| Social Studies – Preparing Students for College, Career and Civic Life |  |
| Teaching & Learning
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- Social studies unit takes Ill. 7th-graders back to colonial era
Seventh-grade students from Geneva Middle School North in Illinois recently donned costumes and took on the roles of famous and not-so-famous colonial-era Americans as they wrapped up a unit on the time period. In the school gym, students played roles as merchants and customers conducting transactions with crowns and shillings, while a student portraying George Washington gave a speech to inspire the troops. "We wanted to have one day to pull everything together they have learned," said social studies teacher James Cook. Chicago Tribune (tiered subscription model)
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| Professional Development
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- Principals have a powerful role in improving education
 The school principal has a powerful impact on the school and should play a central role in moving education forward, writes Diann Woodard, president of the American Federation of School Administrators. In this blog post, she writes about the significant role principals play in student achievement, the creation of effective and meaningful evaluation systems for teachers and prioritizing professional-development opportunities and resources for education. The Huffington Post/The Blog
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- Report: Investing in teachers key to school reform
Most Michigan residents say that investing in increased training, professional development and evaluations for teachers is the best approach to reforming K-12 education, according to a report from the Center for Michigan. "It's not about pouring money into it -- it's about building more supports and systems, and building capacities of local schools to do that," said Amber Arellano, executive director of Education Trust-Midwest, an education reform group that recommends teacher mentors, professional learning communities and National Board Certification for teachers. Bridge Magazine (Lansing, Mich.)
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| Technology in the Classroom
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| Social Studies & Civic Life
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- Students learn about Florida's multicultural history
 Students in Leon County, Fla., recently explored the multicultural history of their community as part of the Blending Lives program. In its 13th year, the program's theme for this year is "Viva Florida" and curriculum includes the Black Seminoles and the Gulla/Geechee culture along with Spanish and French influences. On Tuesday, a group of fourth-grade students visited the John G. Riley House Museum, named after a Florida educator who was one of the first African-Americans to own property in Tallahassee, Fla. WFSU-FM (Tallahassee, Fla.)
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- How to tackle the Super Bowl in the classroom
With Super Bowl fever taking over ahead of Sunday's big game, Matt Davis, editorial assistant at Edutopia, shares seven resources in this blog post to help teachers include the game in classroom lessons. Resources include a video explaining the science behind football; ideas for using the game in math, statistics, history and writing lessons; plus a website that offers 12 Super Bowl-related activities for students. Edutopia.org/Matt Davis' blog
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- Evidence suggests Civil War submarine sunk by accident
Researchers uncovered clues that suggest the H.L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine during the Civil War, was less than 20 feet from its Union ship target when its torpedo exploded. The find suggests that crew members were intentionally detonating the weapon and not on a suicide mission. Researchers say it helps explain why the Hunley disappeared after successfully sinking the Union ship in 1864. "You have to remember, what these guys were trying to do had never been done before. They were constantly improving their new weapon as they learned during testing," said senior Hunley archaeologist Maria Jacobsen. WISTV (Columbia, S.C.)
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| NCSS Updates
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Call for proposals -- 2013 annual conference
NCSS is seeking proposals to present at the 2013 NCSS Annual Conference in St. Louis. The theme of the conference is "Social Studies: Gateway to the Core of Learning" and includes sub-themes that address the Common Core; cross cultural collaboration; sustainability; social justice; sports in history; and music and popular culture. The deadline to submit a proposal is Feb. 25. Learn more and submit a proposal.
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Conducting Socratic seminars: A leader's workshop with a focus on primary source documents from U.S. history
This NCSS Summer Professional Development Workshop, taught by nationally recognized Socratic seminar trainer John Zola, will help participants develop skills as Socratic seminar discussion leaders. Socratic seminars are teacher-led classroom discussions that promote higher-level thinking, more careful reading of texts, and increased skills of classroom and civil discussion. The workshop will be held Aug. 5 to 7 in Washington, D.C. Get more information.
| SmartQuote
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 | Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die."
--Malachy McCourt,
Irish-American actor, writer and politician
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The way history is taught in schools focuses too much on rote memorization and does little to engage students, suggests Vicky Schippers, a volunteer tutor for underprivileged students. She writes that history is relevant to the lives of students. Lessons, she writes in this commentary, should reflect that importance and give students an opportunity to explore and question the past. 
