Austin ISD Social Studies News
Vol. 19, November 2016
November News!
Austin, TX Opportunities
KLRU, Center for Mexican American Studies and the UT-LULAC chapter to screen Willie Velasquez
5:30 pm
Gordon-White Building (GWB)
Room 2.206
210 W 24th St, Austin TX, 78705
Evening for Educators: Patriotism & Propaganda
November 2, 2016, 5 - 8 pm
Join us for a FREE event exclusively for teachers. Explore the Museum's special fall exhibitions focusing on symbols of American patriotism, as well as Nazi propaganda.
Experience the Bullock Museum - the biggest classroom in Texas - through special tours, activities, and film screenings. Designed for teachers of all grade levels and subjects, this free event will introduce new film-related curriculum guides and activities, professional development opportunities, and unique classroom resources. Enjoy prize drawings, refreshments, the company of fellow teachers, and receive an SBEC-approved certificate of participation.
Click Here for more information and to RSVP.
Texas Book Festival 2016
Where: State Capitol Grounds
When: Saturday, Nov. 5th, 10 AM - 5 PM
Sunday, Nov. 6th, 11 AM - 5 PM
The event is free and open to the public.
(This event is NOT at the Austin History Center)
Waterloo Press author and Austin-American Statesman columnist Michael Barnes will be at our booth signing Indelible Austin. City Archivist Mike Miller will be at our booth signing Austin's First Cookbook: Our Home Recipes, Remedies and Rules of Thumb, published by American Palate, a division of The History Press.
Saturday Signings
Michael Barnes, 11 AM - 3 PM
Sunday Signings
Michael Barnes, 11 AM - 3 PM
Mike Miller, 11 AM - 1 PM
For more information on this event, call 512-270-0132.
Texas African American History Memorial
November 19th, 2016 10:00AM
Texas State Capitol South Lawn
Join us for the historic unveiling of the Texas African American History Memorial. This monument honors African American Texans and their contributions to our great state.
The Memorial will be located on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol and will be the last monument erected on the South Capitol grounds under current law.
PLEASE FORWARD TO ANY AND ALL TEXANS YOU THINK WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND THIS EVENT.
Hosted by the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Texas African American History Memorial Foundation. Learn more about the memorial at www.taahmf.com! TexSS
Student Opportunities
Big Questions Debates - grant opportunity for Speech and Debate
Looking for ways to earn money for your speech and debate program or your classroom in general? In partnership with the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA) our teachers are eligible to receive up to $1,700 per event to host “Big Questions Debates.”
Big Question Debates are a one-on-one debate format that involves two opposing contestants debating a topic concerning the intersection of science and philosophy. Topics will address deeply held beliefs that often go unexamined. Students are assigned a side of the topic before each round and present cases, engage in rebuttal and refutation, and participate in a question period.
You can host Big Questions Debates as a tournament event, stand-alone event, intra-school scrimmage, or as a classroom event.
This year’s most successful students will be invited to nationals where the top four students will receive a total of $20,000 in scholarships!
For more information and to apply, visit www.speechanddebate.org/big-questions.
Roots of Liberty National Essay Contest
TAH.org is once again excited to support the Roots of Liberty National Essay Contest. This is an excellent opportunity for high school teachers to sponsor outstanding student essays. The contest asks student to build a thoughtful essay about the following:
In "To Make Their Interests Coincide With Their Duty: How the Constitution Leads Public Officials to Make Good Decisions," law professor Robert T. Miller argues that the brilliance of the American Constitution is that it “creates a system of procedures for selecting public officials and ordering how they make decisions that are in the best interests of society.”
Analyze one consequential presidential decision to determine to what extent, if any, the Constitution leads presidents to make good decisions.
The winning student essay will received a grand prize of $5,000, plus a trip to D.C. for 2. The teacher who sponsors the winning student will also receive a prize of $1,000. The essay contest deadline is Friday, December 15, 2016.
For more information, click here.
Have you tried these out yet?
Choices Role Play Free Lesson
Teaching with the News: Debating the U.S. Response to Syria
In this free OER lesson students will:
- Analyze the issues that frame the current debate on U.S. policy towards Syria.
- Explore, debate, and evaluate multiple perspectives on U.S. policy towards Syria through a role-play activity.
Election Central 2016
Voting and elections are an essential part of the U.S. Government. Learn more about the process and history of elections while staying up to date on the latest news in the 2016 Presidential Election. Don't forget to check out Election Central, your one stop destination for classroom resources to engage your students during the elections.
Britannica Online- LaunchPack: Social Studies
3, 2, 1...Blast Off! Over the past year, we've collaborated with educators to bring LaunchPacks: Social Studies, a dynamic and time saving product, to life. Today, these ready-to-use, expertly compiled content packs are launching classrooms into new lessons, fun projects, and engaging activities.
To celebrate the launch, we're offering a 30-day free trial. Sign up before November 1st for this special offer.
If you find any resources that you'd like to share...
Austin ISD High School Social Studies
High School Specialist - Melanie Kirchhof
Also, if you enjoy receiving resources more frequently than once a month, follow us on Twitter @AISDSoc !
Email: melanie.kirchhof@austinisd.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/austinisd.org/socialstudies/
Location: Austin, TX, United States
Phone: 512-414-4361
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austinisd.socialstudies
Twitter: @AISDSoc