Dear Social Studies Educators,

The Spring semester of the 2020-21 school year is here, and what a ride it’s been up until this point. From the time the world changed last March until now, educators, students, parents, and communities have had to roll with the punches. There have been so many different things needed from each of us, and as we release our T&L Spring Offerings, we hope that you will see that we have reflected upon a variety of data to respond to the needs that have been shared. We have worked to ensure that learning logistics (time & mediums) and content (learning topics) have all been reflected in our offerings. If there are specific needs that we might be able to better assist with, please do reach out and allow us the opportunity to serve.

Here’s the link to the R10 Spring 2021 T&L Offerings.

We look forward to engaging with you in the year ahead. We invite you to explore our upcoming offerings in hopes that we can help you meet the moment and provide meaningful experiences for your learners.

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.

In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed a bill requiring that students in public school commemorate a Holocaust Remembrance Week to “inspire … a sense of responsibility to recognize and uphold human value and to prevent future atrocities.” In 2021, Holocaust Remembrance Week is January 25-29. I have compiled resources in my Smore (link at the bottom of this newsletter) and would highly recommend reviewing the resources provided by the organizations listed below. Many have worked tirelessly to create digital resources that can be used both face to face and virtually.

• Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum
• Museum of Jewish Heritage
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

While visiting the Museum in person might not possible, we hope to virtually connect with your students to talk about the importance of Holocaust remembrance. For that purpose, we want to highlight our Holocaust history focused virtual field trips and programs. All our virtual field trips and programs are live through Zoom video conferencing. Students will connect in real time with a Museum Educator in the exhibition. If you cannot join us for a virtual experience, you can also explore our online Holocaust Remembrance Week resources.

If your role is to develop a Social Studies curriculum for your district, please join us for a series of monthly cohort meetings this spring to explore the process of implementing Ethnic Studies courses (specifically the Mexican-American and African-American Studies courses) in your district. If you have already implemented these courses, we encourage you to join in and share your experiences as well as learn new ideas to implement next year. We will discuss proposal ideas, planning the courses, instructional resources, and strategies for teaching with cultural sensitivity. Find support from educators in both Region 10 and Region 11 to create a curriculum that will be ready to implement in the 2021-2022 school year.

TCSS needs your leadership to fulfill our mission. Please consider serving on a TCSS committee and Engage in the Experience. Committees meet the Saturday after TSSSA Spring meeting in Austin usually in February or March and at the Fall Conference. TCSS provides up to $150 to TCSS member(s) serving on TCSS committees to offset expenses related to attending Spring and Fall committee meetings. Committee participation and work may also be completed via video conferencing and individually as the Committee Chair determines. It’s easy, sign up here.

How do you talk to your students about events like January 6, 2021? While Inauguration Day is always an important day to teach and reflect with our students, this year it has so much more value and weight given recent events in our country. This collection of Inauguration Day resources also includes resources curated to assist in the reflection of recent events.

Check Them Out Below:

2018-2019:

September 2018, November 2018, February 2019, March 2019, April 2019, May 2019, June 2019

2019-2020:

August 2019, September 2019, October 2019, November 2019, December 2019, January 2020, February 2020, March 2020, April 2020 (Part 1), April 2020 (Part II), May 2020 (Part I), May 2020 (Part II) June 2020, July 2020

2020-2021:

August 2020, September 2020, October 2020, October 2020 (Part II), November/December 2020, December 2020

Email: kelly.bellar@region10.org
Website: https://www.region10.org/programs/social-studies/service-offerings/
Location: Richardson, TX, USA
Phone: 972-348-1432
Twitter: @Region10SS