| Social Studies – Preparing Students for College, Career and Civic Life |  |
- Mo. high-school students publish local history magazine online
The perspectives of longtime residents of Joplin, Mo., are now available online in a student-created magazine called Ozarkapedia.org. The pilot project involves 141 Joplin High School sophomores who research, photograph and interview older residents about the subjects of their articles. The students wrote articles, edited and posted them online using programs including WordPress and Google Docs. "I really do think this is something that prepares them for the real world," said Justin Crawford, an instructor who helped students with the technology. The Joplin Globe (Mo.)
(1/13)
 
- Addressing myths that teachers encounter in the classroom
 Historical myths often come up in social studies lessons and teacher Stephen Lazar, a guest writer in this blog post, tells how he deals with them in his classes. In addressing the myths about Rosa Parks, for example, Lazar writes that he avoids using the textbook and instead allows students to use primary-source documents and multiple secondary sources to get varied viewpoints. In the end, Lazar writes, his students learn about Parks -- beyond the myths -- and receive more than a cursory understanding of the events that led to her historic bus ride. Education Week Teacher/Classroom Q&A blog
(1/12)
- Texas teacher favors learning that tackles problems
Tasking students to solve a real-world problem, especially one with an ethical dilemma, gives children the skills that employers are looking for, writes Tim Holt, instructional-technology director of El Paso, Texas, Independent School District. "We need to start thinking about ways of flipping the classroom that truly means flipping the way we teach -- not just having kids watch videos at night," Holt writes in this blog post. Powerful Learning Practice
(1/10)
 | Recommended by the Common Core State Standards!
Joy Hakim's award-winning A History of US series is recommended by the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy as an exemplary informational text. Hakim details the birth and development of the United States, from pre-Columbian Native American life in The First Americans through to the 21st century America in All the People. Learn More
|
|
| Standards & Assessments
|  |  |
|
- Fla. educators develop their own common core lesson plans
The lack of Common Core State Standards textbooks hasn't stopped educators from getting ready. In Florida, teachers are working to create thousands of lesson plans available online at cpalms.org, the website of CPALMS, Florida's platform for educators to "Collaborate, Plan, Align, Learn, Motivate, Share." The site is funded by a Race to the Top grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The Miami Herald (free registration)
(1/12)
- Common core guide: Students should read more of everything
The Common Core State Standards demands a dramatic increase in overall reading, according to a new guide, but does not necessarily mean that nonfiction works will replace the fictional titles that traditionally have been part of the curriculum, education reporter Catherine Gewertz writes in this blog post. "Because literacy is now a shared responsibility among all teachers, reading should dramatically increase in all content areas," the guide states. "While English teachers may use more informational text, students may actually read more literature not less." Education Week/Curriculum Matters blog
(1/10)
| Technology in the Classroom
| | |
|
- Ind. teachers, students praise iPads in lessons
Students and teachers at Caston Junior-Senior High School in Fulton, Ind., were given iPads this year, and the benefits are seen everywhere -- from fewer copies and papers to keep track of, to improved communication and enhanced research capabilities. "It makes things a lot more efficient in the classroom," said social studies teacher Carl Davis, who has incorporated the tablet computers into lessons on world geography using Google Earth and explore the Middle Ages with WebQuest, among other assignments. Pharos-Tribune (Logansport, Ind.)
(1/11)
| Social Studies & Civic Life
| | |
|
- Historian delivers the story behind the Neb. post office murals
Some Nebraska towns boast post offices adorned with murals depicting everyday scenes of Midwestern life. Bob Puschendorf, an associate director of the Nebraska State Historical Society, says the artwork was commissioned in post offices that had surpluses in their construction budgets when they were built in the 1930s and '40s. He adds that the murals -- subject of a historical society book -- were controversial when they were painted and stand now as forerunners to government-commissioned art in public spaces that continue today. Beatrice Daily Sun (Neb.)
(1/13)
- Archaeologist seeks answers to a grim Fla. hurricane mystery
An estimated 3,000 lives were lost in 1928 when a hurricane swept across the southeastern coast of Florida, leading officials to burn remains on pyres and bury them in mass graves to stave off epidemics. At a Port Mayaca, Fla., cemetery, archaeologist Shawn Patch recently used ground-penetrating radar equipment to learn more about a plot that bears a marker for about 1,600 unidentified people. The Palm Beach Post (Fla.)
(1/13)
| NCSS Updates
| | |
|
-
2013 NCSS Board of Directors elections
The 2013 Elections for the NCSS Board of Directors takes place beginning in February. Members of good standing as of Dec. 31 will be eligible to vote via the Internet, or by optional paper ballot upon request. Instructions and electronic credentials to vote will be e-mailed to eligible voters. Read about the candidates and their positions on our website.
-
Accepted sessions for 2013 International Social Studies Conference
The deadline for registering for the 2013 International Social Studies Conference in Fez, Morocco, is February 25. The conference will include three days of sessions and speakers, featuring Moroccan officials, U.S. Embassy personnel, regional experts, and classroom teachers and students. See a list of accepted sessions, the conference itinerary and program preview on our website.
| SmartQuote
| | |
|
 | You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm."
--Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette,
French novelist and performer
|
| |
| |
|
Read more at
SmartBrief.com |
|
|
|
| |
| |
| | Recent
NCSS SmartBrief Issues:
- Friday, January 11, 2013
- Wednesday, January 09, 2013
- Monday, January 07, 2013
- Friday, January 04, 2013
- Wednesday, January 02, 2013
| | | Lead Editor:
Trigie Ealey
Contributing Editor:
James Roland
Mailing Address:
SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004 | |
| |
|
| © 1999-2013 SmartBrief, Inc.®
Legal Information |
|
