R9 K-5 Social Studies Support
January 2022
Dear Teachers,
Happy New Year!
I hope that 2022 brings you every opportunity to achieve the goals you have for yourself both personally and professionally. As for our students, the start of a new year is a great time to reflect on what we've learned so far and the learning that we still have to come.
I would like to share with you something I have learned in this profession. It is so important to care for yourself so that you can be your best for your students. I have always been a perfectionist to a fault; at times I wore myself out trying to be everything and do everything for everyone. I encourage you to be okay with taking some things off your plate. It is okay to say "no" or to let something be less than perfect! Your best is enough!
As always, I am here to help you in any way that might make your path smoother and workload lighter. Please don't hesitate to reach out any time!
~Chelsea
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Updates from TEA
Social Studies Work Group Application
Message from TEA:
Dear social studies educators,
As you may know, the State Board of Education (SBOE) is in the process of revising the kindergarten-grade 12 social studies TEKS. As part of the review process, the SBOE convenes work groups to make recommendations for revisions to the TEKS. TEA collects applications from educators, parents, and community members who are interested in serving on work groups. There is a special need for work group applicants with experience teaching the following courses:
- Ethnic Studies: African American Studies
- Ethnic Studies: Mexican American Studies
- Government
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Special Topics in Social Studies
- Social Studies Research Methods
- World Geography
Should you have experience in one of the above courses and wish to participate, you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Initial work groups will begin convening as early as this month. The application is available at https://tea.texas.gov/academics/curriculum-standards/teks-review/2021-2022-social-studies-teks-review.
Questions related to the application for the social studies TEKS review and revision process can be directed to teks@tea.texas.gov.
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Legislative Updates- Click the Image for More Information
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Instructional Strategies and Skills Support
DICEBREAKERS AND ACTIVITY DEBRIEFING TEMPLATES
Source: https://blog.tcea.org/dicebreakers-debrief-activity-templates/
There is an IMPOSTER Among Us
Created by Elizabeth Howson.
Here is how she used this idea in her classroom: "Today we reviewed for our district Benchmark by looking for the IMPOSTER in the 4 artifacts given. The secret to creating a mystery is to put things in BOXES! Kids can touch the items but they cannot take them out. Before we move groups, they have to put the top back on to keep the mystery for the next group. Honest Moment: I just used random stuff in my classroom...I wasn't super duper organized.
This was a last minute idea that I was excited to try...and it was fun! The key was to how the kids historically explained their grouping for the 3 items that belonged together. Example: one box had rice, indigo, cotton, and oats. Some students said the oats were the IMPOSTER since the other three are cash crops for the south. Some students said the cotton since it was not a major cash crop of the colonies while the other three were.
Students had awesome discussions and worked well with their different groups. Side note in groups: I have students move and choose a new group of people to work with each time. They get to choose but it has to be new. They may end up with the same people later but NEVER IN A ROW."
#DitchThatTextbook- Moveable Digital Activities
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SS Content Specific Resources
The 50 States Digital Breakout
Grade level (suggested): 4th to 6th grade
Time to complete: about 30 to 45 minutes
Click here for the blog post
Click here for the breakout siteC-SPAN in the Classroom Podcast
Ep. 5 Martin Luther King, Jr.: Life and Legacy
With the recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. this month, the team shares C-SPAN Classroom resources that reflect the life and legacy of this historic figure.
The *NEW* Studies Weekly (K-5)
I attended a session at the TXCSS conference that showcased the updates Studies Weekly has been making to their materials. For those who use these materials, I hope this information will be beneficial!
Below are some of the resources they are sharing out:
- https://bit.ly/NEWTX (hub for all resources)
- Link to their conference presentation
- Click Here to preview samples of the new Texas materials
- Texas support site for new materials (specific for Texas teachers only)
Preview the “new” Texas materials:
https://app.studiesweekly.com/online/
- Username: newtxteacher
- Password: earlyaccess
MLK Jr. Day
Most students learn about Martin Luther King Jr. in school. But it’s rare that they learn these stories from Black storytellers. As we approach MLK Day on the 17th, here are 20 books about Dr. King by Black authors, compiled by @BCBooksAuthors
https://t.co/SXQ8WYRAal
Holocaust Remembrance Week
credit: Jessica Torres, Region 12 @owl_b_torresedu
credit: Jessica Torres, Region 12 @owl_b_torresedu
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Opportunities for your Students
Lone Star Leadership Academy (4th-8th grade)
Nominate your outstanding 4th-8th graders for summer 2022 Lone Star Leadership Academy camps! Participants join delegations of other distinguished students from across Texas for a week of fun, learning, leadership development, and visits to significant Texas destinations. All facilitators are Texas educators. Nominees must be in 4th-8th grade, maintain an 85 or higher grade average, demonstrate leadership ability, and be involved in school/community activities. Each nominee receives a personalized certificate stating they were nominated based on demonstrated academic and leadership ability.
