Social Sciences
Professional Learning SUMMER 2016
Building Powerful Inquiries in the K-12 Social Studies and ELA Classrooms
Learn how to create inquiry-based lessons that keep your students engaged. John Lee, co-director of the C3 Teachers project, will guide us through the steps of the Inquiry Design Model (IDM). We will learn how to craft questions that spark and sustain inquiries, integrate content and skills purposefully, promote literacy practices and outcomes, and provide tangible opportunities for students to take informed action in their communities. Walk away with ready to use inquiry units for the 2016-2017 school year!
This session will include strategies that support K-12 Balanced Literacy Instruction.
Audience: K-5 Teachers, 6-12 Social Studies and ELA Teachers
Dates: Thursday, June 2 and Friday, June 3
Times: 8:30 AM- 3:30 PM
Location: Hawthorne- Room: Cafeteria (Big Room)
Registration: http://tinyurl.com/CobbIDM623
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Cobb Literacy Conference for Social Studies, Science, and ELA Teachers
During the Cobb Literacy Conference, national trainers and exemplary Cobb teacher leaders will offer 4 days of detailed professional development on how to provide students with hands-on, highly engaging lessons that build conceptual understanding while promoting a passion for science, social studies, and ELA. Teachers will attend a variety of content focused sessions each day that will emphasize literacy, integration, and the use of new technologies.
For more details, refer to the conference schedule and session descriptions below.
Audience: K-12 ELA, Social Studies, Science, and STEM Teachers
Dates: Monday, June 27 - Thursday, June 30
Times: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Location: Campbell High School
Reading Saved My Life! (½ day)
Are your students prepared to read in the real world? Charts, graphs, tables, political cartoons, maps, photographs, paintings – literacy is much more than words written in a text. This half-day workshop will train teachers to equip students with critical literacy skills necessary to interpret the multitude of texts they will encounter in their 21st century world. We will explore how professionals such as scientists, historians, photographers, artists and business people summarize their findings and communicate their viewpoints through visual media. Emphasis will be placed on developing step-by-step approaches to reading and interpreting a variety of stimulus attributes. Give your students the literacy skills needed to survive and thrive. Who knows, maybe your students will one day come to say, “Reading saved my life!”
This session will include strategies that support K-12 Balanced Literacy Instruction.
Audience: K-5 teachers, 6-12 ELA, Social Studies, Science, and STEM teachers
Date: Monday, June 27
Time (Elementary): 8:30 AM – noon
Time (Middle/High): 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Campbell High School
Registration: http://tinyurl.com/CobbLitConf2016
Do you PBL? Then Join the IDM Movement (½ day)
There’s more than one way to do PBL (Problem-Based Learning). Come see how the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) can expand your PBL toolkit. Teacher leaders from across the district will share integrated lessons they created using the IDM. Participants will be guided through the step-by-step IDM process and have the opportunity to create their own powerful inquiry lesson. Learn how to craft questions that spark and sustain inquiries, integrate content and skills purposefully, promote literacy practices and outcomes, and provide tangible opportunities for students to take informed action in their communities. The IDM has implications across social studies, science, ELA, and STEM.
This session will include strategies that support K-12 Balanced Literacy Instruction.
Audience: K-5 teachers, 6-12 ELA, Social Studies, Science, and STEM teachers
Date: Monday, June 27
Time (Elementary): 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Time (Middle/High): 8:30 AM - noon
Location: Campbell High School
Registration: http://tinyurl.com/CobbLitConf2016
Putting Geography in its Place: Teaching with 21st Century Geospatial Technologies (4 days)
Come join us our for a four day training on the use of geospatial technologies to create inquiry-based lessons for your classroom. You will learn how to use GIS (geographic information system) and Story Maps as effective instructional tools in developing students’ spatial, analytical, and problem-solving skills. GIS skills easily make geography the most relevant social studies subject in the 21st century as these skills are in high demand in the burgeoning information economy.
What is GIS? A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer-based system that lets us visualize, question, analyze, and interpret data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends. GIS has been broadly used in various industries, including business, defense, government, health services, natural resources management, public safety, transportation, utilities, and more.
