| Social Studies – Preparing Students for College, Career and Civic Life |  |
- Utah schools add social studies to language-immersion programs
Foreign-language immersion elementary-school students in Davis County, Utah, have graduated to two junior high schools that are including social studies classes to the immersion curriculum. The social studies courses will be taught along with the foreign language, currently Spanish, to the 80 students in the program. Other schools are adding immersion programs, including French. Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah)
(9/16)
 
- Constitution Day recalls lessons in compromise
 The U.S. Constitution was ratified on this date 225 years ago by the Constitutional Convention but getting a final version of the document took a considerable amount of debate and compromise, assert the writers of this editorial. As the nation celebrates Constitution Day, the writers note it's worth recalling a process that required respect for opposing political views and a willingness to adjust one's thinking for the greater good. The editorial includes a five-question Constitutional quiz. Wisconsin State Journal (Madison)
(9/16)
- What is "deeper learning"?
Defining and measuring "deeper learning" will require teachers to set clear goals and expectations, while giving feedback to let students know what's expected of them, according to a report from the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science. A commitment from local, state and national policymakers will be needed for deeper learning -- a process of taking lessons learned in one situation and using it in another situation -- to become the standard, said Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education at Stanford University and advocate for education reform. KQED.org/Mind/Shift blog
(9/13)
 | EF Educational Tours helped students travel last year
In 2011, thousands of students traveled to destinations such as Rome, Athens and Tokyo with EF. EF's international programs, which address NCSS Global Connections standards, let teachers travel free with their students to over 65 countries. EF's $10,000 monthly scholarship also gives them the chance to offer their students free travel. Win a free trip.
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| Standards & Assessments
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- N.Y. may break history and geography Regents exam into two tests
New York's state-mandated Regents exams are required for graduation, but the traditional global history and geography test may be broken into two tests, and only one may be required to graduate. This social studies exam traditionally has had the lowest passing rate of all the Regents exams, including math, science, language arts and U.S. history. The Wall Street Journal
(9/11)
| Technology in the Classroom
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- Flipped instruction takes off in Fla. classrooms
A growing number of teachers in Florida are adopting the flipped instructional method, in which their students watch instructional videos at home and spend class time putting what they have learned into practice. "It takes me out of being the center of the classroom and starts centering the classroom around them, so that they can grasp more than just being robots and taking in the information and regurgitating it," said high-school algebra teacher Sarah Devereaux. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.)
(9/16)
| Social Studies & Civic Life
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- Md. high school remembers namesake Francis Scott Key, War of 1812
Francis Scott Key High School in Carroll County, Md., enlisted the help of local elementary- and middle-school students to put on a recent program marking the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and Key's penning of "The Star-Spangled Banner." The high-school's fine arts department put together a program including dance, song, music and readings. "I think we are the only high school named after Francis Scott Key," said Kenneth Fischer, assistant principal. "We should be doing something for our namesake." The Baltimore Sun
(9/15)
| NCSS Updates
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Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society
Does your high school have a Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society chapter yet? Join more than 100 high schools across the country who recognize their students' excellence in the field of social studies by applying for a local chapter. Learn more or apply for a charter online.
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Make your hotel reservations for the NCSS Annual Conference
Make your reservation now at any of the four NCSS Seattle hotels during the NCSS Annual Conference and your name will be entered into biweekly drawings for American Express gift cards, room upgrades, free hotel nights, a new iPad, and the grand prize, a United Airlines travel certificate, three free hotel room nights, and complimentary registration. Learn more.
| Editor's Note
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Updated SmartBrief privacy policy
SmartBrief has updated its privacy policy to better reflect the state of the digital world. View the updated policy.
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| The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
SIIA, the Software & Information Industry Association, is looking for educators and administrators who would like to participate as judges for the 2013 CODiE Awards for education products. Judging is a great experience that gives you the opportunity to see new products for the first time and provide valuable feedback to improve those products.
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| SmartQuote
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 | Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you won't do anything with it."
--M. Scott Peck,
American psychiatrist and author
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To help teachers weave Common Core State Standards into their weekly lessons, Sarah Gross and Jonathan Olsen, English and social studies teachers from New Jersey, last year started giving their students practice writing prompts based on the articles in the New York Times. They will continue to try out questions in their classes this year, with the best questions appearing in the newspaper and online as weekly writing prompts. 
