Social Studies Insider
October 2021
Collaborate with Google Classroom
Social Studies Content Specialist Request Form
Social Studies Digital Resource Tools
Attention Early Elementary Teachers: Fall Holidays
Recognizing Diverse Perspectives: Columbus Day & Indigenous Peoples' Day
Check out These Resources:
History of the Holidays: Columbus Day
European Explorers of North America
Rethinking How We Celebrate American History- Indigenous Peoples' Day
What is Indigenous Peoples' Day?
Finally, the children's story of Coyote Columbus does a great job presenting factual information in a student-friendly way. Click Here for the Amazon link and story summary.
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.
The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.
Click on the image below for a slide show of significant Hispanic figures that have impacted history around the world. Within the slide show, a slide is designated for one important figure. Use this slideshow to encourage multi-culturalism within your class. A special thank you to Brittania Wright at Willis Road Elementary for compiling these ideas and ways to highlight the significant impact Hispanic heritage has had on our nation.
Video Resources from the Georgia State Bar Association
Quick Links:
Baker vs. Carr- One Person, One Vote
Fletcher vs. Peck- Yazoo Land Fraud
United States vs. Nixon- No Person is Above the Law
The University of California vs. Bakke- Affirmative Action
The Boston Massacre Trial (1770)
Freeman vs. Pitts- School Integration
Plessy vs. Ferguson- Separate but Equal OK'ed by High Court
Brown vs. Board of Education (1954)- Separate is Not Equal
Marbury vs. Madison- Judicial Review is Established
The Lincoln Assassination (1865)- Conspiracy to Kill the President
Trial by Jury: What's the Big Deal?
Furman vs. Georgia (1972)- Moratorium on the Death Penalty
Halloween Fun in Georgia Studies
Attention Social Studies Teachers: October is Economic Education Month
GCEE is hosting several competitions to celebrate the first-ever Economic Education Month. I'd love to see our teachers and students recognized!
Student Competition: The Georgia Council on Economic Education invites all K-12 of Georgia to submit an advertisement promoting Economic Education Month.
Advertisements may be created digitally or on a standard 8.5 x 11 sheet of blank paper. There will be one winner from each of the three divisions… Grades K-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. This competition is open to public, private, and homeschool students. Student winners in each division will receive a $150 gift card and have their ad featured on our social media accounts and our GCEE.org website. The winning entries will also be displayed at the GCEE global headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The winning student’s sponsoring teacher will also receive a $150 gift card.
Submission Rules:
The original artwork should include a written tagline (catchy phrase about economic education) and colorful drawings that demonstrate the importance of economic education.
The artwork and message must include images related to the theme of economic education in K-12 schools in Georgia.
All entries will be judged on creativity and use of theme. All parts of the submission, including artwork, must be the original work of the student. No copyrighted nor trademarked logos, phrases, or other works will be accepted. The advertisement may be submitted one of two ways:
- Standard 8 x 11 sheet of paper
- One slide presentation (Google Slides, PowerPoint, Canva, etc.)
For paper submissions:
- Teachers, please print the following information on a 3×5 index card attached with tape to the back of paper submissions. If student information is incomplete or illegible, it will not be judged.
- Grade Level
- Student’s First and Last Name
- School Name
- Sponsoring Teacher’s Name
- Sponsoring Teacher’s Email
- Sponsoring Teacher’s Phone Number
- School Phone Number
- Mail all paper entries to
Angie Battle
P.O. Box 1619
Atlanta, GA 30301-1619
For digital submissions:
a. Attach the digital slide to an email addressed to jbattle15@gsu.edu.
b. Write “#EconEdMonth Ad Contest” in the subject line.
c. Include the same information from item 7a above in the body of the email.
All submissions are due by Wednesday, October 13, 2021.
Please contact Angie Battle at jbattle15@gsu.edu if you have any questions.
ECON Express for Grades 9-12
Georgia Public Broadcasting and the Georgia Council on Economic Education have launched Econ Express, a game-changing, free online resource that will help teachers and students learn, practice and assess basic economic concepts in a creative and engaging way.
Covering 51 concepts, Econ Express serves as a general overview of the content typically taught in a high school “Intro to Economics” course, from the basics of scarcity and productive resources to more intricate topics like comparative advantage and monetary policy.
“As Georgia’s leading provider of digital learning resources, we are excited to add Econ Express to our library of content,” said GPB Director of Education Laura Evans. “Having great partners like Georgia Council for Economic Education allows us to offer additional high-quality, standards-aligned resources to support both remote and in-person instructional needs.”
