The Social Studies Connection

Click here for last month's edition of the Social Studies Connection.

Matthew I. Doran

K-12 Social Studies Specialist

Office of Teaching & Learning

Southland Center - 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH

www.ccsoh.us/socialstudies

mdoran2067@columbus.k12.oh.us
380.997.0470

Senate Bill 208, signed by Governor DeWine, has repealed the ORC 3313.6025 requiring schools to teach "Proper Interactions with Peace Officers." This legislation is effective April 9, 2025.

Since this unit was placed at the end of CCS American Government course, it has been removed from District curriculum maps and is no longer part of CCS social studies curriculum.

Achieve3000 is the literacy intervention program for high schools. High School teachers and students access Achieve3000 via CCS Classlink Launchpad.

To finish the year strong, the goal continues to be for each content-area teacher to assign 1 article per week, in order to help students reach maximum gains. Alignment guides for Modern World History 9, American History 10, and American Government are available on the Social Studies Curriculum page.

For additional support, see the Achieve3000 webpage here.

The most recent Achieve3000 newsletter is available here.

For the 2025-2026 school year, a significant update in TCI integration with Canvas will streamline online learning experiences in CCS Social studies. The transition from API to LTI 1.3 brings several enhancements, particularly in how teachers create and manage assignments within Canvas.

With LTI 1.3, assignments will be created directly within Canvas, rather than in the TCI app. The assignments aligned with the CCS curriculum will be added at the Blueprint level, and synced to all individual class sections. Teachers can simply click publish and the assignments will be live for students to complete. Teachers can also add their own directions, set point values, and due dates.

This integration simplifies the process, eliminating the need for additional setup steps. Teachers will not need to manually connect TCI accounts to Canvas, link TCI classes to Canvas course sections, or sync TCI students to Canvas accounts. Everything is seamlessly integrated. For grade passback to function correctly, students must click on the assignment link in Canvas. This ensures their grades are accurately recorded and transferred.

While these changes enhance your Canvas experience, you can still use TCI as a separate app by launching it from Classlink. This flexibility allows you to choose the best workflow for your teaching needs.

Look for more information and training as we return to school in August.

Article 507.05 of the CEA Master Agreement states teachers are required to participate in make-up PD sessions in the event of an absence. If you were absent for the district-led PD days, you can access the make-up courses in the Canvas Course Catalog.

• Doing Social Studies (September 18, 2024)
• Social Studies for All Learners (October 18, 2024)
• Culturally Responsive Social Studies (March 5, 2025)

Once you have completed all the course requirements, you will receive a certificate of completion to share with your administrator to validate the session is made up. Each course should take approximately 6 hours to complete.

Please note: The opportunities below are hosted by outside organizations for your personal professional development. These events are not sponsored by Columbus City Schools. Accordingly, 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.

Join Echoes & Reflections for a free two-day seminar hosted by Congregation Beth Tikvah and Jewish Columbus to support your classroom instruction on the Holocaust.

Click here to register.

Download the program file below for more information.

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June 3–6, 10:00 AM–1:00 PM

Open to Pre-K through 12th-grade teachers

This dynamic teacher professional development will inspire you with powerful ideas, concrete strategies, and connection to a community of passionate, curious educators.

Tuition is $125; some waivers available. (Cost is not covered by CCS)

12 contact hours for CEUs

Click here for more information and registration

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The 2025 Ohio Teacher Leadership Summit is a free and exciting event that brings together educators from schools, districts, and organizations doing innovative work to develop teacher leaders. The theme of this year’s summit is “Spark Innovation: Ignite Change,” and it will take place in Columbus on June 11, 2025.

Click here to register.

Read more about the summit here.

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Join this interactive workshop featuring instructional resources that help foster civil discourse, understand media literacy, and explore civic participation today. This event will occur in-person.

June 17, 2025 - June 18, 2025

Cost: $25 (Cost is not covered by CCS)

Location: ESC of Central Ohio

2080 Citygate Dr, Columbus, OH 43219

Click here for more information and registration.

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Next Gen Personal Finance will host a free summer PD, June 24, 2025 8:30 a.m - 3:30 p.m. at the Blackwell Inn, 2110 Tuttle Park Place, Columbus, OH 43210.

This is a great opportunity for CCS Economics teachers to refine their content knowledge and teaching skills. NGPF is one of the core instructional resources in the CCS Economics curriculum.

Click here to register.

Download the flyer below for more information.

Humanities 9 students from Whetstone HS and 8th grade students from Dominion MS 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.

The State Contest took place on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at Capital University. Congratulations to the following CCS students who earned recognition at the State Contest.

Whetstone HS (Krista Buckley and Kathy Arnold, teachers)

Senior Group Documentary - Honorable Mention

• Lola Duesler, Calie Gates, Bridget Nelson: Healing Heroes: The Nurses During the Vietnam War

Senior Group Exhibit - Honorable Mention

• Ruthie Cannon, Harper Lynch: The Impact of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Dominion MS (Lauren Noble, Gifted Specialist)

Junior Group Exhibit - 1st Place

• Ziva Botkin, Ingrid Hegley: The Anthem that Inspired the World
  
  

Junior Individual Exhibit - 3rd Place

• Jane Seryak: A Light Cast on the Shadows: How the Innocence Project Went From Spark to Inferno

Junior Individual Exhibit - Honorable Mention

• Hannah Friedrich: Power in Pride

What were the big topics in Columbus Schools in 1974-75?

• Racial integration;
• Budgets and finance;
• Construction of new schools; and
• Test scores.

Read more about these topics in "Graining Ground," the 1974-75 Columbus Public Schools Annual Report.