The Social Studies Connection
More than a Newsletter for Secondary Social Studies Teachers
Secondary Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator
Office of Teaching & Learning
Curriculum Division
Southland Center - 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH
In March 2024, Gov. DeWine signed SB 17 bill, requiring lessons on free-market capitalism to be included in the financial literacy course already required for Ohioβs high school students.
The bill specifies the following:
"The academic content shall include all of the following concepts related to free market capitalism:
(i) Raw materials, labor, and capital, the three classical factors of economic production, are privately owned.
(ii) Individuals control their own ability to work, earn wages, and obtain skills to earn and increase wages.
(iii) Private ownership of capital may include a sole proprietorship, a family businesses, a publicly traded corporation, a group of private investors, or a bank.
(iv) Markets aggregate the exchange of goods and services throughout the world. Market prices are the only way to convey so much constantly changing information about the supply of goods and services, and the demand for them, for consumers and producers to make informed economic decisions for themselves.
(v) Wealth is created by providing goods and services that people value at a profit, and both sellers and buyers seek to profit in some way in a free market transaction. Thus, profit earned through transactions can be consumed, saved, reinvested in the business, or dispersed to shareholders.
(vi) Wealth creation involves asset value appreciation and depreciation, voluntary exchange of equity ownership, and open and closed markets.
(vii) The free market is driven by, and tends to produce, entrepreneurship and innovation.
(viii) The free market can include side effects and market failures where at least part of the cost of the transaction, including producing, transporting, selling, or buying, is born by others outside of the transaction.
(ix) The political features of the free market, including legally protected property rights, legally enforceable contracts, patent protections, and the mitigation of side effects and market failures;
(x) Societies that embrace the free market often embrace political and personal freedom as well."
Since CCS uses our Economics course as one of the pathways for meeting the Financial Literacy requirement, these concepts will be included in our curriculum. On the plus side, we are already in substantial compliance with this new requirement. Our Economics curriculum already includes lessons from Econ Alive! on demand and supply, market equilibrium and prices, and entrepreneurship. To bring us into full compliance, two additional Econ Alive! lessons on economic systems and market structures and failures will be added.
The revised curriculum with the new required content is available on the Economics page of the CCS District Approved Curriculum Canvas course. However, at this point, the new required content has not been added to the state standards document, so the curriculum will continue to evolve.
American Government curriculum will be revised for 2024-2025. Financial Literacy content will be removed, as it is now a separate requirement. Student Interactions with Peace Officers will be added to meet Ohio Revised Code.
After surveying teachers and discussions with Department Chairs, we have arrived a new scope and sequence for this course:
Unit 1. Foundations (Quarter 1)
Civic Participation Skills Introduction - Learning Targets 1, 3, 4
Federalists & Antifederalists - Learning Target 6
Basic Principles - Learning Target 5
Unit 2. Structure and Functions (Quarter 2)
Three Branches of Government - Learning Targets 12, 13, 18
Ohio Government - Learning Targets 16-17
Economic Policy - Learning Targets 20-21
Unit 3. Evolution of the Constitution (Quarter 3)
Bill of Rights & Responsibilities - Learning Targets 8, 14
Constitutional Amendments - Learning Targets 7, 10-11
Civil Rights - Learning Targets 9, 10, 15
State Test Review
Unit 4. Participating in Government (Quarter 4)
Public Policy and Civic Involvement - Learning Targets 1, 18, 19
Political Parties and Interest Groups - Learning Target 2
Interactions with Peace Officers
There are several advantages to this framework:
- provides relatively minimal departure from the current framework;
- keeps some civic skills at the beginning (similar to World and American History scope and sequence);
- includes 1 unit per grading period; 3 subunits per unit;
- follows AP Government order and structure of units.
With the exception of the substitution of student interactions with peace officers in place of financial literacy, there is no change in the content of the course.
The revised curriculum is available on the District-Approved Curriculum course on Canvas. The downloadable PDF version will be added to the CCS Social Studies website during the first week of June.
Achieve3000 returned in January as the literacy intervention program for high schools. High School teachers and students now have access to Achieve3000 via Clever.
