Social Studies Newsletter

Welcome

Hello, I am Teaven Barnum the District Instructional Specialist for Secondary Social Studies. I'm excited to help you in any way that you need. You can reach me at teaven.barnum@killeenisd.org, text at 254-446-2873 or call my desk phone at 254-336-0253.

HB 27

HB 27 mandates that, starting with students entering 9th grade in the 2025–26 school year, Texas public high school students must complete a separate one-half credit course in personal financial literacy replacing economics as a graduation requirement. Texas.gov+3TASA+3Texas Legislative Online+3 The bill revises the Texas Education Code to strengthen and expand financial education instruction, requires the State Board of Education to allow comparable Advanced Placement courses to satisfy the requirement if they cover equivalent content, and directs the Texas Education Agency to provide publicly available, free open-source curricula that school districts may use. Texas Policy Research+2Texas Legislative Online+2 It was signed into law on June 20, 2025 and takes effect immediately.

New Standards

The State Board of Education has recently approved a framework that refocuses instruction on Texas and U.S. history—dramatically shifting the scope and sequence for grades K-8 and middle school social studies. The board is now in the stage of appointing content advisers to help draft the student expectations and specific standards that will flesh out the framework. They aim to vote on the final revised social studies standards by June 2026, with full implementation potentially by 2030.

Data - 1st Nine Weeks Progress Check Analysis

The 1st Nine Weeks Progress Check Analysis for Secondary Social Studies highlights key successes and areas for growth across grade levels. In 8th grade, students showed their strongest performance on standard 8.2A, which focuses on identifying reasons for English, Spanish, and French exploration and colonization of North America. However, the lowest-performing area was 8.12B, which requires students to explain the development of the plantation system, the transatlantic slave trade, and the spread of slavery. In U.S. History, students performed best on USH.25B, demonstrating strength in describing the Americanization movement to assimilate immigrants and American Indians into American culture, while the lowest performance was observed in USH.13A, which asks students to analyze causes and effects of changing demographic patterns within the United States, including western expansion, rural-to-urban migration, the Great Migration, and the Rust Belt to Sun Belt shift.

To address these gaps, teachers are encouraged to spiral high-frequency standards using Lowman warm-ups and dedicate time to developing test-taking skills. They should also utilize Know & Show charts to unpack standards, ensuring that each concept is taught to the full level of specificity and rigor. Additionally, teachers should develop clear reteach plans that specify what concept or skill is being retaught, and how reassessment will be measured—whether through exit tickets, quizzes, warm-ups, or student work samples.

Data - 1st Nine Weeks Benchmark Analysis

The 11th grade indicates that students have successfully met standard USH.15.D, which involves describing the economic effects of international military conflicts, specifically the Spanish-American War and World War I, on the United States. However, there is a gap in their learning regarding standard USH.13.A, which requires students to analyze the causes and effects of changing demographic patterns resulting from various migration movements within the United States, including western expansion, rural to urban migration, the Great Migration, and the movement from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt.

Similarly, the 8th grade shows that students have achieved standard 8.2.A, identifying reasons for English, Spanish, and French exploration and colonization of North America. The gap identified is standard 8.12.B, which covers explaining the reasons for the development of the plantation system, the transatlantic slave trade, and the spread of slavery. Both grade levels will need to emphasize the strategies found in the Next Steps sections, including using spiral review through Lowman warm-ups to address high-frequency standards that need additional practice, employing "Know & Show" techniques to unpack standards for appropriate depth and rigor, and developing reteach plans that clearly identify the concept or skill being retaught, specify when the reteaching will occur, and indicate the method of reassessment. This standardized approach suggests a systematic, school-wide curriculum monitoring system designed to ensure comprehensive coverage of state standards and accountability for student learning outcomes.

Internalizing and Annotating Instructional Materials

While our primary focus is on lesson design in Social Studies, the internalization process applies across multiple resource types. You should internalize your Lowman documents, Nearpod lessons, Social Studies Success Lessons, and materials from fellow educators.

Purpose of Internalization

The process of internalizing instructional materials through annotation serves several critical functions. It enables you to differentiate instruction to meet diverse learner needs, refine your pacing for optimal student engagement, ensure alignment with TEKS standards through your Knowledge and Skills Chart, design impactful instructional experiences, and support effective lesson execution.

Annotation Components

When annotating your instructional materials, include the following elements:

Time stamps to guide pacing throughout the lesson. Document your Gradual Release of Responsibility by noting the instructional strategies you will employ at each phase. Identify potential misconceptions students may encounter and plan how to address them proactively. Make explicit connections to previous learning to activate prior knowledge and build coherence. Note any omissions you identify in the original materials that need to be supplemented. Finally, highlight content spiraling opportunities where concepts can be reinforced and revisited throughout the unit or year.

Below you will find the social studies guardrails that will help you in your annotations.

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Social_Studies_Guardrails (2).pdf

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Social Studies After School Special (Civil Discourse) Nov. 10 @ JPLC

We will continue our learning of Civil Discourse through a book study of the book we received last year titled Civil Discourse Classroom Conversations for Stronger Communities. If you attended Job-Alike last year (2024) you will need to bring your copy of the book. Limited copies are available for new social studies teachers only.

Click the link to sign up. https://killeen.schoolobjects.com//wshop/default.aspx?cid=26351

Social Studies After School Special (Civil Discourse) Dec.16 (Virtual)

We will continue our learning of Civil Discourse through a book study of the book we received last year titled Civil Discourse Classroom Conversations for Stronger Communities. If you attended Job-Alike last year (2024) you will need to bring your copy of the book. Limited copies are available for new social studies teachers only.

Click the link to sign up. https://killeen.schoolobjects.com//wshop/default.aspx?cid=26352