The Time Traveler

Its May!!!! Thank you so much for a fantastic year. This newsletter's focus is appreciation. Please join us in celebrating all the fantastic Social Studies Teachers in our district. At the end of the newsletter, we have curated a list of upcoming summer professional learning opportunities.

Due to be a fast growing school district, we welcomed 5 teachers at the semester. They all hit the ground running and their impact can already be seen at their campus. Please join us in welcoming them and thanking them for an AMAZING first semester in Prosper ISD.

• Shelby Arnold, World Cultures at Reynolds Middle School
• Alicia Dockery, World Cultures at Rushing Middle School
• Brooke Golden, US History at Hays Middle School
  
• Grace Joiner, World Cultures at Hays Middle School
• Lee Ryder, AP Human Geography and World Geography at Prosper High School.
  
  

Want proof on the AMAZING Social Studies Teachers we have in this district? Read over the teacher to teacher shout outs below!

“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

RHHS AP Human Geography students created concept maps to show their understanding of Culture unit.

PHS AP Government students used a modified version of consensus placemat strategy for FRQ review.

RHHS AP World History Students showed their understanding of key leaders during the Cold War by incorporating the Dinner Party instructional strategy.

PHS Economics used a Guest Speaker to kick off their Car Project. Students got to hear from Brad Ford, General Sales Manager at a car dealership to talk through the car buying process and learn how to get the most for their money.

PHS Mexican American Studies used hexagonal thinking to connect concepts of Chicano civil rights movement and key leaders.

RHHS World Geography students created a one pager to look at the causes and impact of the Arab Spring.

RHHS Dual Credit US History students used the Somebody-Wanted-But-Then-So Instructional Strategy to trace different legislation impacting the rights of American Indians,

RHHS AP European History students used the Wicked Hydra instructional strategies to review classmates imperialism posters.

This month we added the following strategies geared to increase discourse and student engagement.

• ABC Review List: ABC Review allows students to write statements or words about a particular topic that start with each letter of the alphabet.
• Going to the Movies: When you have a lot of content to cover in a short amount of time, students create “movie posters” of information to share with the class when they “go to the movies”.
  
• Slice of History: students in evaluating the causes of a historical event and visually representing their assessments through a pie chart, with each slice's size reflecting their evaluation of impact.
• Structured Academic Controversy: Students argue for both sides of a controversial issue but ultimately come up with a balanced opinion on the issue.
• Visual Discrepant Event Inquiry: Engage students in critical thinking and historical inquiry by presenting a visually discrepant event through fragmented images, prompting collaborative problem-solving and context-based analysis before revealing the complete picture.
• Window Pane: provides students with a structured approach to analyzing primary sources, fostering critical thinking and historical understanding through focused examination of evidence and context.
  
  

Thank you all for completing your Spring Semester Performance Task templates. The tasks have now been finalized and are ready to go in the 2024 Spring Semester Performance Tasks folder. As a reminder, if you have not completed the Textbook information form, please do so!

The Curriculum and Instruction team is excited to offer a full day of powerful professional development, also known as Prosper Connects, on August 1, 2024 at Rock Hill High School from 8:00am to 4:00 pm.

Come see sessions from teachers across district, our C&I department, and out of district facilitators! Schedule will be live in July for you to choose your sessions.

Reminder if you submitted a proposal, you should receive a response with approval status and more information by May 10, 2024. Proposal Submission Form

If you have any questions, please contact Kara Noah.

When:

• Book Study Kick off: August 1st at Prosper Connects. The book study kickoff will include a free copy of the book. Attendance will be capped at 15 people.

• On your own from August 1st-March 25th.

Exchange hours:

• 1 hour will be given for the book study kickoff at Prosper Connects.

• 6 hours will be given for the remaining book study.

• The book study kickoff is NOT required in order to do the book study.

How:

• Attend the book study kick off during Prosper Connects on August 1st.

• Register for the book study in Powerschool using this link.

• Join the Google Classroom using join code 35yar7i and complete the assignments by March 25th.

• Limited copies of the book are available for check out.

Reach out to Andrea Hutchison for more information.

Below you will find upcoming summer professional learning opportunities. We will also be updating our Social Studies Website with more opportunities through out the summer.

• Teaching Ethnic Studies - Tuesday, July 23, featuring experienced educators and keynote experts
  

Visit Region 10 and search for social studies sessions. All sessions are free for Region 10 members.

• 5/29 - Teaching with SCOTUS - The Stories Behind the Cases w/ Retro Report (Virtual)

• 6/21 - Understanding the Cold War in Latin America w/ Retro Report (Virtual)

• 6/26-6/27 - Texas Law Related Education: Our Amendments

• 7/19 - Developing Religious Literacy with the Institute for Curriculum Services (Virtual)

• 7/22 - All Juice, No Squeeze: Low Lift, High Impact Writing Strategies in Social Studies w/ My Short Answer (Virtual)

• 8/2 - Election Time!: Primaries, Conventions, and Ads from Historic Elections w/ Retro Report (Virtual)

5th Metroplex Social Studies Conference

When: Tuesday, Jun 18, 2024, 08:30 AM

Where: Region 10 Education Service Center, East Spring Valley Road, Richardson, TX, USA

Registration is currently open for Region 10: REGISTER HERE

Texas History Professional Development Conference

• 6/23 and 6/24 from 8 am to 4:30- Join the Dallas Historical Society us for this free, two-day Professional Development Conference, presented in partnership with the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation. Learn from leading Texas historians and exemplary classroom instructors. Improve your content knowledge and sharpen your teaching skills at the beautiful and historic Hall of State. Attendees will earn 12 CPE Credits. Click here to Register.

Check Them Out Below:

• March 2024, February 2024, January 2024, December 2023, November 2023, October 2023, September 2023, 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!

Secondary Social Studies C&I

Andrea, Jessie, and Mandy