The Time Traveler

Happy October! This past month I have been working with some great collaborators to create the four district CFAs for each core course. You should start seeing those in your UFDs. As a reminder, those are required starting next nine weeks! I also got together with 6th and 7th grade collaborators to write some exemplar lesson plans. Those will be making their way into the UFDs shortly as well. I will work with 8th grade and U.S. History on exemplar lesson plans in a future collaboration. Last but not least, our Historical Thinking Task Force is gearing up to kick off Year 2 next week. I am really excited about what we've been working on and can't wait to share it with all of you! As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

It's hard to believe the first quarter of school is over! The first two and a half months of school have been so inspiring to us. We have seen your commitment to Teaching Up, engaging students in meaningful learning experiences, and increasing student discourse. These are not small measures, but the pay-off is evident every time we are in your classrooms or collaborative team meetings. Thank you all for continually allowing us to partner with you. We appreciate how you grow and develop students in such impactful ways!

Incoming 7th and 8th grade parents got a firsthand look at what AP courses are like in Prosper ISD. Through a parent-focused AP Human Geography lesson, Shelly Patterson (PHS), Elise Bruns (RHHS), and Morgan Jones (WGHS) showcased an engaging lesson driven by inquiry and critical thinking. They also highlighted the exciting opportunities available in advanced academics across the district. Last Wednesday was the kickoff event. After the mini-lesson, a short Q&A discussion panel made up of former and current students allowed parents to learn more about the program.

Ms. Bruns, Mrs. Patterson and Ms. Jones - Thank you again for providing an amazing night for our Prosper parents.

The next Experience Prosper events are on November 7th and December 3rd.

“The aim is to get the students actively involved in seeking evidence: their role is not simply to do tasks as decided by teachers, but to actively manage and understand their learning gains. This includes evaluating their own progress, being more responsible for their learning, and being involved with peers in learning together about gains in learning.” John Hattie

Teams across the district are using the Social Studies Playbook to get students engaged in the content and talking with their peers. Click on the buttons below to see strategies in action!

Each month, we will be highlighting teams that are doing an exemplary job of working through each part of the PLC process.

This team uses a strategy called Boulders, Rocks, and Butterflies to unwrap unit standards. This allows the team to analyze standards together, assess the most important standards students need to know from the unit (in addition to essentials), and use this information to effectively plan a unit. This strategy has clearly shown up in their data, and students are thriving in their classrooms as a result of an intentional focus on Question 1 of the PLC Process.

The 6th Grade World Cultures team at Rushing Middle School is consistently planning Tier 1 instruction using their essential standards as a grounding point. Each time they begin a new unit, they analyze all of the essential standards, and determine exactly what these mean for student learning. After they gain collective clarity, they plan their learning experiences to ensure that students have multiple methods of exploring each essential standard.

The PHS World History team starts each unit by collaboratively unwrapping the unit's goals and essential standards. This clear focus guides their planning by ensuring that students grasp key concepts to reach the standard at correct DOK levels. By aligning unit pacing, high-yield strategies, and potential interventions and extensions, the team is able to ensure that ALL students learn at high levels.

The RHHS Economics Team's proactive approach to Tier 1 Planning ensures that all students have the opportunity to succeed. By discussing both last year data and current students strengths and areas of growth, the team is able to brainstorm targeted interventions and enrichment options to ensure that all students are supported in their learning.

The Walnut Grove US History Team has been doing an exceptional job addressing PLC Question 1, particularly in the area of Tier 1 Planning Considerations. Their biggest strength lies in their pacing. By building flexibility into their pacing, they are able to accommodate challenges and provide opportunities for differentiation based on their students' individual needs.

Each month we will feature one skill from our Historical Thinking Task Force. This month, we are focusing on the skill of causation. The skill of causation goes beyond simple cause and effect, but instead focuses on the THREE parts of a causal relationship: the cause, the how, and the effect. To learn more about the causation skill, click on the graphic organizer below. If you would like to learn more about Historical Thinking, you can listen to the "Thinking Historically with Dr. Catherine O'Donnell" podcast available on our Podcast and Webinars document.

Teaching with DBQs Series:

• 10/22 - Teaching with DBQs 102: Overcoming the Challenges by Scaffolding the Inquiry Process
  
• 1/30 - Teaching with DBQs 103: Leveraging the Inquiry Process to Meet the Needs of All Students
  
• 3/27 - Teaching with DBQs 104: Evaluating DBQs and Using Data to Drive Inquiry Instruction
  

Teaching American History Workshops:

• 10/16 - America in World War 2: Strategies and Plans (at National Aviation Education Center)
  
• 1/31 - Every 4 years: Elections That Changed American History (at Region 10 ESC)

In order for hours to count towards Exchange Hour Credit, they must occur outside of school hours.

We are pleased to announce our fall programming for secondary-level social studies and English language arts teachers!

• Teachers can apply to attend on the Humanities Texas website.

• The TEKS-aligned programs are FREE to teachers and their schools.
• All participants will receive CPE credit and a wealth of curricular materials.
• Travel reimbursements and substitute reimbursements are available.

Teacher Workshop: World Religions – Judaism and Jainism

World Religions – Judaism and Jainism

Date: November 11th

Time: 11:30 am - 3:30 pm

The Texas State Board of Education established the social studies TEKS in 2010 providing teachers with materials for their lessons with specifications for what they are able to teach. Coverage of world religions falls in three courses: middle school social studies TEKS, high school world geography TEKS, and high school world history TEKS. In this workshop, teachers will learn more about the TEKS related to world religions (Jainism and Judaism).

3 hours of professional development credit will be awarded upon completion.

Request your FREE 2024 Travel Guides and Travel Maps. We are making copies of these publications available to you in case you have a use for them in your curriculum.

The Travel Guides are orders of 1 mean 1 box (20 copies). The Travel Maps are orders of 1 = 1 box (200 copies). Smaller quantities can be ordered by sending an e-mail to TRV-LIT@txdot.gov.

Please provide a physical address. We cannot deliver to PO boxes.

Click below to order now!

Quantities are while supplies last.

Don’t miss out on future emails regarding travel guides and maps for editors, click sign up to receive future notices.

In 2026, the United States will mark our Semiquincentennial: the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Today’s young people are the leaders, innovators, and thinkers who will shape the next 250 years — and it’s important their voices are heard as we commemorate this historic milestone.

America’s Field Trip is a contest that invites students across the country in grades 3–12 to be part of America’s 250th anniversary by sharing their perspectives on what America means to them — with the opportunity to earn an unforgettable field trip experience at some of the nation’s most iconic historic and cultural landmarks.

Students are asked to submit writing or original artwork in response to the contest’s prompt: “What does America mean to you?”

Click here to learn more

Check Them Out Below:

• September 2024, August 2024, May 2024, March 2024, February 2024, January 2024, December 2023, November 2023, October 2023, September 2023, August 2023, May 2023, April 2023, March 2023, February 2023, January 2023; December 2022; November 2022; October 2022; September 2022; August 2022

If you need ANYTHING, please do not hesitate to reach out! We are here to support YOU!

Secondary Social Studies C&I