The Time Traveler

We are so excited to have had the chance to onboard Newsela and Gale in Context on September 1st.

Please see the Newsela/Gale in context response spreadsheet to see if your submitted resources have been approved. Each resource will be highlighted in green, yellow, or red. Green means the resource is approved for use. Yellow means you may use the resource with caution. If a resource is highlighted yellow, please see the note in the far right column for additional information. Red means the resource is not approved for use, or the resource was not able to be vetted.

As a reminder, all resources (articles, videos, etc.) need to be vetted for approval even if they come from a purchased resource such as Newsela or Gale in Context. As the school year continues, If you find resources from Newsela or Gale in Context, please use our normal vetting process of commenting on the UFD to get those resources vetted and tag Andrea.

If you would like to brainstorm how pair these resources with instructional strategies and how differentiate and extend for your students, please reach out to Jessie and Mandy.

There are TWO upcoming opportunities to listen to Dr. Fleenor that will be held virtually after school on September 20 and 26. This is a great chance to learn more about how to best utilize The Visual Non-Glossary (TVNG) district resource with our students. Each session will be from 4:15-5:00. Below you will find the session links to register.

• The Visual Non-Glossary Sept 20 registration link
• The Visual Non-Glossary Sept 26 registration link

If you have not attended a session with Dr. Fleenor, we encourage you to register for one of the sessions. You will receive 1 hour of exchange credit for this training, but more importantly, you will walk away with a better understanding of this resource that you can immediately put into action.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Andrea!

We are excited to shine a spotlight on exceptional collaborative teams across the district.

The Hays 8th Grade US History team developed a simple 4-point rubric, prominently displayed in the classroom for easy reference to help students monitor their progress. This rubric serves as a quick and effective feedback tool for students. Here's how it works

1. 4-Point Rubric: Our rubric has four clear levels of achievement that students can aim for, making it easy to understand and track their performance.
2. Visual Feedback: We use stamps to provide students with immediate feedback. If a student achieves a score of 4, they receive a stamp that reflects their excellent performance. If there are areas where they can improve, the stamp reflects that as well.

This approach streamlines the feedback process, making it both informative and motivating for students. It allows them to gauge their progress and areas needing improvement at a glance, fostering a sense of ownership and continuous improvement in their learning journey.

The Rogers 8th Social Studies Team began a new instructional strategy this year. We started our first PLC meeting by reflecting on the previous year and decided to take a different approach to unpacking the standards. In addition to backward planning, we talked about trying a strategy that would allow us to categorize all of the standards in Unit 1. After we identified the standards, we separated them into Boulders, Rocks, and Butterflies.

• The Boulders are the standards that we believe are central to understanding the enduring questions and a must-know.
• The Rocks are nice to know.
• The Butterfly is fun to know (land and leave)

This approach is a great team-building activity that we are hopeful will allow us to center activities around the categories and assessments to produce a greater understanding of the major concepts of each unit.

PHS US History collaborative team designs their agenda to make sure they address all 4 PLC questions in every team meeting. They use student data (daily work, writing samples, and CFAs) in order to inform and adjust instruction.

“The aim is to get the students actively involved in seeking evidence: their role is not simply to do tasks as decided by teachers, but to actively manage and understand their learning gains. This includes evaluating their own progress, being more responsible for their learning, and being involved with peers in learning together about gains in learning.” John Hattie

Teams across the district are using the Social Studies Playbook to get students engaged in the content and talking with their peers. Scroll down to see some amazing strategies in actions!

PHS World History started the year getting students discussing with a non curricular topic using the Bracketology Instructional Strategy. Have students evaluate and justify their reasoning in safe topics builds up confidence for the rest of the year.

RHHS Government used the Consensus Placemat Instructional strategy to get students to take a deeper look into Unit 1's UFD essential questions by first writing out their own response along the side and then collaborated to create a consensus response in the center.

RHHS Government used the concept attainment instructional strategy when discussing Amendments. Students personalized their learning by placing them categories and ranking their importance according to their own perspective.

