The Social Studies Connection

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

Matthew I. Doran

Secondary Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator

Office of Teaching & Learning

Curriculum Division

Southland Center - 3700 South High Street, Columbus, OH

www.ccsoh.us/socialstudies

mdoran2067@columbus.k12.oh.us
380.997.0470

At the September 20 PD Day, over 150 social studies teachers gathered at Fort Hayes to learn and collaborate on the theme of Building Social Studies Skills.

The opening session introduced the Learning from Student Work component of the District's new Core Instructional Framework. Participants used the Social Studies Skills as a Continuum of Learning guide to examine the vertical alignment of social studies process standards, then analyzed tasks and student work from the Stanford History Education Group's Beyond the Bubble Assessments.

Breakout sessions included TCI Social Studies Skills Builders, the News Literacy Project, and Project-Based Learning with the Ohio History Connection. Additionally, teachers of African American Studies, Psychology, and Sociology received an orientation to the newly-adopted HMH digital platforms. Afternoon sessions included technology-focused sessions on Canvas and MasteryConnect, as well as open collaboration through the Social Studies Edcamp.

The self-paced make-up course for the September PD Day will soon be available in Canvas.

To provide feedback on the September PD Day, and give input into future PD Days, please complete the form below or linked here.

The October PD Day is a building-led day.

The next district-led day will be November 7. Stay tuned for more details on this day.

TCI's new In-App On-Demand PD provides 3 leveled series for self-paced PD. With these self-paced courses, you can start, pause, and repeat content anytime directly on TCI’s platform. You can earn certificates with documented hours at the end of each course. CCS has a district-level dashboard where we can track the completion of the in-app PD.

To access the PD, open any TCI program and locate the "Professional Development" link at the top of the left side purple menu.

Each year, CCS Social Studies defines Points of Emphasis to guide our work in curriculum, instructional and professional development. This year's Points of Emphasis is designed around the theme of Building Social Studies Skills.

Check on the graphic on the right to see how these practices work together.

You will hear more about Building Social Studies Skills throughout the year during our Professional Development Days, HS Department Chair PD, the Social Studies Connection newsletter, and many more communication avenues.

Hispanic Heritage Month takes place September 15 to October 15 to recognize and celebrate the contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the American Latinx community.

The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.

The theme for 2023 is “Todos Somos, Somos Uno: We Are All, We Are One.”

Teaching resources for Hispanic Heritage Month:

• National Archives
• National Museum of the American Latino
• Key facts about U.S. Latinos for National Hispanic Heritage Month (Pew Research Center)
• Hispanic Heritage Month Materials (Reading Like a Historian)
• Latino Americans Lesson Plans (PBS Media)
  
• Hispanic and Latino Heritage and History in the United States (EDSITEment)

CCS Social Studies has developed new assessments in MasteryConnect for Grades 6-11 core classes. Assessments are optional may be administered with teacher's discretion on timing.

These assessments are available on the District MasteryConnect Curriculum Maps, which are already linked to the appropriate class sections for each teacher. Teachers can click on "Create Tracker" to begin administering the assessments are tracking student mastery of standards.

• Social Studies 6 Map
• Social Studies 7 Map
• Social Studies 8 Map
• World History Map
• American History Map
• American Government Map

Log into MasteryConnect through Clever, Canvas, or Google.

Gimkit provides fast-paced gameplay that requires knowledge, collaboration, and strategy to win. Students earn virtual currency, which they can "invest" during the game to boost their score. Games can be played live or can be assigned as independent practice. Students can compete against each other or collaborate in teams or as a whole class. When teachers launch the game, they choose from a variety of play modes.

CCS Social Studies has a Pro subscription to Gimkit. To upgrade, first create your GimKit account with your CCS Google account. This will give you a free account with a 15-day free Pro. Next, enter your name and submit this form. You will receive an email within 2-3 days with the link to join the CCS Social Studies GimKit Pro.

CCS Social Studies has started building collections of standards-aligned unit games. Check back on this page for updates and links to those collections.

The 2022-2023 Ohio Report Card shows the following performance data for CCS social studies:

• American Government - 51.7% proficient (.4 increase from 2022)
• American History - 46.5% proficient (3.1% increase from 2022)

While both of these numbers show an improvement from 2021-2022, work remains to be done in closing achievement gaps and reaching state achievement standards.

The Progress Component of the Ohio Report Card measures the academic performance of students compared to expected growth on Ohio's State Tests (value-added).

For American History, CCS showed "Evidence that the district met student growth expectations."

For American Government, CCS showed "Significant evidence that the district exceeded growth expectations by a larger magnitude." This is one of three state tests in all grade levels in which CCS reached the highest Progress category.

We know there are no secret formulas or shortcuts to improving student achievement in social studies. Consistent implementation of best practices, however, can yield progress and achievement.

The five components of the Core Instructional Framework can help drive that improvement. The District Curriculum maps and the Tier 1 adopted TCI programs ensure that teachers have the tools available to implement the CIF.

Kids Voting Ohio will sponsor the 2023 Double Click Democracy mock election.

If you would like to bring a mock election to your school, you can complete the form on the Kids Voting Ohio website. After registering, Kids Voting Ohio will reach out to you and ask for some additional information. Providing this information is necessary to conduct a mock election, so please be on the lookout for an email from andrea@kidsvotingohio.org.

Races and Ballot Issues in the November 7, 2023 Election:

• Franklin County Municipal Court
• City of Columbus Mayor
• Columbus City Council
• Columbus Board of Education
• Issue 1: Proposed Amendment Related to Abortion and Other Reproductive Decisions
• Issue 2: Proposed Law to Legalize the Adult Use of Cannabis

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) is excited to announce registration for the 103rd NCSS Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee is now open!

Join us at the Music City Center from December 1-3, 2023, for the largest annual gathering of social studies educators, administrators, and professionals. This year's conference features 500+ sessions to increase your professional learning, a growing lineup of keynote speakers, and an exhibit hall highlighting the latest social studies products and services.

There is $200,000 available to CEA bargaining unit members each year to pursue professional development opportunities outside the school district. These include taking a course or attending a conference or workshop. Forms to apply for professional leave are available in the “Forms” section of the CEA website or the CCS Intranet, along with the full leave guidelines. Act as soon as you know the date of your conference because funds are exhausted quickly.

Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023

Time: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET

Location: Online

Cost: Free

Book bans in schools and libraries are on the rise. Last school year, more than 850 individual titles were impacted by censorship efforts of local groups and state decision-makers. How can educators and students navigate censorship in their communities?

NCHE and NCSS are uniting for a fourth virtual Equity Summit, in support of our history and social studies educators and students, with a focus on book-banning and censorship. Join us for a day of virtual learning, featuring classroom teachers, media specialists, and education organizations, including a keynote by Dr. Yohuru Williams, Professor of History and Founding Director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas.

The event is free, but registration is required. Educators from all levels are welcome to attend.

Register for the Equity Summit

The Council for Economic Education offers free professional development development, live and on-demand. Watch a webinar for a minimum of 45 minutes and you will receive a certificate of completion within 24 hours.

Create a free account and register for sessions of your choice or view the on-demand library.

View the complete calendar of October webinars here.

Echoes & Reflections offers professional development designed to empower educators with the necessary tools and knowledge to teach about the Holocaust effectively.

Echoes & Reflections offers a range of one-hour webinar offerings throughout the year. View the October offerings here.

Teachers can also participate in Echoes & Reflections online courses. Courses are asynchronous, with built-in opportunities for discussion and guidance with an expert facilitator, as well as other educator participants. Explore the course catalog here.