Nominate students online at: http://educationinaction.org/nominate-leaders.
Nominate 10 or more students to receive this year's mascot plushy, Billy the Bison!
All summer camp facilitators are Texas teachers. Apply here!
Texas ArcGIS Online Map Competition (4-8)
Registration: Nov. 15, 2021- Jan. 31, 2022
Deadline for submissions: April 22, 2022
About the Contest
- Students choose a topic of interest within the borders of Texas, research the topic, map geographic findings, and present findings in a StoryMap entry.
- Each school or club submits up to five entries per division to the state competition.
- The entries must be created in an Esri ArcGIS Online school bundle account. Go to the Acquire Software tab for information on applying for a FREE school or club ArcGIS Online Organization account.
- If you have any questions, please reach out at eagutierrez@gbra.org.
Prizes
- State Competition Results: Wednesday, May 18, 2022 - Texas state winners and awardees are submitted to the Esri national competition. (The top five entries in both the high school and middle school division each receive a digital $100 Amazon gift card. For two member project teams, each member will receive a$50 gift card for a total of $100.)
- National Competition Results: Tuesday, May 31, 2022 - Esri announces national competition winners.
I am Texas Prose/Art/Poetry Contest (3-12)
The iWRITE Organization and The Bryan Museum are partnering with New York Times bestselling author and illustrator team, Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulus, to break the Guinness World Record for the Largest Published Book in the World called I Am Texas!
We are looking for 1,000 students to be a part of the Ordinary People Change the World book series and help us break a Guinness World Record!
To break the record, we’ll be creating a massive book (OVER 7 feet tall!) that will be displayed at The Bryan Museum, alongside its Texas and American West collection of historical artifacts, books, and artwork.
Writing Awards
*Winners will receive a laptop or iPAD from The Texas Center at Schreiner University in addition to the prizes listed below.
Editor’s Choice – story – $2000
Editor’s Choice – poetry – $2000
5 Texas Regional Winners – $500 each
1 Honorary Texan (Out of State) winner – $500
Art Awards
1st Place Featured Artist – $2000
2nd Place – $1000
5 Texas Regional Winners – $500 each
1 Honorary Texan (Out of State) winner – $500
Every published author or artist who wins an above award will also receive a $20,000 scholarship (over 4 years) to Schreiner University.
If you have any questions regarding the contest, please contact us at contest@iwrite.org.
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Additional PD Offerings
PBS KIDS Self-Paced Learning for PreK-2 Teachers
PBS KIDS offers FREE special collection of flexible self-paced learning to help inspire teachers and provide support for the classroom. Choose from several learning experiences designed to spark new ideas and expand your skill set—you may also be able to earn between one to three credit hours.
Courses: https://teach.pbskids.org/
Blog Post : https://www.pbs.org/education/blog/dive-in-and-explore-pbs-kids-self-paced-learning-for-prek-2-teachers
Humanities Texas FREE Professional Development - Spring 2022
Humanities Texas FREE Professional Development - Spring 2022
This spring, Humanities Texas will hold FREE professional development webinar series for social studies and ELA teachers in Texas schools.
*This is just the beginning of the 2022 programming. Stay tuned for more announcements on additional opportunities for both social studies and ELA teachers.*
Teachers can apply to attend on the Humanities Texas website.
Teaching the Civil Rights Movement
Tuesdays • January 25 and February 1, 2022 • 5:15–6:30 pm CT
These webinars will offer a nuanced understanding of the civil rights movement, incorporating significant primary documents from a number of the movement’s major figures. The first webinar will consider the traditional historical understanding of the movement, providing a broad overview before complicating the story. The second webinar will focus on Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet,” and Fannie Lou Hamer’s testimony before the 1964 Democratic National Convention’s credentials committee, considering each document's presentation of American democracy. Both webinars will highlight the most important takeaways for middle and high school students.
