R9 K-5 Social Studies Support

For those who are new to this resource, welcome! My name is Chelsea Howells, and I am the Region 9 Social Studies Specialist. I am here to support you with content, instructional strategies, classroom management, and anything else that will make your life easier!

I sincerely hope your Thanksgiving Break was a time of rest with family and friends. You have made it to the final month of 2021! When I reflect back on this year, some things have gotten better while others have gotten more difficult. Think back to before the pandemic began- how have you grown? What have you accomplished? Sometimes it is so difficult to see the forest for the trees, but you have done and continue to do great things in the lives of your students. Thank you so much for all you do- the kids see, and they will remember. I sincerely hope that you will be able to rest and relax during your winter break.

What can I do to help you in these last few school days of the semester? Please reach out any time!

~Chelsea

@ChelseaHowells9

chelsea.howells@esc9.net

A few important dates for this month with some resources linked:

• Dec 8th Bodhi Day
• Dec 10th Human Rights Day
• Dec 15th Bill of Rights Day
• Dec 21st Winter Solstice
• Dec 25th Christmas
• Dec 26th-Jan 1st Kwanzaa
• Dec 29th Wounded Knee Day
• Dec 31st New Year's Eve

The SBOE is now accepting applications to serve on social studies TEKS review work groups. The SBOE's TEKS review and revision process calls for multiple, separate work groups. Applicants do not need to be educators to apply. Please enter information in the application that best reflects your experience. A link is provided below to the application.

https://tea.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_39LY0ZqSaPRQO6a

Work Groups

Throughout the revision process, applications are submitted to SBOE members for their review and approval. TEA then builds work groups from the pool of approved applicants and notifies selected applicants of their invitation to serve on a work group.

• Work group members will be expected to complete an online orientation session prior to their work group meeting.
• Work group members may be asked to complete pre-work exercises prior to their meeting.
• Work group members may be asked to provide invited testimony at SBOE meetings.

Questions related to the application for the social studies TEKS review and revision process can be directed to teks@tea.texas.gov.

HB 3979-> SB3

While HB 3979 went into effect September 1, 2021, the SBOE is required to revise the TEKS, as needed, by December 31, 2022. Since teachers must teach the current TEKS, they should continue teaching the current TEKS until the revision of the TEKS and the implementation of the revised TEKS have occurred. During the second special session of the Legislature, SB 3 was drafted, signed, and sent to the Governor's desk to be signed. Once it is signed (or after 30 days becomes law), it will supersede HB 3979. For more information and clarification, the Texas Council for the Social Studies has created some "guidelines" to assist with the interpretation of both - you can access those guidelines on the TXCSS website under the Advocacy tab or here for SB3 and here for HB3979.

SB 1063

SB 1063 provides for a new course combining personal financial literacy and economics. This course, once it is developed and has approved TEKS, can be used to satisfy a social studies graduation requirement. The bill did not add the course to the required curriculum. However, the State Board of Education (SBOE) has the authority to decide if the course should be part of the required curriculum and could make it so at some future date. If the SBOE does not take action, local districts will have the option to offer the course or not offer the course.

Connect2Texas is a network of Texas-based educational content providers including museums, cultural, historical, and scientific organizations, and authors. These providers utilize interactive videoconferencing to deliver live educational programs and professional development to school children and educators across the country. Bring the scientists, experts, and authors directly to your students without leaving the classroom!

Newsletter

Recordings

https://blog.tcea.org/texquest-curated-safe-customizable-online-resources-schools/

"TexQuest is a safe online environment where students can explore many age-appropriate materials in their research, homework, and academic studies. The state library recently released a report, TexQuest Resources: Overview of Access and Safety Procedures, which outlines the levels of protection that are in place."

Need some holiday activities for your students? Explore these Seesaw Activities that you can grab and assign over the holidays. Your students will love these. What’s more, you can customize this Google Slides infographic for your own use. Click here to read more.

"Let’s just put it out there. December is exhausting for teachers. The days are shorter. The weather grows colder and (at least here in Oregon) wetter. Students are anxious — whether it’s a buzzing excitement for vacation or a sense of dread that some kids feel in homes that are unsafe during the holidays.

And teachers are tired. They’re tired of redirecting behaviors and tired of the mid-year pressure of the test and simply tired of the sheer energy it takes to be a teacher.

It’s no wonder that so many teachers begin playing holiday movies around this time of year. They want to create a sense of fun and escape and enjoyment, and a motion picture promises exactly that. Maybe that’s okay. Maybe that’s a part of creating a culture of joy. So, please don’t read this post as a slam on teachers showing movies before the break. If this is a part of a positive classroom culture, keep doing it. This isn’t meant to be a guilt trip or a rant or a “you’re doing this wrong” post. This is meant to be a yes/and post offering other options."

Click here to read more.

It’s important for students, especially young learners, to understand the changing of the seasons and the rhythms of the year. These lessons can frame all kinds of learning from numeracy to literacy. In winter, we can deploy activities that engage the changing seasons and holidays to boost learning.

