My name is Jessica Torres and I serve as the ESC Region 12 Social Studies content specialist as well as the Assistant Director for Continuous Improvement. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide resources specific to social studies content, general instructional tools, resources, updates, and professional development opportunities that are beneficial to all.

This is the time of year when you really want to think of your priorities both personal and professional. One way that you can prioritize is to consider what could possibly come off of your plate. James Clear recently shared this idea:

“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is eliminate the task.

Downsize. The rooms you don't have, don't need to be cleaned.

Donate. The items you don't own, don't need to be organized.

Delete. The projects you don't take on, don't need to be finished.

Is this a problem that needs to be solved? Or is it a problem that can be eliminated all together?”

As always, if you ever need assistance or have a question, please do not hesitate to contact me via email (jtorres@esc12.net) or social media (@owl_b_torresedu).

Huge congratulations to ESC Region 12, North Belton Middle School teacher Elizabeth Howson for being selected as the Gilder Lehrman 2022 Texas History Teacher of the Year. Candidates were evaluated on the following criteria:

• A demonstrated commitment to teaching American history (including state and local history)
• Evidence of creativity and imagination in the classroom
• Effective use of documents, artifacts, historic sites, oral histories, and other primary sources to engage students with American history

All state winners are finalists for the National History Teacher of the Year Award. Good luck to you Elizabeth...we are rooting for you!!

The State Board of Education (SBOE) is in the process of reviewing and revising the kindergarten-grade 12 social studies Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). A series of work groups have completed draft recommendations revising the social studies TEKS. As part of the board’s review process, the SBOE seeks feedback on the work group recommendations through the regional education service centers (ESCs). This survey is intended to collect feedback on the draft recommendations.

If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to review the posted drafts before proceeding to the survey questions.

Work groups were organized in the following way:

•Work Group A: high school economics and personal financial literacy

•Work Group B: social studies practices

•Work Group C: high school U.S. history, world history, world geography, U.S. government, psychology, sociology, and special topics/research methods courses

•Work Group D: kindergarten-grade 8

•Work Group E: high school ethnic studies courses

To access the draft recommendations from each work group, click on the link above.

Once you review the draft recommendations, please complete the survey using the button below.

Survey opens on July 25th and closes on August 19th

Feedback that is specific to a course or a student expectation may be submitted to teks@tea.texas.gov.

When providing specific comments and recommendations, please identify the work group in the subject line of the email. For example, in the subject line, please indicate "Social Studies TEKS Review Work Group D Feedback.“

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) test is being redesigned to make the test more tightly aligned to the classroom experience. House Bill 3906 established a “multiple choice cap,” meaning that no more than 75% of points on a STAAR test can be based on multiple choice questions. Preliminary information has been released about the item types. I will provide updated information as we receive it. I would highly suggest bookmarking the STAAR Redesign website page >> https://tea.texas.gov/student-assessment/assessment-initiatives/hb-3906/staar-redesign

Each month during the first semester, I'll work to highlight two of the new STAAR Item Types and possibilities within the classroom. If you have ideas or examples of ways that you are embedding these in your classroom, please do not hesitate to share - we are all better together.

August - Hot Text & Short Constructed Response

September - Inline Choice & Match Table Grid

October - Hot Spot & Drag and Drop

November - Multipart & MultiSelect

Description: Student cites evidence by selecting highlighted text in a sentence, paragraph, or extended reading.

Point value: These questions can be worth a maximum of 2 points with the possibility of receiving 1 point for a partially correct response.

Social studies tests that may include these questions: Grade 8 and EOC

The focus of this question type is on citing evidence. Students who are familiar with annotation and justification of their answers will find this question type familiar. I would not focus on recreating this question type through technology. As a teacher, you can recreate question types like this by pre-highlighting text evidence and asking students to select which of the highlighted text pieces is evidence for a specific question that is being asked.

Description: Student gives a brief explanation in their own words to demonstrate their understanding of content.

Point value: Short constructed responses are graded on a rubric equal to 2 points.

Social studies tests that may include these questions: Grade 8 and EOC

I would highly suggest that reading, science and social studies teachers collaborate on expectations for the short constructed response. It is much easier for students if we do not have different expectations for each content area.

