SAISD Social Studies Newsletter
October 15, 2021
October 23 EPIC Saturday Social Studies Sessions
We have some great EPIC Saturday Sessions on both strategies and instructional resources. Please remember that this EPIC is virtual!
Bridging AP Skills Middle to High School - Skills that Work for Everyone
Participants will begin to examine how middle school Social Studies teachers can focus on specific strategies and content to begin to prepare students for future success in Social Studies and/or AP high school classes. While the main content being used will focus on 8th grade US History and 11th US History, any teacher of social studies will learn strategies that can be implemented in all contents.
Performance Matters Registration
Formative Assessments: Am I Doing this Right?
Participants will gain insight on how formative assessments can be used effectively at different phases of a daily lesson or lesson cycle. In addition, participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to align formative assessments to a learning target and a menu of each type of formative assessment for your next lesson or unit.
Performance Matters Registration
Active Classroom: Utilizing Primary Sources to Interpret the Past
Engage your students by providing a variety of primary sources that help to unfold or disclose the events of the past in a way that allows the students to draw inferences and conclusions about what happened an why. Active Classroom is available to all grade 6-12 Social Studies teachers.
Performance Matters Registration
11:00 AM-1:00 PM Sessions
Cross-Curricular Literacy with Newsela Social Studies
Teaching literacy across the curriculum builds comprehension, critical thinking, and communication skills. Newsela's wide range of content and instructional curations allow students to interpret and collaborate around complex texts of varied topics and types. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage with resources included with Newsela Social Studies.
DBQ Online for World Geography and Texas History Teachers and Students
How to set-up DBQ Online in Canvas for teachers and students
Getting Started with DBQ Online (Smore with lots of resources)
DBQ Online Overview (Log in to Classlink and Open DBQ Online)
Teaching with the DBQ Project Method Videos (Log in to Classlink and Open DBQ Online)
Social Studies TEKS Revision Process and Workgroup Application
We definitely want representation from San Antonio ISD and our community in this revision process, so teachers are encouraged to apply to serve on the workgroups. If you have any questions, please reach out to Patrick at ppyle1@saisd.net, and if you apply, please also let Patrick know.
Additional Humanities Texas Fall Professional Development Webinars
The Court and the Constitution
Mondays • October 18–November 8, 2021 • 5:00–6:15 pm CT
This webinar series will focus on milestone cases in Supreme Court history related to civil liberties, civil rights, defining federal power, and criminal procedure. Cases to be discussed include, but are not limited to, Marbury v. Madison (1803), McCullough v. Maryland (1819), Gibbons v. Ogden (1824), Hernandez v. Texas (1954), Mapp v. Ohio (1961), Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), and United States v. Lopez (1995). Content will be aligned with the secondary social studies TEKS, with particular emphasis on the standards for U.S. government and history.
Tuesday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 16, 2021 • 5:00–6:15 pm CT
The two webinars will focus on the life and work of the great abolitionist and civil rights leader Frederick Douglass. The first webinar will provide a broad overview of Douglass's career, with some specific suggestions (such as how to incorporate photographs of Douglass into your teaching). The second webinar will focus on the challenges of teaching sections of the Narrative (1845) and "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" (1852). Both webinars will consider Douglass's legacy and highlight the most important takeaways for middle and high school students.
Thursdays • October 28–December 2, 2021 • 5:00–6:15 pm CT
Each webinar in the series will provide resources and strategies to help middle and high school students become informed citizens and critical consumers of news in multiple media. Webinars include: “It’s News to Me”: Young Adolescents’ Perspectives on Journalism; “Fake News” in U.S. History; Teaching Students to Become Expert Readers of the News; More Than “The News That’s Fit to Print”: Video and Visual Media; and Teaching Strategies, Assignments, and Classroom Activities.
2022 Humanities Texas Outstanding Teaching Awards
he nominations for the Humanities Texas Outstanding Teaching Awards are now available!
Humanities Texas is immensely thankful for the hard work of amazing teachers across Texas! We look forward to recognizing outstanding K–12 teachers with our 2022 Outstanding Teaching Awards. We encourage you to nominate a deserving teacher in your school or community today!
In 2022, Humanities Texas will present a total of fifteen awards in three different categories:
Outstanding Teaching of the Humanities Award
This award recognizes exemplary contributions of teachers of humanities subjects in Texas elementary, middle, and high schools. (12 recipients)
Linden Heck Howell Outstanding Teaching of Texas History Award
This award recognizes outstanding achievement in the teaching of Texas history at the primary and secondary levels. This award was established in memory of Ms. Howell, former chair of the Humanities Texas Board of Directors, as a lasting tribute to her service to the organization and her commitment to the study of Texas history. (1 recipient)
Award for Outstanding Early-Career Teaching
This award recognizes exemplary contributions of early-career humanities teachers in Texas who have completed three or fewer years of teaching. (2 recipients)
Humanities Texas will select one of the fifteen recipients who demonstrates exceptional leadership in the educational field to receive the Julius Glickman Educational Leadership Award. The award honors Humanities Texas board member Julius Glickman for his extraordinary leadership of our organization and many others.
All award winners will receive a $5,000 prize, with an additional $500 for their schools to purchase humanities-based instructional materials.
To nominate a teacher, please complete the online nomination form available on the Humanities Texas website.
Nominations will be accepted through Friday, December 10, 2021. Humanities Texas will contact each nominated teacher with instructions on how to apply for the award. Applications will be due Friday, February 4, 2022, and winners will be announced in May of 2022.
For more information on the awards, including eligibility and a list of past recipients, please visit the Outstanding Teaching Awards section of our website or email ota@humanitiestexas.org.
Fall Social Studies Professional Development
In addition to our Epic Saturday and PD in PJs offerings, the Social Studies Department will be offering virtual grade level specific PLNs during the fall semester.
Thursday, December 2, 4:15-5:45 PM
7th Grade Texas History After School Virtual PLNs with DBQ Online
7th Grade Texas History will be piloting DBQ Online from the DBQ Project. These sessions will provide professional learning and support for DBQ Online.
Thursday, November 11, 4:15-5:45 PM
Thursday, December 9, 4:15-5:45 PM
8th Grade U.S. History After School Virtual PLNs
Thursday, November 4, 4:15-5:45 PM
World Geography After School Virtual PLNs with DBQ Online
World Geography will also be piloting DBQ Online from the DBQ Project. The sessions will provide professional learning and support for implementing DBQ Online.
Thursday, November4, 4:15-5:45 PM
Thursday, December 2, 4:15-5:45 PM
Thursday, January 20, 4:15-5:45 PM
Thursday, February 17, 4:15-5:45 PM
Thursday, March 31, 4:15-5:45 PM
World History After School PLNs
Thursday, December 9, 4:15-5:45 PM
U.S. History Since 1877 After School PLN
Thursday, November 11, 4:15-5:45 PM
Ethnic Studies Courses After School PLN
Thursday, November 18, 4:15-5:45 PM
SAISD Social Studies Department
Director of Social Studies
Email: ppyle1@saisd.net
Website: https://www.saisd.net/page/socialstudies-home
Location: 514 West Quincy Street, San Antonio, TX, USA
Phone: 2105542531
Twitter: @SAISDSocial