In fact, neuroscientist Judy Willis suggests that the nature of changing seasons can be harnessed to encourage learning. And, of course, the modern school year itself is based on the changing seasons.

There are a number of useful online resources, repositories, and ideas that you can use or customize for your classroom based on the seasons. Let’s explore some options. Click here to read more.

I attended a session at the TXCSS conference that showcased the updates Studies Weekly has been making to their materials. For those who use these materials, I hope this information will be beneficial!

Below are some of the resources they are sharing out:

• https://bit.ly/NEWTX (hub for all resources)
• Link to their conference presentation
• Click Here to preview samples of the new Texas materials
• Texas support site for new materials (specific for Texas teachers only)

Preview the “new” Texas materials:

https://app.studiesweekly.com/online/

• Username: newtxteacher
• Password: earlyaccess

Need lesson plans before the winter break? These fun, wintertime video lessons are perfect for when students’ minds are on the upcoming break!

https://blog.edpuzzle.com/free-resources/winter-video-lessons/

https://www.npr.org/local/305/2021/11/22/1057964879/it-s-now-possible-to-visit-the-smithsonian-s-african-american-history-museum-virtually

News Quiz is KET's weekly 15-minute current events program for students. The program consists of news segments, a current events quiz (paper or digital), opinion letters, and an Extra Credit report. Vocabulary handouts are also provided.

https://kera.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/newsquiz/

credit: Jessica Torres, Region 12 Social Studies Specialist

Deadline: January 20, 2022

Click Here for more information

C-SPAN in the Classroom Podcast: Ep. 2 C-SPAN's 2022 StudentCam Documentary Competition

The Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit is a FREE online conference for teachers. It brings together some of the brightest minds in education to discuss technology, pedagogy and more.

​

This year, the summit is open Dec. 13, 2021 to Jan. 7, 2022.

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​ More than 70 on-demand video sessions

FREE PD hour certificates
Downloadable notes, prizes, and more
Hosted by @jmattmiller @DitchThatTxtbk

Go to https://ditchsummit.com/ to register.

PBS KIDS offers FREE special collection of flexible self-paced learning to help inspire teachers and provide support for the classroom. Choose from several learning experiences designed to spark new ideas and expand your skill set—you may also be able to earn between one to three credit hours.

Courses: https://teach.pbskids.org/

Blog Post : https://www.pbs.org/education/blog/dive-in-and-explore-pbs-kids-self-paced-learning-for-prek-2-teachers

PBS LearningMedia is currently seeking ELA and Social Studies educators in grades 6-12 to pilot test educational materials created for the Ken Burns in the Classroom collection. This is a paid opportunity.

For each lesson tested, teachers will be paid a $250 stipend. Requirements of testing include:
-Implementing a resource and support materials in class.
-Utilizing a rubric/form to provide feedback.
-Providing sample work and reflections from two students.
-Classroom implementation observation by a member of the PBS LearningMedia team virtually or in-class(if possible/following COVID safety protocols). Additional student work samples will be requested when observation is not possible.

Application here >> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSckbhWNRzeGM7UBKieQ1WtPlNjzGtHYULiSM5cH83TF6wfvbA/viewform

Applications are open for Sphere Summit: Teaching Civic Culture Together summer 2022! Sphere Summit, a full‐​scholarship professional development program for grades 5–12 educators, returns as a fully in‐​person experience in Washington, DC, and will run July 10–14 and July 24–28. More information can be found at this website.

Alamo Senior Curator Ernesto Rodriguez moderates a panel discussing the period in Texas history between 1810, the Mexican Revolution, and 1836, the Texas Revolution.

Who Tells Your Story?

Cultivating Inclusive Spaces for Empathy Inquiry

Brene Brown says, “Empathy is simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of you’re not alone.” And while the concept is clearly conveyed, teaching empathy, as it applies to understanding history especially, is not quite as clear cut or simple. This is the first of a three-part series specifically for Social Studies educators—Who Tells Your Story?

Discussions will center on how to cultivate inclusive spaces within your classroom so students can build a foundation for learning and inquiry that allows them to empathize with, and better understand different perspectives. PBS Digital Innovator All Stars Shelly Stanton and Paige Somoza will highlight exciting resources and models that you can immediately implement in your middle/high school classrooms.

"Text Leveling refers to the practice of increasing the readability of texts by quantitative or qualitative means. Quantitative leveling is done via computers that analyze and adjust texts based on statistical measurements, including sentence length, number of syllables per word, and other objective metrics. Qualitative leveling is done by humans - and takes into consideration the structure and purpose of the text, the use of language conventions, clarity, cognitive demands, etc."

Click here for more information

Check them out below:

2021-2022

Secondary Edition

November 2021 October 2021 August-September 2021

Elementary Edition

November 2021 October 2021 August-September 2021

Social Studies Specialist

Region 9 ESC

#GCT #iCivicsEducator #MIE #GridGuide #EdPuzzleCoach

Email: chelsea.howells@esc9.net
Website: https://www.esc9.net/393857_4
Location: 301 Texas 11 Loop, Wichita Falls, TX, USA
Phone: 940-397-8106
Twitter: @ChelseaHowells9