Econ Express provides an overview to economics that is accessible and easy to use. The “Learn” section provides a quick description of each concept at three different levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Following that is a “Practice” section with interactive activities that give teachers and students the opportunity to apply what they just learned. Finally, the “Assess” section challenges the learner with five multiple choice assessment questions.
“There are sites that have pieces of this, but there is no online source that has all of these features in one easy to use package,” noted Dr. Chris Cannon, Associate Director of the Georgia Council on Economic Education. He added, “I wish I had had access to this resource when I was in the classroom!”
Econ Express was made possible by generous support from the Truist Foundation, the Callaway Foundation, and the UPS Foundation.
To access Econ Express, go to gpb.org/econ-express.
Check out the SAMPLE Video below.
VFW Youth Scholarships
The VFW is dedicated to promoting patriotism and investing in our future generation. If you know of a democracy-loving high school student interested in a $30,000 college scholarship or a patriotic middle school student interested in winning $5,000, these scholarships may be for your students.
Voice of Democracy:
Established in 1947, our Voice of Democracy audio-essay program provides high school students with the unique opportunity to express themselves in regards to a democratic and patriotic-themed recorded essay. Each year, nearly 64,500 9-12 grade students from across the country enter to win their share of more than $2 million in educational scholarships and incentives awarded through the program.
The national first place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college or vocational/technical school. A complete list of other national scholarships range from $1,000-$16,000, and the first place winner from each VFW Department (state) wins a minimum scholarship of $1,000. Want to apply? Read the rules and eligibility requirements, and download and complete the 2021-2022 Voice of Democracy entry form as all student entries must be submitted to a sponsoring local VFW Post by midnight, Oct. 31. The 21-22 theme is: America- Where Do We Go From Here?
Patriot's Pen:
Each year more than 165,400 students in grades 6-8 enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest for a chance to win their share of more than $1.4 million in state and national awards. Each first place state winner receives a minimum of $500 at the national level, and the national first place winner wins $5,000!
The essay contest encourages young minds to examine America’s history, along with their own experiences in modern American society, by drafting a 300- to 400-word essay, expressing their views based on a patriotic theme chosen by the VFW Commander-in-Chief. Want to apply? Read the rules and eligibility requirements, and download and complete the 2021-2022 Patriot's Pen entry form as all student entries must be submitted to a sponsoring local VFW Post by midnight, Oct. 31. The 21-22 theme is: How Can I be a Good American?
VFW Teacher of the Year
Without our nation’s veterans, America wouldn't be the great nation it is today. Our youth deserve to learn about our rich history, traditions and the role of our veterans in creating and shaping America.
Each year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars selects elementary, middle, and high school teachers to participate in the Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher program.
Please review the new rules and eligibility requirements and download the 2021 entry form to nominate a teacher you know. Teacher nomination entries must be received at a local participating VFW Post by the Oct. 31 deadline.
Daughters of the American Revolution- American History Essay Contest
This contest was established to encourage young people to think creatively about our nation’s great history and learn about history in a new light. Each academic year, a unique essay topic is chosen and guidelines are made available.
- The contest is open to all students in grades 5-8.
- Essays are judged for historical accuracy, adherence to topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation and neatness.
- Additional rules and guidelines can be found by contacting your local DAR chapter.
A winner will be selected from each of the four grades to advance to the state level. The state winner from each grade will advance to the divisional level. The divisional winners will advance to the national level where the winners are announced. All National winners will receive a certificate, medal and a monetary reward.
Topic: 2021-2022: Title: "The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier"
November 11, 2021, marks the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Imagine that you had a brother who lost his life on the battlefields of France during World War I. You and your family attended the November 11, 1921, dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, D.C. Describe what this meant to you and your family. Why is it important to remember those who gave their lives to serve our nation?
Length: There is no set length.
Submissions: Essays may be submitted electronically. Essays may also be handwritten.
Deadline: All essays must be submitted no later than December 31, 2021.
For additional contest information or guidelines, please contact your local DAR chapter or visit DAR.org.
DAR Chapter: General Daniel Newnan Chapter
Contact Name: Tammy D. Hyder
Phone: 404-219-9120
Email: tammyhyder@gmail.com
Network Connectors
Connect with Georgia's virtual learning community for Social Studies
Georgia Council for the Social Studies
Georgia Council on Economic Education
Comments, Questions, Concerns?
Email: phillip.sykes@cowetaschools.net
Website: https://sites.google.com/cowetaschools.net/cowetasocialstudies/home
Location: 167 Werz Industrial Boulevard, Newnan, GA, USA
Phone: 770-254-2800
Twitter: @Syked4SS