WGHS and RHHS US History students evaluated key events and legislature passed during reconstruction. Students used Causation Cards to categorize and evaluated the impact of events, then justified their reasoning by placing them on a timeline using Timeline with Attitude instructional strategy. See pictures below!

PHS AP Government used a Socratic Seminar to have student discuss the perspectives presented in Federalist #10 and Brutus to get a better understanding of America's Founding Documents.

Rushing 6th Grade US History used a Guided Gallery Walk as an Instructional Strategy to reinforce student learning.

6th grade students in World Cultures created one-pager posters detailing a continent's key features. After completing the one pager, students then Gallery Walked the other continents and used a post-it to ask questions, make comments, and positively reinforce the work of their peers.

This month we added the following strategies!

• Big Paper Silent Debate: Students analyze stimulus to create a “silent” discussion before engaging in civil discourse.
• Perspective Chat: Students gain a deeper understanding of historical figures or theorists by adopting their perspectives and engaging in a digital conversation to answer an essential question.
• Roving Paragraphs: Students listen, speak, read and write to create conversations that result in the creation of written paragraphs.
• Save the last word: Use this discussion protocol to give each person in the group an opportunity to have their ideas, understandings, and perspective enhanced by hearing from others and ultimately gain a deeper understanding of the issue.
• Then and Now: To pre-assess student knowledge of a topic, have students work collaboratively in a group to define or list characteristics of a concept or term, then after instruction have them revise and edit their original definition or list.

Please reach out to Jessie and Mandy if you want a brainstorm on how to add strategies to your course!

Use the button below for quick access to the table of contents and SS Instructional Playbook.

We will have our next professional learning day on October 5th. This will be a full day of learning that you can immediately put into action in the classroom.

We love to have teacher leaders facilitate sessions that are aligned with Dr. Ferguson’s Instructional Observation Points. Please reach out to Jessie and Mandy if you would like to brainstorm!! If you are interested in presenting on this day, please fill out the Oct. 5th Professional Learning form.

Forms are due by September 15th. All presenters will receive 1 hour of exchange credit for each session accepted.

Each year, during the week that includes September 17, Texas schools honor Celebrate Freedom Week (TEC § 29.907) to highlight the values and ideals on which the United States was founded as well as the sacrifices that were made for freedom in the founding of the country. Students learn about the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights. Students also examine the relationship between the ideas in these documents and subsequent American history including the relationship of its ideas to the rich diversity of our people as a nation of immigrants, the American Revolution, the formulation of the U.S. Constitution, and the abolitionist movement, which led to the Emancipation Proclamation and the women's suffrage movement.

Celebrate Freedom Week coincides with Constitution Week, established by the U.S. Congress to encourage all Americans to learn about the Constitution. Both Celebrate Freedom Week and Constitution Week focus on September 17, the date in 1787 when delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution. Congress has also designated September 17 of each year as Constitution Day.” -TEA

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The third Wednesday of September is Dr. Hector P. Garcia Day in memory of the significant contributions to the Mexican American civil rights movement of Dr. Hector P. Garcia, a distinguished physician and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the founder of the American GI Forum, which promotes civil rights protection of Hispanic veterans and all Americans. Dr. Garcia, a World War II hero, was awarded a Bronze Star Medal with six battle stars in recognition of his meritorious service to the United States. This holiday is not required to be observed in public schools. Gov’t Code 662.055

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In 2013, House Bill 174 designated the last Friday in September for recognition of the historic, cultural, and social contributions American Indian communities and leaders have made to Texas. American Indian Heritage Day shall be regularly observed by appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs in public schools to honor American Indians in Texas and to celebrate the rich traditional and contemporary American Indian culture. Gov’t Code 662.056

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Check Them Out Below:

• August 2023, May 2023, April 2023, March 2023, February 2023, January 2023; December 2022; November 2022; October 2022; September 2022; August 2022

If you need ANYTHING, please do not hesitate to reach out! We are here to support YOU!

Jessie and Mandy