Teaching U.S. History with Primary Documents, 1963–2000
Wednesdays • January 26–March 2, 2022 • 5:00–6:15 pm CT
Each weekly webinar will cover a document that is crucial to understanding U.S. history in the final decades of the twentieth century: the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Pentagon Papers, the House Articles of Impeachment for Nixon, a document relating to the 1977 National Women’s Conference, and Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speech. Each webinar will focus on one of these documents, addressing both its context (how it came to be and its impact/significance) and its actual contents (the most important things for teachers to know and share with their students).
Teaching the Transformation of Texas, 1930–1945
Mondays • January 31–February 28, 2022 • 5:00–6:30 pm CT
This webinar series will offer teachers insight into the profound changes that remade Texas during the 1930s–1940s as the Great Depression, New Deal, and World War II collectively transformed it from a region of rural farmers into a modern, urbanized state. Team-taught by a historian and two master teachers, the sessions will provide a collection of curriculum materials geared toward bringing innovative perspectives into the classroom.
Tuesdays • February 8 and 16, 2022 • 5:00–6:15 pm CT
The two webinars will offer a nuanced understanding of how Reconstruction reunited a war-torn nation, destroyed chattel slavery, and remade the American state against a backdrop of racial terrorism and radical economic upheaval. These webinars will explore how teachers can turn cutting-edge historical research into classroom-ready pedagogy. Particular emphasis will be placed on key questions, terms, and primary sources to share with students.
Teachers can apply to attend here:
http://www.humanitiestexas.org/education/teacher-institutes/application.
Please contact us with any questions: institutes@humanitiestexas.org
EduProtocols Worldwide 3 - FREE Conference
EduProtocols Worldwide FREE Conference (Virtual)
WHEN: Saturday, February 5, 2022
9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
FREE
FOUR HOURS of FREE PD + Opening session with the EduProtocol’s authors and Dr. Sonny Magana - MathReps Authors will be sharing - Tons of free templates and resources - Links to the video sessions will be provided following the event.
We'll have EduProtocols from: Mexico, India, Argentina, Switzerland, and more from all across the US!
How to Hack STAAR Spring Zoom Series (FREE)
How to Hack STAAR After-hours Zoom Training Series (FREE)
NEH Professional Development Programs
https://www.neh.gov/divisions/education/summer-programs?f%5B0%5D=summer_program_audience%3A351
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Other Opportunities for Professional Growth
PBS Virtual Professional Learning Series- Episode 2
Who Tells Your Story?
Locating and Navigating Credible Primary Sources to Analyze Perspective
Each person has their own perspective and there is always a reason why. For example, quickly answer this question in your head: “The best show on television is _______ because _________________________.” Whether you came to your answer quickly or it took you a few minutes, you were likely able to identify a show, and you also probably have great reasons to backup your assertion. The better question is: why might your answer be more valid than that of the person sitting next to you? How about the person sitting next to him/her?
As our students form their own opinions and beliefs, and think about their views in both contemporary and historical context, what tools and strategies are they using to locate and navigate credible sources? How are they effectively analyzing perspective? This is the second episode of our series designed especially for Social Studies teachers—Who Tells Your Story? PBS Digital Innovator All Stars David Olson will highlight exciting resources and models that you can immediately implement in your middle/high school classrooms.
Understanding Misinformation and How to Talk to People who Believe It
Webinar Series by the News Literacy Project
Watch session 3, Productive Conversations without Confrontation, which shares the skills needed to talk with someone whose beliefs are fueled by misinformation — and still have a productive, non-confrontational conversation. Access the presentation slides here.
Making the Case For Elementary Social Studies: The Social Studies ELA Connection
"There's no disagreement about the severity of the problem with english language arts (ELA) outcomes in American elementary schools. Open the newspaper and read about the latest alarming round of test scores, and you'll see our system's failures writ large across the media.
Past Issues....
2021-2022
Secondary Edition
December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 August-September 2021
Elementary Edition
December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 August-September 2021
Chelsea Howells
Region 9 ESC
#GCT #iCivicsEducator #MIE #GridGuide #EdPuzzleCoach
Email: chelsea.howells@esc9.net
Website: https://www.esc9.net/393857_4
Location: 301 Texas 11 Loop, Wichita Falls, TX, USA
Phone: 940-397-8106
Twitter: @ChelseaHowells9