The Social Studies Connection
More than a Newsletter for Secondary Social Studies Teachers
March 2024
Secondary Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator
Office of Teaching & Learning
Curriculum Division
Southland Center - 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH
March 6 PD Day
Wednesday, Mar 6, 2024, 07:15 AM
Mifflin High School, Oak Spring Street, Columbus, OH, USA
Think Globally, Act Locally: March 6 PD Day
Don't forget to register for the Secondary Social Studies PD Day event on March 6, 2024: Think Globally, Act Locally.
Benefits of registering by Monday, March 4.
Your name will appear on the sign-in sheets in alphabetical order.
You only need to sign, rather than print and sign your name.
Attendance will be posted quicker as the sign-in sheet and PDS roster will be the same.
This will be a joint event with World Language teachers and will be held at Mifflin High School, 3245 Oak Spring Street.
We will also join the World Language tradition of hosting a potluck breakfast. You can sign up here.
View the final program here or download the PDF below.
March 6 PD Day Featured Presentations
Applying Cultural Fluency to Instructional Design, 8:40 a.m. and 10:10 a.m., Room 221
Jessica Flowers, Columbus Council on World Affairs
Participants will explore the importance of cultural fluency and gain practical skills to create culturally responsive lessons. They will learn strategies to incorporate diverse perspectives, cultural references, and inclusive teaching methods into their instructional design.
Leveraging Culture to Enhance Belonging for ELL Students, 1:10 p.m., Room 221
Jessica Flowers, Columbus Council on World Affairs
Participants will explore the relationship between culture, identity, and belonging, and learn practical approaches to integrate students' cultural backgrounds into the classroom.
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DBQ Alternative Endings (Middle School Social Studies), 8:40 a.m., Room 314
Imali Kent, The DBQ Project
The DBQ Project is unapologetically a writing program. However, writing a 5-paragraph essay is not the only way for students to demonstrate their learning and articulate their arguments. Writing can also take many different forms. Discover options to consider when creating an alternate end product for a DBQ.
DBQ - Building a Better Body...Paragraph (Middle School Social Studies), 10:10 a.m.
Imali Kent, The DBQ Project
Are you looking for ways to elevate your students' writing? Join The DBQ Project for an energizing session to improve student writing skills! Gain practical strategies for enhancing claims, evidence, and reasoning in their work. Plus, discover effective tools for scaffolding writing for all students.
Middle School teachers in these sessions who do not already have a DBQ Binder will be able to receive a binder.
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Stemming the Tide of Hate: How to Respond, 10:40 a.m., Library - Lower Level
Lauren Karas, Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center
As hate crimes continue to rise in the US, educators need support to help students understand and address issues of antisemitism, xenophobia, and racism in their communities. Our workshop provides a framework for tackling these tough conversations and empowering students to take action against hate.
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Using Achieve3000 to Meet High School Social Studies Standards, 8:40 a.m. and 10:10 a.m., Room 320
Victoria Garren, McGraw Hill
Achieve3000 is the district-adopted literacy intervention program for grades 9-11. This session will show teachers how to incorporate Achieve lessons that align with CCS Social Studies curriculum and state standards.
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Engagement Fair at March 6 PD Day
Selected partners and community organizations have been invited to an Engagement Fair to showcase their resources and opportunities for teachers and students.
Women's History Month Resources
March is Women's History Month, commemorating and encouraging the study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.
See the following resources for Women's History Month in the classroom.
Achieve3000
Achieve3000 returned in January as the literacy intervention program for high schools. High School teachers and students now have access to Achieve3000 via Clever.
Awards for LevelSet participation percentages will be given at the March 6 PD Day. Moving forward, the trophy awards will travel each month to the school with the highest increases in student Lexile scores.
LevelSet remains open and available for students who not have yet completed it. This may be completed in any class of any subject, grades 9-11. Once LevelSet is complete, you will be able to assign content-specific lessons/articles aligned with your curriculum. The goal will be for each content-area teacher to assign 1 article per week, in order to help students reach maximum gains.
Alignment guides for Modern World History 9, American History 10, and American Government are available on the Social Studies Curriculum page.
Here are some helpful resources for getting started with the LevelSet and Achieve3000 implementation.
For additional support, teachers can schedule a time for drop-in office with Romana Bertolotti, Achieve Product Manager.
TCI Implementation Resource Center
The TCI Implementation Resource Center is your one-stop shop for learning the best practices of TCI and how these practices align with CCS Curriculum.
The Implementation Resource Center provides information about:
- On-Demand PD
- TCI Digital Platform Introduction
- Theory and Research-Based Active Instruction
- TCI Lesson Elements and Cycle
- Activities/Engagement Strategies
- TCI Programs for CCS Middle School Courses
- TCI Programs for CCS High School Courses
- Digging Deeper with TCI Ten PD Videos.
This page is also accessible from the CCS Social Studies Homepage.
What's Available: Locating OST Review Resources
Resources for review and test preparation for the OST in American History and American Government are available on the Social Studies website Assessment page.
Some highlighted resources include:
Teacher Tools
Test Specs
Student Tools
Quick Reviews - also available in cardstock
Student Review Guides - Google Docs or printable
- Current released items from 2021-2023 (and additional question) are available in the “COLUMBUS CITY SCHOOLS” Item bank.
What to Do: Strategies for Using OST Review Resources
Preview as Review
Provide quick coverage of concepts not yet covered this year.
Maximizing Student Engagement
Incorporate gamification - e.g., March Madness brackets.
Use GimKit for vocabulary practice or practice assessments.
Create Learning Stations with the Student Review Guides.
Primary and Secondary Source Analysis
Prepare for Evidence-Based Sets - source excerpts with questions.
Be prepared for unfamiliar “cold reads.”
Use TCI resources found at the end of lesson Reading - U.S. Supreme Court Cases (Government); Primary Sources (American History).
Use Modeling and Guided Practice to help students interpret sources.
Formative Assessments
Quick Reviews can be used as a scaffold and a study tool.
Differentiation based on data and student needs.
Columbus Echoes & Reflections Seminar 2024
We are excited to welcome you to a two-day seminar with Echoes & Reflections, leaders in professional development for teachers in the field of Holocaust education.
The free two-day seminar will take place at Congregation Beth Tikvah in Worthington on June 4-5, 2024 from 9 AM - 4 PM. Lunch will be provided each day.
The address is:
6121 Olentangy River Rd.
Worthington, OH 43085
Upon completion of the seminar, teachers will receive a certificate from Echoes & Reflections which can be turned in for 12 contact hours equal to 1.2 CEUs.
If you would like to register, please fill out the form below. There is no cost to attend the seminar. However, please only sign up if you plan to attend the complete seminar. Space is limited.
To learn more about Echoes & Reflections go to www.echoesandreflections.org.
If you have questions about the seminar, please contact rabbirick@bethtikvahcolumbus.org.
The schedule and session descriptions can be found here.