R9 Secondary Social Studies Support
February/March 2022
Dear Teachers,
Spring break is near! Although Texas can't seem to decide what the weather should be from one day to the next, she can't stop spring break!
Thank you for all your hard work thus far this year. You are doing wonderful things!
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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Resources for the Ukraine Situation
"As the situation surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to unfold, it’s important for everyone to practice news-literate information habits. Understanding where to find credible information about the events in Ukraine and how to avoid being duped into sharing false and misleading information is vital. Here are three tips to help you keep your footing and avoid unintentionally spreading confusion and harm:
- Be cautious and discerning with what you believe and share
- Familiarize yourself with Russian disinformation outlets, tactics, and narratives
- Put yourself in the way of credible information"
Lesson on Russian Disinformation tactics
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Region 9 Rocks!
Sphere Summit? Yes Please!
If you are interested in applying to attend the summit, please visit https://www.cato.org/sphere/about-sphere for more information!
World History Resources
Want a Shout out?
If you have something exciting to share, whether it be in your classroom or something awesome going on in your social studies department, please email me to be featured in the next newsletter!
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REGION 9 SPRING PD OPPORTUNITIES
Note: It is not too late to register! You can watch recordings of the zooms for credit!
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Texas Citizen Bee- March 29th and 30th, 2022
Visit Citizenbee.org to learn more about the Texas Citizen Bee Competition. This is a wonderful STAAR review for your students!
Click here to access the rules for our Region 9 Virtual Texas Citizen Bee competition.
Click here to sign up as your school's sponsor (Deadline March 21).
If your student places at state, they can win up to $5000 and you can win up to $1000! Those who progress to the state level have a 1 in 20 chance of winning and an even higher chance of winning a prize!
LRE Ambassador Opportunity! Deadline Extended to March 21
Click the photo to learn more! Only 1 Elementary and 1 Middle school educator will be chosen from our entire region.
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Updates from TEA
Postponement of USCIS Citizenship Questions on US History EOC
STAAR Redesign
Click here to see samples of the new item types, like inline choice, hot spot and multi-select. Not all new question types in the samplers will appear on every STAAR test every year.
Click here for a PDF with more details on the new item types.
Assessment Educator Committees
TEA is seeking classroom teachers, instructional coaches, campus and district content specialists, and campus administrators to serve on a variety of assessment-related committees. The involvement of Texas education professionals supports TEA in designing and building the best quality assessments. TEA is accepting applications for the following teacher committees:
- Early passage review meetings
- Educator item review meetings
- Essay rangefinding meetings
- Subject-area advisory groups
- STAAR redesign focus groups
Teacher and instructional specialists or coaches for the following grades and subject areas are encouraged to apply:
- English language arts and reading, grades 3–8 and English I-II
- Mathematics, grades 3–8 and Algebra I
- Science, grades 5 and 8 and Biology
- Social studies, grade 8 and U.S. History
- Spanish language arts and reading, grades 3–5
- Spanish mathematics, grades 3–5
- Spanish science, grade 5
To apply to participate in these committees, educators should complete the Educator Committee Application Form at https://www.txetests.com/edc/.
Social Studies Work Group Application- Still Open
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.
Draft Recommendations for Proposed New Personal Financial Literacy and Economics Course Available
Social studies TEKS review Group A convened for a series of meetings to develop recommendations in response to Senate Bill (SB) 1063 from the 87th Texas Legislative Session, Regular Session, 2021. SB 1063 requires the SBOE to adopt TEKS for a new combined personal financial literacy and economics course that may fulfill a student's graduation requirement for economics.
Work Group A’s recommendations are currently available for review and feedback on the 2021-2022 Social Studies TEKS Review Work Group Drafts web page under the heading Work Group A: Personal Financial Literacy and Economics.
Feedback on work group recommendations will be accepted throughout the review process for the proposed new course. When providing specific comments and recommendations, please identify the work group in the subject line of the email. For example, in the subject line, please indicate "Social Studies TEKS Review Work Group A Feedback." Please submit comments to TEA at teks@tea.texas.gov.
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Instructional Strategies and Skills Support
#DitchThatTextbook- Student Notetaking
Students have taken notes for ages. Is note-taking still helpful? Here's how we can get more out of student note-taking.
C-SPAN in the Classroom Podcast
Ep. 9 Women's History Month
Join the team as they recognize Women’s History Month. Learn about the origin, contributions of historical figures, and C-SPAN Classroom resources to use with students.
Ep. 8 President' Day
With Presidents' Day being recognized in February, join the team as they talk about the history of this day, and share C-SPAN resources that can be used in the classroom.
