Social Studies Weekly
Year 7 Volume 13~ November 25, 2019
Public Comment Time is Coming Up
The WSFCS SS Department will have a listening session with high school teachers. During this session, the department will document comments from teachers and pass this information on to DPI. You are able to do this individually on your own time as well. The date for this listening session will be announced in a few weeks.
12-4-19 TEACHING HARD HISTORY: SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME
Date: December 4, 2019
Time: 4:30-6:30
During this session, participants will screen portions of the documentary Slavery by Another Name and discuss how to use information from the film in the classroom. For additional information see the flyer.
MEOC Educator Book Grant
Each year, the Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC) sponsors the Middle East Book Awards to recognize outstanding books by Arab authors or about the Middle East region. QFI’s MEOC Educator Book Award program makes these award-winning books that contribute to a more meaningful understanding of the region available to primary- and secondary-school teachers and schools.
Teachers can apply for up to three classroom sets of MEOC award-winning books. If selected, teachers receive the requested books and develop a lesson plan or classroom activity related to the book s/he selected. Here is the list of books that could be used for the grant. Here is the grant application.
WSFCS has had teachers apply for and win this in previous years. There are some great titles that could be used with World History:
Ibn Battuta: The Journey of a Medieval Muslim
The Unwanted: The Stories of the Syrian Refugees
Peace in the Middle East
Young Palestinians Speak: Living Under Occupation
Funded Educator Travel to Bahrain
The Kingdom of Bahrain is offering a FREE teachers’ program to visit that country in March 2020. Applications are now open! The Bilateral US-Arab Chamber’s annual Teachers Educating Across Cultures in Harmony (TEACH) Fellowship Program was conceived to encourage cross-cultural understanding and develop best practices between educators in the United States and the Arab world. You have to submit a $25 application fee when you apply, and if you are accepted, you pay $250 (non-refundable). Otherwise, international airfare, hotels, local transportation, and most meals are covered. The Fellowship is open to all U.S. education professionals regardless of discipline. In order to receive full consideration, applications must be submitted on or prior to Friday, December 13, 2019 at 11:59 PM. For more info, and a link to the application, visit here.
Each year, WSFCS is lucky to have teachers selected to attend a variety of learning opportunities both in the United States and abroad. Teachers have traveled to Belgium, Germany, South Africa, etc. using programs listed.
If you are selected to participate in a learning experience, please consider leading a PD session on an RC Day. This helps spread your knowledge with your peers and provides support for your leadership standard in your evaluation.
If you know of any other learning opportunities for teachers that are not on our spreadsheet, please let Melissa know.
Message from Melissa
OMG... You made it! Well, almost. There is one day left. But, that will be a cinch.
I want to personally thank you for everything you do. It is really amazing the work everyone puts in and the growth we have seen in our department.
When I started in this position in 2012, we were figuring out new standards and were faced with changes in teaching. There was a lot of reluctance because, as we know in education, things are quick to come and go. But, you all pushed through and adjusted. I used to walk in classrooms and the majority of times all I saw was a PowerPoint and teacher lecturing. This is not the case today. Again, you have grown so much and I am so proud of all the hard work you have put in.
In my first few years, rarely did anyone want to share what they were doing in class, particularly at the district level. Over the years, we have opened up to sharing more and more. This will become important with the shifts in the curriculum in the coming years. The more we can work together to brainstorm ideas and share activities the easier the next transition will be.
Over the holiday, I hope you are able to relax and enjoy your time off. Fill your belly with fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. Help yourself to a second, or third piece of warm apple pie. And, I will enjoy my homemade lasagna. (Seriously, turkey dinner is way overrated, just saying.)
When you return, there are just three weeks until Winter Break. Yikes! Let's not think of that right now. Instead, think about the green bean casserole, the only redeeming food at Thanksgiving, except, maybe, the rolls.
Happy Thanksgiving. Be safe.
Melissa
Email: mmmcgready@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
Website: http://wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Domain/54
Phone: 813-388-3999