Participants will need to bring a laptop and mobile device with either 3G, 4G, or LTE.
Please plan on attending all 4 days of the training.
Audience: 3-5 teachers, media specialists, STEM teachers, 6-12 Social Studies, Science, and CTAE teachers
Date: Monday, June 27 – Thursday, June 30
Time: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Location: Campbell High School - Room: TBA
Registration: http://tinyurl.com/CobbLitConf2016
CSI in the 3-12 Classroom: How Document Based Questions Engage Students in Historical Thinking (1 day)
Come learn how to use document based questions or DBQs to engage your students in social studies and ELA. DBQs hook students with provocative historical questions that require them to use primary and secondary sources to investigate history from a variety of perspectives. DBQs support deep discussion and debate as students clarify their own ideas and write evidence-based arguments. Learning with DBQs not only deepens students understanding of history but builds their reading, thinking, and writing skills—a great and practical way to integrate ELA and Social Studies for powerful learning. Workshop will also integrate Literacy Based Questions.
This session will include strategies that support K-12 Balanced Literacy Instruction.
Audience: 3-5 teachers, 6-12 ELA and Social Studies teachers
Date: Tuesday, June 28
Time: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Location: Campbell High School - Room: TBA
Registration: http://tinyurl.com/CobbLitConf2016
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Science
Hands-On, High Tech Science (Middle/High) (3 Days)
Come join us as exemplary middle and high school Cobb science teacher leaders provide colleagues with detailed professional development showing how to provide their students with hands-on, technology-rich lessons that build conceptual understanding while promoting a passion for science. This professional development will feature exemplary lessons that have been developed and posted on Blackboard. In addition, a focus on Problem-Based challenges will be emphasized. Additional resources and strategies including Science Probes, and Reading and Writing in Science Strategies will be explored. Afternoon sessions will feature course-specific lessons that target areas of low student performance.
Audience: 6-12 Science teachers
Start Date: Monday, June 27 – Additional Dates: June 28, 29
Start Time: 8:30 AM - End Time: 3:30 PM
Location: Campbell High School - Room: TBA
Registration: http://tinyurl.com/CobbLitConf2016
Picture Perfect Science & Formative Assessment Probes (Elementary) (1 Day)
This one-day workshop will introduce the Picture Perfect approach to building science literacy. Picture Perfect lessons provide hands-on science activities that explain difficult science concepts, identify possible misconceptions and get teachers and students actively involved in doing science. Lessons include a lesson plan, a complete list/kit of needed materials, and at least two books that provide critical literacy connections.
Picture Perfect lessons utilize the 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, and Evaluate) approach to science instruction. For each lesson, students are quickly engaged in the topic which is then followed by a student-centered exploration designed around key ideas. Students then build explanations of these ideas and as teachers guide and correct as needed. Teachers then elaborate and provide extensions for students to explore these ideas in different ways.
Formative Assessment Probes can be used to uncover student ideas and build understanding of science concepts. Formative assessment probes help pinpoint what your students know (or think they know)—allowing you to monitor student learning and adjust your teaching strategies accordingly. The probes—which cover physical, life, earth and space sciences, as well as nature of science and unifying themes—are invaluable formative assessment tools you can use either at the beginning of each topic or unit or as you progress through specific lessons.
The afternoon session will provide time to explore grade-specific Picture Perfect lessons as well as targeted Formative Assessment Probes.
Audience: K-5 teachers
Start Date: Wednesday, June 29
Start Time: 8:30 AM - End Time: 3:30 PM
Location: Campbell High School - Room: TBA
Registration: http://tinyurl.com/CobbLitConf2016
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ELA
Exploring Your K-2 ELA Resources
This session will provide K-2 teachers with an overview of the reading/leveled libraries, writing, and phonics instructional resources. Participants will understand how these resources may be used with the Cobb Teaching and Learning ELA Standards within the ELA Balanced Instructional Framework.
Audience: K- 2 teachers
Start Date: Tuesday, June 28
Start Time: 8:30 AM - End Time: 3:30 PM
Location: Campbell High School - Room: TBA
Registration: http://tinyurl.com/CobbLitConf2016