Humanities Happenings

As we wrap up another school year and prepare for some rest, rejuvenation, and enrichment, we want to thank you for your excellent work supporting students and each other. We are honored to work with such talented, caring, and dynamic educators. Have a wonderful summer break!

Click below to access the digital version of the San Juan Unified Literary Magazine! Physical copies will be sent to high school libraries. To request physical copies for your classroom, email amy.day@sanjuan.edu.

The ELA/HSS team is excited to welcome Stephanie Bimson, who will join Professional Learning and Innovation in the 2025-2026 school year! A K-12 alum of SJUSD, Stephanie began her San Juan career at Dyer Kelly Elementary and has taught K-5 intervention and most grades 1-6 at various sites across the District, most recently 1st grade at Cowan Elementary. She brings experience in LETRS professional learning and a strong passion for History/Social Science, along with previous participation in the SJUSD Equity Team. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crocheting, and spending time with her husband and two daughters. We look forward to her contributions to the Elementary ELA/HSS team!

Cohorts are a way for teachers to gather around a common purpose to grow in their knowledge of instruction, prepare lessons for immediate and long term application, and build relationships and connections in our pursuit of equitable, antiracist education. The interest form is linked here and can be found below.

AIM Secondary Literacy

Description: AIM's newest course adapts Pathways to Proficient Reading, our IDA-accredited comprehensive literacy learning course, to add new articles, classroom resources, adolescent student profiles, and secondary classroom videos, to address the unique literacy needs of adolescent learners. Virtual Community of Practice sessions with expert AIM facilitators focus on hands-on practice to support classroom implementation so secondary teachers are knowledgeable in their implementation of evidence-based practices in middle and high school classrooms.

Purpose:To gain knowledge of foundational literacy skills in order to support adolescent readers.

Details:

15 teachers

4 Release Days–September 9, November 2, January 8, and March 11

55 PL Hours for Online Learning

Monthly Cohort Meetings (on site or virtual)

For more information, visit institute.aimpa.org/

History PODs

Description: History teachers will get time to discuss, plan, and observe History instruction across the district. Grade level teams in middle and high school can exchange ideas and learn from each other.

Purpose: To share and receive ideas on effective History instruction.

Details:

25 teachers

3 Release Days–October 15, December 17, and February 12

Culturally Responsive Lit Circles Project

Description: Building on work from last year, this cohort will work on building and maintaining Lit Circle Kits to send to middle and high school teachers.

Purpose: To provide access to literature that acts as “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors” (Sims-Bishop) while providing teachers tools for teaching the Social Justice Standards by building a culturally responsive literature circles library for all middle and high school sites to access.

Details:

10 teachers

3 Release Days–October 2, December 2, and February 5

30-50 PL Hours for Reading and Lesson Prep

Creative Writing Teachers/Advisors

Description: This cohort is designed for teachers and advisors of Creative Writing classes or clubs at middle or high schools. Teachers will explore, share, and build resources for supporting creative writing in and out of the classroom. These teachers will help to guide, promote, and encourage submissions to the 3rd Annual San Juan Unified Literacy Magazine.

Purpose: To encourage creative writing as a tool for literacy growth and an important way to amplify student voice across the district; to further the work of the San Juan Literary Magazine as a way for students to authentically engage in the full writing process.

Details:

8 teachers

4 Release Days–September 16, December 4, February 26

PL hours for related work outside of school hours, including Literary Magazine planning meetings and celebration

ELA Unit Planning

Description: In this cohort, middle and high school teachers will have planning time to explore, refine, and design units for Amplify and Springboard ELA around their own specific scheduling parameters.

Purpose: To engage in collaborative and focused planning around Springboard ELA.

Details:

25 teachers

4 Release Days–September 3, November 17, January 14, March 19

PL hours for reading novels associated with unit plans

Ethnic Studies Institutes

Description: Teachers across grade levels and disciplines will gather over four release days in the school year to learn about the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum from experienced Ethnic Studies teachers in San Juan Unified. Teachers will collaborate and plan lessons and units related to Ethnic Studies objectives and themes.

Purpose: To learn about the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum and explore ways to teach the course in various subject areas.

Details:

Introductory Ethnic Studies Institute: September 18, November 18, January 28, and March 12

Advanced Ethnic Studies Institute (for those who completed the initial cohort): October 16 and January 21.

California Serves Civic Learning Cohort (see flyer below for more information)

Description: As part of SCOE's California Serves grant, teachers are invited to participate in a professional learning strand hosted by the UC Berkeley History Social Science Project. Participating teachers will receive a $3000 stipend for their time commitment and the development and sharing of lesson and unit plans using the presented strategies.

Purpose: The Integrated Action Civics Framework provides multiple strategies to teach civic analysis skills through historical content. Participants would commit to following:

Details:

Virtual Summer Institute - June 23-27 9am-12pm (Optional 1-3 grade alike planning time)

Register here: https://bit.ly/iacp-institute Use promo code: SCOE-2506

2025-26 PL Series - 5 days (one summer day August 8th and 4 release days during the school year) 4 Release Days: October 28, December 16, January 15, and February 3

Development of a unit and/or lesson plan to share with participants

As part of SCOE's California Serves grant, teachers are invited to participate in a professional learning strand hosted by the UC Berkeley History Social Science Project. Participating teachers will receive a $3000 stipend for their time commitment and the development and sharing of lesson and unit plans using the presented strategies.

