| Social Studies – Preparing Students for College, Career and Civic Life |  |
| Teaching & Learning
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- Calif. students use National Handwriting Day to write letters to troops
Sixty carefully written letters will be delivered to servicemen and women, courtesy of fourth-grade students from Santa Maria, Calif. As a part of National Handwriting Day -- marked Wednesday in conjunction with the birth date of American Revolution leader John Hancock, teacher Cindy Mason's students wrote letters to members of the military to thank them for their service and bravery. Santa Maria Times (Calif.)
(1/24)
 
- Tenn. students get a personal finance "Reality Check"
Students at Lookout Valley High School in Chattanooga, Tenn., bought cars, paid for day care and apartments during a personal-finance "Reality Check" scenario sponsored by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. This year's students will be the first to graduate high school since a state law was enacted requiring a half-credit, personal-finance class. Tennessee is one of 14 states that require students to take a personal-finance course in high school. Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tenn.)
(1/23)
| Policy Watch
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- S.C. bill would require psychologists in all public schools
 A bill introduced by state Representative Jerry Govan would require all public schools in South Carolina to have a full-time school psychologist. There are only about 550 school psychologists for the state's 1,200 public schools, but Govan offers the bill as an alternative to other school safety measures. "I think it stands a better chance of saving lives than arming teachers in schools," Govan said. WJBF-TV (Augusta, Ga.)
(1/22)
| Technology in the Classroom
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- Anonymous Ohio student uses Twitter to send positive messages
An anonymous student at North Royalton High School in Ohio has triggered a wave of goodhearted and supportive messages throughout the school with the creation of a Twitter account called @NRHSkindness1. Inspired after hearing social studies teacher Jennifer Forshey share the story of a similar Twitter campaign at another school, one student anonymously created the North Royalton account, leading many students to Tweet praise for their peers. "It's kid driven, and uses social media in a way that is positive and good," Forshey said. Sun News (Cleveland)
(1/24)
- Using technology to upgrade your lessons
 Learning and engagement should be taken into consideration when upgrading lessons, education consultants Michael Fisher and Janet Hale write in their new book being published by ASCD, "Upgrade Your Curriculum: Practical Ways to Transform Units and Engage Students." In this blog post, Fisher writes about ways to upgrade technology and the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, suggesting that teachers consider using visualization tool Smore and Piktochart, which helps create infographics, in their practice. MiddleWeb
(1/20)
| Social Studies & Civic Life
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- Neb. social studies teacher turns trash into teachable moment
Beatrice Middle School social studies teacher Mike Policky, of Beatrice, Neb., and his students are committed to recycling. Policky bought 16 big blue recycling barrels with the help of a $1,500 grant that requires a weigh measurement of how much paper the school recycled during the first six months. "When you start giving the students numbers, they see that they are making a difference, and what we are doing is important," said Policky, whose students last month recycled 955 pounds of paper. Beatrice Daily Sun (Neb.)
(1/23)
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Recycling is ideal for project-based learning:
Challenging students to help their community increase its recycling is just the kind of project-based learning idea that resonates with students, writes education consultant Suzie Boss. That's because it addresses a real-world issue, one students can relate to and actually help solve, she writes in this blog post. Recycling and composting also are topics that can be addressed with projects suitable for the age and abilities of all students, she writes. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/The Learning Network blog
(1/23)
| NCSS Updates
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Deadline for 2013 International Social Studies conference
The deadline for registering for the 2013 International Social Studies Conference in Fez, Morocco, is Feb. 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 the NCSS website.
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Link social studies standards with the Common Core Standards
"Teaching Reading with the Social Studies Standards: Elementary Units that Integrate Great Books, Social Studies, and the Common Core Standards," the latest bulletin from NCSS Publications is now available. This new publication includes class activities that help teachers to achieve learning expectations of the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies as well as specific objectives outlined in the Common Core Standards for Reading Literature. Learn more and order online.
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 | In youth we learn; in age we understand."
--Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach,
Austrian writer
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