R9 Social Studies Support

If you're a first-time reader of our newsletter, a warm "Welcome!" I'm Chelsea Howells, the Social Studies Content Specialist for Region 9 ESC. I'm here to assist you with any needs you may have—whether it's locating resources, supporting your initiatives, or offering feedback and coaching. This newsletter is designed to furnish you with content-specific social studies resources, general instructional tools, and updates on professional development opportunities that prove beneficial to all.

As we embark on a new year filled with possibilities, I am excited to bring you:

• an innovative AI resource that can save you time
• ideas to prepare you to teach the new K-12 Social Studies TEKS
• the latest developments in STAAR Scoring
• exciting opportunities for students beyond the classroom
• upcoming PD workshops and webinars for Spring 2024
• curated resources to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance week and celebrate Black History Month

Thank you for being part of our vibrant social studies community. Wishing you a 2024 filled with educational discoveries and meaningful connections!

Happy reading!

Chelsea

Other timely resources to note:

🏫 2023-2024 Student Opportunities Special Edition (rev. 1/2024)

🎓 R9 Social Studies Spring PD (rev. 1/2024)

Thanks to Mrs. Hooper from WFISD for sharing this great Black History Month resource for February!

Click here to access Bitmoji Black History

Student responses to short constructed-response (SCR) questions and extended constructed-response (ECR) questions are scored using a hybrid scoring model. This means that the responses are initially scored by an automated scoring engine (ASE) and at least 25 percent of student responses are then routed to human scorers. The scores generated by human scorers are used throughout the scoring window to monitor scores that are being generated by the ASE. This process is similar to a second reader in human scoring models.

• All student responses are scored for the first time by the ASE.

• At least 25 percent of student responses for each grade/subject and course are then routed to trained human scorers. This set of second scores by human scorers is used to monitor the ASE scoring and is similar to what is done in human scoring to examine how often scorers agree with one another.

• Student responses that the ASE assigns condition codes (e.g., use words not seen in the responses used to train the ASE) or that are identified as “low confidence” are routed to trained human scorers. The low confidence responses are often those responses that are on the border between two score points. The purpose of this routing is to ensure that unusual or borderline responses receive fair and accurate scores.

Any student responses that are routed for human scoring maintain the score assigned by the human score as the score of record. Throughout the scoring window, both ASE and human scoring results are monitored daily to ensure that scores consistently align to the scoring rubrics.

The social studies team at TEA is committed to enhancing opportunities for stakeholder engagement across the state of Texas. Social Studies Stakeholder Engagement Sessions allow the TEA social studies team to expand information sharing and interaction with stakeholders. Each session will have a different informational focus and will include a fifteen-to-twenty-minute presentation from TEA staff, followed by an opportunity for general questions and discussion related to social studies. Stakeholder engagement sessions will be provided on two different days at two different times (during and outside of the school day) to provide stakeholders multiple opportunities to attend. The information shared will be the same in each meeting. All social studies stakeholders (parents, teachers, administrators, etc.) are invited to attend by registering below.

February Topic: Assessment

Target Audience: Middle School and High School Social Studies Teachers, District Administrators, Campus Administrators, Education Service Center Specialists, Parents, and Professional Organizations

Dates & Times

• Monday, February 26th @ 4:00 p.m. Registration Link
• Tuesday, February 27th @ 11:30 a.m. Registration Link

Please note: you only need to attend 1 session for CPE credit. Both sessions will be the same, giving more options for participants to pick the time that best suits their schedules!

The State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted revisions to the social studies TEKS that align with legislative requirements passed in the 87th Legislature. The revisions update the standards for kindergarten–8th grade and five high-school courses. The revised social studies TEKS will be implemented beginning with the 2024-2025 school year and can be accessed via the link below.

• Effective August 1, 2024: Adopted Revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 113. Social Studies, Subchapters A-C

For additional information about the social studies TEKS to be implemented in 2024-2025, please visit the FAQ document via the link below.

The News Literacy Project and TIME for Kids have teamed up this school year to bring educators weeks of news literacy lessons. 7 of the upper elementary editions of the TIME for Kids teacher’s guide will feature classroom-ready resources that highlight the magazine’s journalism and NLP’s free resources. You can check out the whole unit at ti.me/MediaLitUnit.

The Sift is a free weekly newsletter for educators delivered during the school year that offers a rundown of the latest topics in news literacy — including trends and issues in misinformation, social media, artificial intelligence, journalism and press freedom. It provides discussion prompts, teaching ideas, classroom guides and a video series that features professional journalists.

View Latest Issue

Sign up here: https://newslit.org/educator-subscribe/

Please note: Always review content for accuracy and bias; use professional judgment and comply with school policies. Apply the 80/20 rule: AI does 80% of the legwork, the educator does 20% of the work by thoroughly checking, revising, and editing the product before use.

MagicSchool is the a platform for educators, offering over 60 individual AI tools to support teachers in their day-to-day work. From creating resources to generating lesson plans, assessments, and more, MagicSchool is designed to save educators time and provide them with the resources they need to enhance their teaching experience. With tools like the Academic Content Generator, Rubric Generator, and Social Stories Generator, MagicSchool is freeing up teachers' time every day with supports for lesson planning, parent emails, resource creation, and more.