Ep. 7 Black History Month
Tune in to this episode as the Classroom team shares C-SPAN resources that can be used with students throughout February as they recognize Black History Month.
Texas History Resources
TCEA has collected a wealth of resources for Texas History teachers to use in class!
Click here to access free digital resources for Texas History.
African American History Month- TEA Resource
Retro Report
From Women’s Suffrage to the ERA
Throughout the 1960’s and 70’s the second wave feminism movement worked to address gender inequality across the United States. While the movement had several important victories, the Equal Rights Amendment was not passed. Was the second wave feminist movement a success nonetheless?
Teaching Tip: There is a solid lesson plan and student activity that accompanies this seven-minute film. They help students examine the Equal Rights Amendment as a primary source, and it encourages students to use this time period as a lens to analyze contemporary movements, including Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, environmental activism and others.
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Opportunities for your Students
***UPDATED***Bee in a Box Regional Competition- April 20th and 21st
- In order to sign up to be the school sponsor this year, please complete this form: Click Here (Sponsor Registration Deadline: April 8, 2022)
- When you begin to recruit students to participate, please register them on this form: Click Here (Student Registration Deadline: April 13, 2022)
- If you would like FREE materials to run a Bee in a Box Classroom Competition, please complete this form: Click Here
Email chelsea.howells@esc9.net for questions.
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!
We the Students Essay Contest (8-12)
Deadline for submissions: April 15, 2022
About the Contest
Students must be in 8th-12th grade, age 14-19
Prompt: How does an understanding of natural rights and respect build a free society?
Essays should be between 500-800 words and should demonstrate an understanding of natural rights, how they relate to the principle of respect, and how the flourishing of a free society is dependent upon them. Excellent essays will go beyond "dictionary definitions," to express their understanding and reasoning about the connections among these principles. Specific examples, and well-researched facts should be combined with students’ own observations and experiences. A good essay will demonstrate how these principles are not just abstract ideas but are part of people's everyday actions and choices.
Prizes
- National Grand Prize $7500 and a scholarship to the 2022 Constitutional Academy summer program in Washington D.C.
- Runners Up $1500 (5 winners)
- Honorable Mention $500 (10 winners)
MyImpact Challenge
Click here for more information.
Click here for a marketing poster
Deadline for submissions: May 16, 2022
Students in 8th-12th grade, ages 13-19 are eligible
Contest Submission
- An essay of up to 1,200 words expressing the student’s a) understanding of the ideal of “E Pluribus Unum” and how their project furthers that ideal in their community b) How their project furthers at least one Civic Virtue and one of Founding Principle as defined in the Bill of Right’s Institutes “Principles and Virtues.
- A report of up to 2,000 words detailing a student’s completed or in-progress civic engagement project
- Visual documentation of the student’s project and its results
Prizes
- Student Grand Prize – one at $10,000
- Student First Prize one at $7,500
- Student Second Prize – one at $5,000
- Student Third Prize – one at $2,500
- Honorable Mention – six at $1,500 each
- Teacher Grand Prize – one at $500, awarded to the teacher sponsoring the student winner of the Student Grand Prize
- Teacher Support Prize – one at $500, awarded to the teacher sponsoring the greatest number of valid Contest entries
- Teacher Submission Prize – twenty at $250 each (only one prize per teacher), awarded to the first 20 teachers sponsoring 10 valid Contest entries
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Additional PD Offerings
TXCSS Conference Scheduled for October 14-19 in Denton
Message from TXCSS:
Thank you to our amazing #TXCSS2021 Presenters! We received overwhelmingly positive responses to the conference survey regarding the presenters and the sessions. It just reinforced what we already knew… TXCSS has a wealth of people committed to sharing their passion with our community.
In that regard, we encourage you to join us in #ForgingtheFuture at #TXCSS2022 in Denton, October 14-19, and sharing the awesomeness you use in your classrooms with your students. Please consider submitting a session proposal using the links below. We have a NEW deadline this year! In order to help you get budget approval before this year ends, we are moving the proposal deadline to April 15, 2022. Presenters with accepted proposals will be notified by email no later than May 15, 2022.
Presenter Form: https://forms.gle/ewEkQGTCJas9CYS89
Poster Session Form: https://forms.gle/EhDEDH6ALp8FtcyA7
Questions? Email presenters@txcss.net
We look forward to another year of innovative, empowering sessions!
TXCSS Conference Committee
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Past Issues....
2021-2022
Secondary Edition
January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 August-September 2021
Elementary Edition
January 2022 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