Social Studies Elementary News
April 2020
In This Edition:
- Recently Added Resources
- TIME Magazine Women of the Year Covers
- Online Professional Development Opportunities
- School Spotlight- South Knox Elementary & Christenberry
- Previous Elementary Newsletters
Time Magazine Women of the Year
For 72 years, TIME named a Man of the Year. With a few exceptions, it was almost always a man, usually a President or a Prime Minister or perhaps a titan of industry. In 1999, Man of the Year gave way to Person of the Year. While the name rightly changed, too often the choice was the same. With this 100 Women of the Year project, TIME is spotlighting influential women who were often overshadowed. To recognize these women, TIME has created 89 new TIME covers, many of which were designed by prominent artists.
Online Professional Development Opportunities
- On-Going Self-Paced Canvas Courses
These Canvas Courses were created back in December specifically for 3rd-5th grade teachers on the new parts of the curriculum. The optional courses are self-paced and meant to give teacher background information on the new standards. In-service credit hours will be given for completion of modules. Click here to gain access to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade content.
- April 8 - "Social Studies National Archives DocsTeach Webinar" from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Join us for an introduction to DocsTeach.org, the online tool for teaching with documents from the National Archives. Discover how to find primary sources for teaching history and civics topics. Explore the 12 different document-based activity tools and learn how, with a free DocsTeach account, you can create your own activities or modify existing activities to share with your students. This webinar is suitable for all educators. Sign up on My Learning Plan here.
- April 20 - "Visible Learning for Social Studies Webinar" at 6:30 p.m. Description: How do we maximize precious time to ensure that students grasp enough to prepare them for informed civic life? The discipline of social studies is far more than memorizing dates and facts. It involves the skillful ability to conduct investigations, analyze sources, place events in historical and cultural context, and synthesize various points of view, while recognizing our own biases. Join Julie Stern in this webinar to understand how using the right approach at the right time can maximize student learning. Participants will learn more about the three phases of learning—surface, deep, and transfer. Click here to register for the webinar.
- April 22 - "Speech on the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence Webinar" from Teaching American History. Register here.
- May 13 - "Herbert Hoover's Speech on the New Deal Webinar" from Teaching American History. Register here.
School Spotlight- South Knox
South Knox Elementary's 4th & 5th graders participated in an unbelievably rich and educational event in which the students were the center. Students researched a famous person in history involved in Women's Suffrage, wrote a biography of that person, memorized it, then performed as their person in full costume on Market Square! During a field trip, students toured Blount Mansion and the East Tennessee Historical Society to enhance their learning. What a fun way to make history come alive!
School Spotlight- Christenberry
Third grade Christenberry students got to visit the Federal Courthouse Building downtown to learn all about the law from Judge Bauknight and others. Students got a tour, a lesson tied to The True Story of the Three Little Pigs book, participated in a mock trial, saw a demonstration from a U.S. Marshal, and more. This trip was planned and headed up by third grade teacher, Jessica Seaton.
Previous Elementary Newsletters
Social Studies Department
Katherine Petko, Social Studies Supervisor katherine.petko@knoxschools.org
Dean Burress, K-12 Social Studies Facilitator dean.burress@knoxschools.org
Kristin Risdahl, K-12 Social Studies Facilitator
kristin.risdahl@knoxschools.org
Vickie Beckers, Administrative Assistant