#r12socstud
Connecting stories of the past to the needs of the present.
Volume 2 Issue 5
Welcome!
**On a special note, this is the first newsletter after the national & state social studies conference, so I apologize ahead of time...there's a lot to share!!
Curriculum Updates
Holocaust Remembrance Week
Trello Board: https://trello.com/b/RYTtsvMT
Holiday Insights & Celebrations
January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month:
The Best Resources For Learning About Human Trafficking Today from Larry Ferlazzo
Coming up in January:
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, celebrated on the third Monday, January 20
Chinese New Year, January 25
Let's Talk About Visual Aids!
It is important for your students to receive information orally, visually, and written. Using visual aids in every lesson is essential for ALL students, especially secondary!
- Use a presentation program to structure the flow of the lesson. This does not mean lecturing from your slides, but using slides to frame your lesson. Some of my favorite presentation tools to use include PearDeck, Google Slides, Powtoon, and Canva. Most of these have templates and archives to use when needing fresh ideas. Check out the Orchard from PearDeck for great templates for social studies teachers.
- Use a variety of thinking maps to encourage students to make connections and retain information. Find some great examples here!
- Create and reference anchor charts or word walls that provide instructional support for students and move the student toward achieving success with content. As you teach a lesson, you create a chart, together with your students, that captures the most important content and relevant strategies. Anchor charts build a culture of literacy in the classroom by making thinking—both the teacher’s and students’—visible.
Adapted from materials created by Region 20.
Instructional Innovation
Resources from NCSS/TCSSS/NCGE
Articles of Interest
Digital Resources
National Museum of American History
Becoming US is a new educational resource for high school teachers and students to learn immigration and migration history in a more accurate and inclusive way.c
United States Census 2020
One Day on Earth
Literacy Connections
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
Another great picture book by Andrea Beaty! Every morning, Abuelo walks Sofia to school . . . until one day, when Abuelo hurts his ankle at a local landfill and he can no longer do so. Sofia (aka Sofi) misses her Abuelo and wonders what she can do about the dangerous Mount Trashmore. Sofia sets out to prove what one kid can do.
Our House is on Fire
From acclaimed picture book creator Jeanette Winter comes the urgent and powerful story of Greta Thunberg, the sixteen-year-old climate activist who has sparked a worldwide student movement and is demanding action from world leaders who refuse to address climate change.
Never Caught, the Story of Ona Judge:
George and Martha Washington's Courageous Slave Who Dared to Run Away; Young Readers Edition
In this incredible narrative, Erica Armstrong Dunbar reveals a fascinating and heartbreaking behind-the-scenes look at the Washingtons when they were the First Family—and an in-depth look at their slave, Ona Judge, who dared to escape from one of the nation’s Founding Fathers.
Come away with:
• applicable classroom and library activities for elementary and middle school
• a variety of resources about how to teach about slavery in the classroom
• learn about Lee & Low literature that address slavery.
Register here!
Student Opportunities
Professional Learning Opportunities
Remember...
Jessica Torres
Ed Specialist - Digital Innovation/Gifted Education & Social Studies
ESC Region 12
o: 254-297-1118
Email: jtorres@esc12.net
Website: https://www.esc12.net/page/ge_socialstudies
Location: ESC Region 12, West Loop 340, Waco, TX, USA
Phone: 254-366-3856
Twitter: @owl_b_torresedu