A LCISD Social Studies Newsletter

1. A LCISD Social Studies Newsletter Important Dates • December 1, 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott begins • December 17, 1903 Wright Brother’s 1st flight • December 21, 1620 1st Pilgrim landing. • December 28, 1945 Pledge of Allegiance is recognized • December 29, 1845 Texas Admission Day • December 29, 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre • December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day • December 16, 1773 Boston Tea Party The new Lamar Wave newsletter is now a reality. The purpose of this document is to open lines of communication, bring down barriers, exchange ideas, promote professional growth and most of all have fun. This can only get bigger and better which will bring about a stronger social studies department. Much like a wave, it only takes a ripple to get it started. Offer suggestions and ideas as this develops and many of you will be asked to participate. This issue includes: TCSS News, Focus on Curriculum, Cognitive Corner, TAKS Tips, Famous Faces, The Training Table and District Happenings. Other topics can and will be added. For now, enjoy this first issue. Fun Fact Did you know that Ulysses S. Grant was once arrested during his presidency for breaking the speed limit while riding his horse in town? Just how fast is too fast while riding a horse?

2. TCSS News NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW: Texas Council for the Social Studies • Within two years, the Department of Education will add elementary social studies to AYP. How this will be measured is yet to be determined. • Within two years the passing rate on the TAKS test will increase along with an increase in the number of correct test items. • On-line testing is headed our way. Within 3 to 5 years, some TAKS test will be taken on-line. • TEA is looking for TAKS item reviewers. They need people who are knowledgeable and will communicate their concerns. Look for more details soon. • TSSSA, Texas Social Studies Supervisors Association, scholarship application is due December 1. Go on-line to www.tsssa.org. • Spring TCSS conference is held March 30-31 in Austin. Go on-line to www.txcss.org for more information. • In 2006-2007 we will be required to implement financial literacy in economics courses. A full set of TEKS will be developed for 2007-2008 with textbook adoption to follow. • The bill which sponsored a 5th grade SS TAKS test passed the house but failed in Senate. More to come later. The Breakout Session: Vocabulary Development This year’s convention was held in Galveston at Moody Gardens. TCSS had a record breaking attendance. Many topics from all areas of social studies were presented and all presenters were great and knowledgeable. If you have never been, it is truly a worthwhile event for your professional growth. You are encouraged to join TCSS and become an active member. Click on the links to the right for more information Students need to be exposed to a new word at least 6 times before comprehension. Looking up definitions and memorization is no longer adequate. The typical social studies school book has 85,000 printed words. Students with prior instruction on words were about 33% more likely to understand new words in their reading. Now that is worth a second look. Look for future staff development on this topic.

3. Scope and Sequence revisions are underway. Many of these documents are at least 4 years old and need to be re-examined. Already in the planning stages for revision are the 6th and 8th grades. Upcoming soon will be 10th and 11th grade. Many of you have already seen a new draft proposal for the Scope and Sequence. This new framework will be more than student expectations and timeframes. There will be generalizations, main ideas, essential vocabulary, and important concepts and people. This framework will allow teachers to fully understand what should be taught during the timeframes. Why is the Scope and Sequence So Important? The Scope and Sequence is a valuable and necessary document for effective curriculum development. Without it, there will be gaps in learning as students move from campus to campus and teachers will have problems not finishing all of the content. Have you ever had a student come to you in the middle of a school year and tell you that he/she has already covered the material you are teaching? Or have you had students fail a six weeks or semester test because they missed out on critical instruction because you were already ahead of where they had been before? Not following the scope and sequence creates gaps in learning and it may be that one child that keeps your school or district from reaching the stated goals. Try to stay on the scope and sequence and if it needs to be revised, contact Kevin McCune with your concerns.

4. Cognitive Corner Thinking about Thinking Do people still use a wooden spoon when teaching? How do we learn? Are we visual learners or auditory learners? Questions like these need to be a part of a teachers everyday thinking. Cognitive research is discovering more and more how we learn and how we process information. Not everyone learns the same way. Teachers should be looking at ways to meet the needs of all students and how they learn best. Mind Maps are tools that help you think and learn. By linking information and using words, color, and images, students can begin to see parts within the whole. Concept maps work great in Social Studies because much is done with cause and effect. As students begin to process information most will need a strategy to understand the concept. Mind Maps can help students process the information. If you are interested in more information on mind maps, follow this link.http://www.jcu.edu.au/studying/services/studyskills/mindmap/index.html

5. We’re Moving On up to Higher Levels TAKS TIP Effective Questioning in the classroom will prepare your students for the rigor of the TAKS test. Remember Benjamin Bloom? Bloom’s taxonomy will allow you to prepare yourself for higher order questioning. Try to build from the simple to the difficult. Moving on up Bloom’s Taxonomy from Recall to Evaluation during a lesson will not only get your students to think but will keep their attention. Relating your questions to their lives and how it affects them will submerse them in the content. Start with the end in mind. What do you want your students to be able to do and think when the lesson is completed? Work backwards and prepare your questions first before you prepare your lesson. Ask “why” questions and have students analyze information to come up with new answers. “What if” questions stimulate curiosity and challenge students. When assessing students knowledge, use the same type of questions. Effective questioning will help your students prepare. Move them on up to the higher levels. Prepare them to think, prepare them for TAKS. Follow this link to Bloom’s Taxonomy http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html

6. Elizabeth Cady Stanton born November 12, 1815 Elizabeth Cady Stanton worked to promote women’s suffrage. She and Susan B. Anthony founded the National Women’s Suffrage Association and Stanton served as the first president. While Stanton is best known for her long contribution to the woman suffrage struggle, she was also active and effective in winning property rights for married women, equal guardianship of children, and liberalized divorce laws so that women could leave marriages that were often abusive of the wife, the children, and the economic health of the family. Learn more about Elizabeth Cady Stanton from this on-line source. http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/suffrage/stanton.html

7. The week of November 6-12 is to be celebrated as Freedom Week. November 11 is Veteran’s Day. Throughout the district this entire week is to be celebrated and many campuses have organized programs to honor veterans and celebrate freedom. Below is absolutely the best link for activities and information on everything a person would want to know about Veteran’s Day. Celebrating America's Freedoms

8. Using Geographic Concepts Throughout Social Studies As part of the World History and Exit Level TAKS test, Geography is a main concept that must be mastered by students. All Social Studies teachers can use geographic concepts to teach their content. Spatial Relationships is a part of all social studies curriculum and can be intimidating if you do not have some examples to see and use. In this part of The Training Table, a link is provided on the district web site under Curriculum to the new Social Studies Information page. Once on the Social Studies Page, under resources click on the link titled “Why is What Where?” The presentation is rather large but should give you an excellent opportunity to learn the basics. This presentation will give teachers in grades 6-11 examples on how to use these concepts in your class. This mini training is just one of the wonderful presentations at the state conference. Use what you can and if you would like more information, contact Kevin McCune. Click on the link below to access the presentation. Enjoy! Power Point to Geographic Concepts