The Integrated Action Civics Framework provides multiple strategies to teach civic analysis skills through historical content. Participants would commit to following:

• Virtual Summer Institute - June 23-27 9am-12pm (Optional 1-3 grade alike planning time) Register here: https://bit.ly/iacp-institute Use promo code: SCOE-2506

• 2025-26 PL Series - 5 days (one summer day August 8th and 4 release days during the school year) + virtual after-school check-ins Register here: https://proflearn.scoe.net/Home/Event/780

• Development of a unit and/or lesson plan to share with participants

This intergenerational program runs parallel to the ES Youth Organizing Leadership Opportunity (YOLO) Academy. Educators will be introduced to the major themes and concepts within Ethnic Studies. Learning will be experiential and immersive. Educators will practice art in action through spoken word, theater, dance, and art as they consider arts-enhancement in Ethnic Studies.

Who should attend?

• K-12 educators interested in learning and/or expanding their Ethnic Studies pedagogies, specifically the 5 Ss of Ethnic Studies and the arts.
• K-12 educators who enjoy producing art with students for formative and summative assessments.

Educators are also invited to:

• Participate in an online community of practice throughout the 2025-26 school year
• Register for UC Davis continuing education units

In this intensive, in-person, week-long course, educators will:

• Engage in Ethnic Studies pedagogies
• Learn from local scholars and practitioners from each ot the four disciplines in the field of Ethnic Studies: Native American Studies, Black & African American Studies, Chicano and Latinx Studies, Asian American & Pacific Islander Studies
• Review key concepts, vocabulary, and scholarly frameworks of Ethnic Studies
• Collaborate with other educators to identify entry points for teaching Ethnic Studies aligned to the California Department of Education's Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum

Who Should Attend?

• Educators looking for in-depth learning applicable to K-12 Ethnic Studies.

Educators are also invited to:

• Participate in an online community of practice throughout the 2025-26 school year
• Register for continuing education units

Get Support for Your Ethnic Studies Course Outline!

Join us for a week of learning in-person and online. This hybrid summer institute prepares educators to develop or refine a scope and sequence for their Ethnic Studies course that incorporates the 6 Cs of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum and other relevant frameworks. This program is most applicable to high school teachers implementing the graduation requirement.

Why Attend the Hybrid Summer Institute?

• Review tenets of Ethnic Studies and relevant scholarship
• Align your Ethnic Studies course to the California Department of Education's Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum
• Develop, revise, and improve upon your Ethnic Studies course syllabi
• Collaborate with other educators on unit design, assessments, and culminating projects

Who Should Attend?

• In compliance with AB 101, this institute series is most applicable to high school teachers and curriculum leaders
• Teams of high school teachers, teacher leaders, and curriculum specialists from the same school or district (e.g., History/Social Science, ELA,Ethnic Studies) seeking guided collaboration
• Teachers interested in earning continuing education units

Program cost: $600 per person.

Join the California History-Social Science Project for a FREE K-12 Teacher Summer Institute focused on teaching about the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Teachers will learn to use maps, timelines, and 3D video reconstructions of slave voyages to explore where people were taken, the rebellions that occurred, the loss of life during the voyages, and much more. Visit slavevoyages.org and UC Irvine's Humanities Center for more info and resources.

The institute will be held on July 29th-31st from 9:30am-2:30pm at the Yolo County Office of Education in Woodland, CA.

Join the UC Davis California Reading and Literature Project for "Discourse and Identity in Literacy Learning", a two-day institute for teachers and teacher leaders, exploring relationships among classroom discourse, student identity, and literacy development. Participants will hear from experts in these fields and engage in activities to deepen knowledge and apply learning to their own teaching or instructional leadership
context.

Institute outcomes include:

• Building understanding of the complex relationships among discourse, identity, and literacy
• Developing and acquiring tools to promote literacy learning through high-quality classroom discourse
• Creating connections with a network of educators with shared interests

This event will take place on June 12th from 8:30am - 4:00pm and June 13th from 8:30am - 1:00pm at the Yolo County Office of Education in Woodland, CA

June 23-24, Virtual
Join us for the Themes in World History Teacher Professional Development Workshop on June 23-24, 2025, hosted by the UCLA History-Geography Project and the UCLA International Institute! This engaging webinar for K-12 teachers will delve into the theme of “Movements in Democracy”, exploring historical and contemporary case studies from Myanmar and South Korea.

June 16-17, 9am-12pm, Virtual

The UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project and the Integrated Action Civics Project are excited to lead a 2-day program sharing a powerful approach to leading structured, safe, and productive controversial conversations in the classroom. Learn how to navigate controversy in the classroom. Featuring special guest speaker, Eric Soto-Shed, from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.