R9 K-5 Social Studies Support

My name is Chelsea Howells, and I am the Region 9 Social Studies Specialist. My role is to support you in whatever way helps you the most. This newsletter is meant to be a resource to help you find instructional materials, websites, ideas, updates, and professional development opportunities.

A quote that resonates with me:

"Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher." -Japanese Proverb

As a mother of three children who are being impacted daily by Region 9 teachers, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing up every day and making a difference. This is a time of year when teaching can feel like a never-ending marathon, but you are changing lives every day! Please take a moment to reflect on the growth you and your students have achieved since the beginning of the school year. What moments are you grateful for?

As always, I would like to help in any way that I can to take something off your plate. Please feel free to reach out any time for a resource, idea, or support of any kind.

~Chelsea

@ChelseaHowells9

chelsea.howells@esc9.net

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

• All Month National Native American Heritage Month
• Nov 1st All Saints' Day
• Nov 1st-2nd Dia de los Muertos
• Nov 2nd Election Day
• Nov 4th Diwali
• Nov 11th Veterans Day
• Nov 25th Thanksgiving
• Nov 29th-Dec 6th Chanukah

Click here to share your thoughts. Thank you in advance for your time.

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.

Don't have time to participate in the work group? You can still make your voice heard!

As part of the State Board of Education’s process to review and revise the social studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is surveying educators to help inform the recommendations of the social studies TEKS review work groups. We encourage you to provide your feedback regarding the current social studies TEKS by completing the survey.

Please note that survey will only be open for four weeks, so you are encouraged to complete the survey as soon as possible. The Social Studies TEKS Review Survey will close on December 10, 2021.

The link to the Social Studies TEKS Review Survey is https://tea.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6PXR2JYyIHIv2jc

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.

#DitchThatTextbook Sequencing Template from @justinrmalin

Applicable for all subjects

Great for chronology and timelines in Social Studies!

Click here for the template

https://blog.tcea.org/map-making-resources-and-tools-to-teach-critical-thinking/

Introducing Young Learners to Informational Text (K-2)

https://kera.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/molly-of-denali/

Informational text and Alaska Native culture form the basis of these educational resources based on Molly of Denali. This collection offers videos, digital games, lessons, teaching tips, and activities so that educators can utilize the series in the classroom.

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

Click here to view

Click here for more information

credit: Jessica Torres, Region 12 Social Studies

credit: Jessica Torres, Region 12 Social Studies

Discover real stories, real experiences, real Texas. This mobile app contains numerous tours to help you explore the historical, cultural, and natural resources that make Texas unique.

Select your desired tour.
Listen to the tour's audio overview.
Watch tour videos.
Choose points of interest from the city/site list.
Listen to audio stories (Look for audio icons on the city/site list.)
Learn about the history and visitor information of each site.
Locate a site using the maps.
Save sites using the FAVORITES button for quick reference.
Visit historic sites, museums, and points of interest.
Share your experience!

https://texastimetravel.oncell.com/en/index.html

Do your Ss want to know how much money "back then" would equate to today? This site will be a huge help! Computing the relative value of a US Dollar Amount.

https://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/uscompare/

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

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.

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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.

Without an atmosphere of respect, the Founders would certainly not have been able to create a new government. And progress on civil rights for women, African Americans, and other minorities would definitely have been impossible until those communities were given the respect due to them by the government and civil society. The Bill of Rights Institute understands that the kind of difficult conversations you will inevitably have in your classrooms this year cannot take place without an atmosphere of respect. This is one of the reasons they have created the Civil Conversations speaker series on how to approach some of the most challenging topics of today including race, religion, and politics. Check out the video below for support in teaching politics in your classroom.

Session 1: The Misinformation Landscape

Webinar Series by the News Literacy Project

This first of 3 installments discusses how to move beyond the unhelpful term “fake news” to more precisely identify the many types of misleading, inaccurate and false information that we encounter regularly. The session explores how propagators of misinformation use our emotions and cognitive biases to manipulate us.

Social Studies Specialist

Region 9 ESC

#GCT #iCivicsEducator #MIE #GridGuide #EdPuzzleCoach

Email: chelsea.howells@esc9.net
Website: https://www.esc9.net/393850_4
Location: 301 Texas 11 Loop, Wichita Falls, TX, USA
Phone: 940-397-8106
Twitter: @ChelseaHowells9