The goal is for each content-area teacher to assign 1 article per week, in order to help students reach maximum gains. This month's contest is Strive for 75%. Students should complete eight or more lessons/articles between April 9, 2024, and May 10, 2024, with a first-try activity score of 75%.
Alignment guides for Modern World History 9, American History 10, and American Government are available on the Social Studies Curriculum page.
For additional support, teachers can schedule a time for drop-in office with Romana Bertolotti, Achieve Product Manager.
The TCI Implementation Resource Center is your one-stop shop for learning the best practices of TCI and how these practices align with CCS Curriculum.
The Implementation Resource Center provides information about:
- On-Demand PD
- TCI Digital Platform Introduction
- Theory and Research-Based Active Instruction
- TCI Lesson Elements and Cycle
- Activities/Engagement Strategies
- TCI Programs for CCS Middle School Courses
- TCI Programs for CCS High School Courses
- Digging Deeper with TCI Ten PD Videos.
This page is also accessible from the CCS Social Studies Homepage.
Teachers will have access to student data in TCI until June 30. Teachers can download data by using the "Export to CSV" in the upper-right corner of the gradebook.
The TCI sync with Clever will be paused for the summer. During the summer, teachers may also add additional programs to their account in order to prepare for next year's courses. However, teachers will not have the permissions to create rostered classes for 2024-2025βthose classes will autoroster from Clever when the new school-year begins.
Grade Level/Course Programs:
- Social Studies 6 - History Alive! 6th Grade (CCS Edition) - This text includes both the Geography Alive! and History Alive! content for Grade 6 in one custom book. Teachers do not need to add the separate Geography Alive! program.
- Social Studies 7 - History Alive! 7th Grade (OH Edition) - This text includes both the Ancient World and Medieval World and Beyond texts in one custom book.
- Social Studies 8 - History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism
- Modern World History 9 - History Alive! World Connections
- American History 10 - History Alive! Pursuing American Ideals
- American Government - Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You
- Global Issues - Global Issues Alive! (CCS Edition)
PD Days for 2023-2024 concluded with a district-lead virtual event on April 8, focused on Learning Assessments. The was the last of 5 district-led days centered on the Core Instructional Framework.
Article 507.05 of the CEA Master Agreement states teachers are required to participate in make-up sessions in the event of an absence. Make-up sessions are available in Canvas Catalog. Teachers who were absent on a PD day will use the online catalog to register for their appropriate course, complete all requirements, and once finished, receive a certificate of completion that must be submitted to their building principal to remain in compliance with the Master Agreement.
Teachers will need to work with their building administrators to arrange time in the contractual work day to complete the make-up sessions. The make-up sessions linked above are asynchronous and self-paced, and teachers must complete their session(s) before the beginning of the next school year.
The make-up PD sessions for Social Studies are available from the links below:
The Maryland Geographic Alliance is leading a national survey of teachers to learn more about the state of geography in schools today. The goal is to reach 1,000 teachers from across the United States, and they would like to include the important voices of Columbus secondary social studies teachers.
Your input as educators and administrators is highly valued, and we encourage you to provide detailed responses. Your contribution will greatly inform our research efforts and support initiatives for improving civics education and youth voter participation. Thank you for your participation!
CCS Social Studies will not be hosting or sponsoring summer PD this year. However, there are many PD opportunities from outside organizations. These opportunities are highlighted in a special edition of the Social Studies Connection newsletter.
Please note: Because these are events not sponsored by CCS, participation in these activities does not constitute CCS Board authorized work done outside of the contract day or year, and is therefore not eligible for the hourly supplemental rate or other compensation.
Humanities 9 students from Whetstone HS (Krista Buckley and Kathy Arnold, teachers) created projects for National History Day. Students conduct research, analyze and synthesize information including primary and secondary sources, write and present an argument, and create imaginative exhibits, documentaries, papers, performances, and websites. At the Region 6 competition, five group projects and eight individual projects from Whetstone advanced to state-level competition.
Congratulations to the following students who earned awards at the state-level competition!
Senior Group Exhibit, 3rd Place: Liliana Mack and Miryam Reyes
Project Title: Loving v. Virginia: The Fight for Interracial Marriage School
Senior individual Exhibit, Honorable Mention: Lyla McFadden
Project Title: WWII Womenβs Fashion