Students are going to need lots of opportunities to write with content specific prompts. Many students are hesitant to write because they've lacked exposure to it. Sometimes they feel like they don't have enough background knowledge to write adequately. Use discussions as a launching point for writing. Not all writing pieces have to be graded. Give students an opportunity to find their voice.

Currently the character count is listed as 475, but we are awaiting final confirmation on this, as well as rubrics for grading this area. Google Forms do allow you to limit character count.

Our new documentary “Facing Eviction” premiered on Frontline PBS last week. You can stream it now on Retro Report's website.

When the coronavirus pandemic shut down the economy, tens of millions of Americans risked being evicted from their homes, prompting an unprecedented temporary federal ban on evictions and a massive rent relief program. This documentary was reported in cities across the country over more than a year. It chronicles the experiences of people living through this precarious time, including tenants, landlords, lawyers and judges and law enforcement officers.

We are preparing classroom resources and professional development webinars for educators who want to use this documentary in the classroom.

You can watch the trailer here, or click below for the full documentary.

Texas regional social studies leaders are excited to partner with OER Project to provide a series of professional development sessions for Texas educators this school year! For the past 10 years, OER Project has been providing teachers free social studies curricula, resources, and PD. Their courses are taught by teachers throughout the state. You can learn more about OER Project here.

This free collaborative series of virtual workshops has been designed with Texas teachers in mind and will provide participants with ideas and tools that can be implemented immediately in their classrooms. Each session will explore a particular skill that helps students made sense of social studies content. Registration for the first three sessions is now open! Click on the link here to register or learn more. https://community.oerproject.com/events/tesc-strengthening-the-reading-muscle/c/e/112

Session 1: Strengthening the Reading Muscle - September 14 6:00 - 7:00 PM (ET)

Session 2: Amping up Argumentative Writing – Making Strong Claims - October 12 6:00-7:00 PM (ET)

Session 3: Comparison is the Highest Form of Flattery - November 8, 2023 6:00-7:00 PM (ET)

We look forward to seeing you on September 14!

In the fall of 2022, Humanities Texas will partner with the National Archives and Records Administration and the National Archives Foundation to hold a webinar series on primary source pedagogy.

These online professional development programs are FREE for U.S. history teachers in Texas schools.

The programs will take place online via Zoom. Participants will receive ten hours of CPE credit, a digital badge, a wealth of curricular materials, and a $500 stipend.

Dates and Requirements

The webinars will take place on September 13, October 4, and November 1, 2022, from 5:00–7:00 pm CT. Selected teachers will be required to confirm their participation, commit to attending all three sessions, and complete and submit assignments between sessions.

Eligibility

The webinar series is for U.S. history teachers new to teaching or new to teaching with primary sources. This cohort-style program will focus on student-centered pedagogy to promote the integration of primary sources into classroom instruction. Given its unique cohort-style program, attendance is limited for this webinar series.

How to Apply

Teachers may apply to attend on the Humanities Texas website. Application deadline:

Monday, August 22, 2022. Please contact us with any questions: institutes@humanitiestexas.org

I am so excited to be part of the #sschat moderator team! I would love to have you join us for a great conversation via Twitter each Monday evening. Need help getting started with Twitter chats, reach out to me and I'll walk you through the steps. All of the Twitter chats are archived for future reference using Wakelet. Check them out here ->> https://sschat.org/archives/

Check them out here:

Volume 1 (2018-2019) Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6 Issue 7 Issue 8 Issue 9 Issue 10

Volume 2 (2019-2020) Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6 Issue 7 Issue 8 Issue 9 Issue 10 Issue 11 Issue 12 Issue 13

Volume 3 (2020-2021) Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6 Issue 7 Issue 8 Issue 9 Issue 10 Issue 11 Issue 12

Volume 4 (2021-2022) Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5 Issue 6 Issue 7 Issue 8 Issue 9 Issue 10 Issue 11

Special Editions: Celebrate Black History - Celebrate Women's History - 9/11 Remembered - Holocaust Remembrance Week - Memorial Day - Constitution Day - Juneteenth

Assistant Director for Continuous Improvement

Social Studies Content Specialist

ESC Region 12

o: 254-297-1284

Email: jtorres@esc12.net
Website: https://www.esc12.net/page/ge_socialstudies
Location: ESC Region 12, West Loop 340, Waco, TX, USA
Phone: 254-366-3856
Twitter: @owl_b_torresedu