How can this help me in social studies?

Try using the content generator to create that perfect source targeting the topics you are teaching. The text leveler can also adjust the reading level of any text for IEP modifications. After you generate your text, you can generate multiple choice, matching, and short answer questions, a vocabulary list with definitions, and much more!

Sample prompts for social studies:

• Create a reading passage for 8th grade students that covers the standard "Analyze the causes and effects of economic differences among different regions of the United States at selected times." (8.12C)

• Can you provide 3 multiple choice questions and 4 matching questions to go with this passage?

• Can you lower the grade level on the reading passage from 8th grade to 6th grade?

• Could you create a 5 word vocabulary list with definitions for this passage?

Teacher testimonials

Check out Magicschool.ai here

Which courses have TEKS related to the Holocaust and genocide?

Several middle school and high school courses have TEKS related to the Holocaust and genocide. Some samples are listed below. For additional samples, see the THGAAC web page Holocaust and Genocide-related TEKS.

The Candy Brown Holocaust and Human Rights Educator Series allows educators, librarians, and counselors to connect with the Museum throughout the year on different topics related to the Museum's educational mission and the history in the exhibition.

Each session comes with:

• Keynote speakers and access to exclusive events
• Upstander tote bag
• Classroom resource kit
• Access to Upstander Education Database
• CPE credit
• Free parking in Museum garage

Educators registering for the full series will also receive:

• Access to Inspire Upstander Education Database (premium level)
• Museum lanyard
• Series completion certificate

This is a great opportunity for 4th to 12th grades grade social studies/ELAR educators and librarians to gain more resources for Holocaust Remembrance Week or teach a unit on Holocaust history. Educators and librarians can register at https://www.dhhrm.org/educators/educator-professional-development/.

Please email cedecoster@dhhrm.org if the registration fee prohibits you from coming. The museum will waive it for educators at Title I qualified schools and work with other teachers.

If a virtual option is needed, please email Heather Rodriguez at hrodriguez@dhhrm.org.

Each year, during February, we celebrate the history and cultural contributions of Black Americans in the United States. Students learn about the achievements, perspectives, struggles, and experiences of Black Americans throughout more than 400 years of American history. The following websites provide a variety of lessons, activities, and instructional materials that can be used to honor Black History Month and to support instruction in Ethnic Studies: African American Studies and other social studies courses throughout the year.

Get your students involved in the Citizen Bee! This is a fantastic opportunity for 9th - 12th grade students. This engaging and educational event is not only an excellent preparation for the US History EOC exam but also a platform for students to showcase their knowledge and win exciting prizes. Each region has a competition and the winners from each of those will advance to a state competition in Austin in April 2024. Expenses at the state competition covered for student, parent, and sponsor.

Regional Competition

Written Round (Virtual) - March 26th @ 4 pm

Verbal Round (@R9) - March 27th @ 4 pm

Student Study Materials

Sponsor Registration

Student Registration

Marketing Materials for Sponsors

*New this year: sponsors can proctor the written exam!

The Jr. Citizen Bee Competition is designed to challenge students' knowledge of civics, government, and U.S. history, aligning perfectly with the content covered in the 8th grade social studies curriculum. By participating, students will have the chance to reinforce their understanding of key concepts while honing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This competition not only offers an enriching experience for students but also serves as excellent preparation for the 8th grade social studies STAAR.

Regional Competition

Written Round (Virtual) - March 19th @ 4 pm

Verbal Round (@R9) - March 20th @ 4 pm

Student Study Materials

Sponsor/Student Registration

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2nd Annual State Competition Dates: May 7th & 8th 2024 (held virtually)

Top 2 competitors from each region are eligible to compete at state

Check them out below:

2023-2024

Volume 3, Issue 2 ✒️ Volume 3, Issue 1 📰 2023-2024 Student Opportunities Special Edition 🏫 Celebrate Freedom Week Special Edition 🎆

2022-2023

Volume 2, Issue 5 📓Review Resources Special Edition ✏️Volume 2, Issue 4, 🖍️Volume 2, Issue 3✒️Volume 2, Issue 2 📓 Volume 2, Issue 1 📋TEKS Revision Special Edition

2021-2022

Secondary Edition

Volume 1, Issue 7S ✏️ Volume 1, Issue 6S 🖊️ Volume 1, Issue 5S 🖍️Volume 1, Issue 4S ✒️ Volume 1, Issue 3S 2021 📓 Volume 1, Issue 2S 📋 Volume 1, Issue 1S

Elementary Edition

Volume 1, Issue 7E ✏️ Volume 1, Issue 6E 🖊️ Volume 1, Issue 5E 🖍️ Volume 1, Issue 4E ✒️ Volume 1, Issue 3E 📓 Volume 1, Issue 2E 📋 Volume 1, Issue 1E

Region 9 ESC

#GCT #iCivicsEducator #MIE #GridGuide #EdPuzzleCoach

Email: chelsea.howells@esc9.net
Website: https://www.esc9.net/564748_3
Location: 301 Texas 11 Loop, Wichita Falls, TX, USA
Phone: 940-397-8106
Twitter: @ChelseaHowells9