SAISD Social Studies Newsletter
October 13, 2023
Upcoming Professional Development from the SAISD Social Studies Department
Monday, October 16 50/50 Professional Development- click here for information on our elementary and secondary sessions.
November 4 PD in PJs Virtual Professional Development
Increasing Literacy in Social Studies (9:00 AM-10:15 AM)
This session will focus on the high-leverage teaching practices of Close Reading and Critical Writing. Teachers will learn how to utilize pre-during-and post-reading strategies to support students in Close Reading and then provide scaffolds to increase the quality of student writing for a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning response or Short-Constructed Response.
Getting Ahead with Backwards Planning (10:00 AM-10:45 AM)
In this session, teachers will engage in the backwards planning model. We will explain the purpose and benefits of backwards lesson planning and explore a ready-made template that will help facilitate the process.
Resources from Newsela for Teaching about the Israel-Hamas Conflict
Be aware that your students may have strong feelings about this topic and may have encountered disturbing and upsetting information and content over the last few days. Remember to select resources that appropriately meet the needs of your school community, classroom, and students.
What to Know about the Latest Israel-Hamas Conflict from Newsela (log into Classlink and open Newsela)
Aid Groups Scramble to Help as Israel-Hamas War Intensifies from Newsela (log into Classlink and open Newsela)
Newsela Lesson: Breaking News: War Between Israel and Hamas from Newsela (log into Classlink and open Newsela)
SAAACAM Black History in San Antonio Curriculum
SAAACAM has published its Black History in San Antonio curriculum that includes descriptions of significant events and individuals, key vocabulary, writing prompt questions, and enrichment activities organized by the city's historical eras. It is available online here.
In addition, the SAACAM Educator's Resource guide that was available at our Social Studies Curriculum Day is available here if you did not get a print copy.
Humanities Texas Webinars
Humanities Texas has two webinars in October that will be great learning opportunities for social studies teachers:
October 30 (5:00-6:30 PM) Implementing Oral History Projects
Seed of Texas Walking Tours
The team at UTSA that developed the teacher lesson plans for The Seed of Texas website has scheduled three upcoming walking tours for teachers that correspond to historical modules that are part of the Seed of Texas. The tours will be led by the content expert who created the online module. Participants will receive CE credits for attending, but the tours are limited to 24 teachers. Here is the information for each tour along with the link to sign up:
- October 21 – African American History with Mario Salas (beginning at the Williams Historical National Museum at 502 Montana Street).RSVP here: https://utsa.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0p9wyPO6TVlStDM
- November 18 – Spanish Colonial History with Dr. Frank de la Teja (beginning at the Alamo) RSVP here: https://utsa.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_25MJJmlfbier0KG
- December 9 – Indigenous Peoples’ History with Ramon Vasquez and Clinton McKenzie (at the Land Heritage Institute) RSVP here: https://utsa.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1X5V0NdSJ7VPzee
If you are a Facebook user, there is also a private Facebook group called Seed of Texas Teachers Workshop and Walking Tours. There is more information on each tour available in the Facebook group. You can join it at this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/349639707417875/
Eduphoria Resources
The Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Department has created several resources that might be useful in maximizing the functionality of the updated Eduphoria platform:
Fall Semester Academic Performance Assessment (APA) Vetting
Academic Performance Assessments (APAs) will be given in December for U.S. Government, Economics, and the new Personal Financial Literacy and Economics course. Teachers of these courses will have the opportunity to vet a portion of these assessments over the next few weeks. If you are interested, please complete this form.