archives invites you to browse the wealth of records and information documenting the U.S. experience in this conflict, including photographs, documents, audiovisual recordings, educational resources, articles, blog posts, lectures, and events. And be sure to check out their Remembering WWI mobile app!
What We're Reading
- Teaching Social Studies Today
This latest edition focuses on implementing social studies instruction aligned to the C3 Framework with a language arts instructional lens. Packed with various teaching methods and techniques, up-to-date research-based theory and practical applications, and easy-to-implement strategies and techniques, this book is essential reading for both novice and seasoned teachers. - The Google Infused Classroom
EdTech experts Holly Clark and Tanya Avrith provide a guidebook to help you use Google Apps and other online tools. Empower your students with 20 essential Google tools that will help you to easily make student thinking visible, give every student a voice, and allow them to share their work.
Doing Social Studies Blog
Doing Social Studies is a place for a variety of voices to discuss what high-quality social studies looks like in the 21st century. KCSS board members and other educators from around the state share ideas, resources, and materials about how we can all do social studies better. We'd love for you to join the conversation by stopping by and leaving your own ideas and suggestions.
Membership
If you're already a member, be sure to follow our Twitter feed and Facebook group for the latest updates.