Social Studies Signal
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September 2019 A monthly newsletter for social studies educators Updates from the Ohio Department of Education Revised Model Curriculum update Ohio’s Model Curriculum for Social Studies that was approved in June by the State Board of Education has been posted. Transition Tools are available, including include crosswalks and a suggested timeline. Release of spring 2019 Ohio’s State Tests items A release of items from the spring 2019 Ohio’s State Tests in Social Studies now is available in the Ohio State Test portal. These released items give educators insight into the kinds of questions students experienced and are a useful tool to inform classroom instruction. Both teachers and parents may use this resource to help students know what to expect. The associated learning standard(s) and scoring rubric are included with each released item. Examples of student responses also are available to illustrate actual work and the corresponding points earned on the student examples. • American Government Item Release Scoring Guide • American History Item Release Scoring Guide Remember requirement to observe Constitution Day Each year, on Sept. 17, schools nationwide take part in observing the day in 1787 that the U.S. Constitution was signed. Educational institutions receiving federal funding must plan an education program celebrating Constitution Day. Below are organizations with links to resources for Constitution Day. • National Constitution Center • National Council for the Social Studies The U.S. Constitution also is one of the historical documents the Ohio Revised Code 3301.079(A)(1)(b) requires schools to teach and assess in high school American history and American government courses. The law requires the instruction of these documents in their original text and historical context. It also requires the assessment of the documents in the state end-of-course tests for American history and American government. Twenty percent of the value of the American government test must be based on historical documents. The historical documents are identified in the American history and American government course syllabi and model curricula. Click here for more information. State organizations offering opportunities and resources Ohio History Connection needs teachers for research study Teaching the Past: A Panel of the Ohio History Connection is a research study to learn more about how the Ohio History Connection can provide more effective history and social studies programming for teachers and their students. The organization is seeking up to 50 Ohio educators with a variety of experience levels to share their thoughts. The study will take place in a secure, moderated, online space from Sept. 25 to Oct. 30. Participants will be asked to thoughtfully answer up to 10 questions during that time period. Those who complete the research will receive either a $50 gift card for Amazon.com or a $50 donation to a participant-selected Donors Choose project as a thank you. Interested teachers must complete a short survey on the website. For further questions, contact Susie Wilkening at [email protected] or Ly Foor at [email protected]. The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education offers opportunities to enhance citizenship education. • Fall Conference. The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education’s Law & Citizenship Conference is an annual statewide gathering of teachers, professors, lawyers and other civic and law-related education professionals who come together to share curriculum, effective teaching strategies, best practices and the latest hot topic issues important to teachers. This annual conference will take place in Columbus on Monday, Sept. 23. The theme is Tackling Tough Issues: Current Events and Controversy in the Classroom. Join teachers, lawyers and other civic-education professionals to gather strategies and tips for addressing controversial issues with students. There will be several mock trial professional development workshops for new and experienced advisors. • Constitution Camp The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE) will host a two-day Constitution Camp Oct. 28-29 to give teachers an in-depth look at teaching the principles of government, specifically separation of powers. Hear from content experts, leave with hands-on materials to enhance your teaching and learn about OCLRE programs We the People and Moot Court that will get your students excited about learning. For more information or registration, check out OCLRE’s Professional Development page or contact Ryan Suskey at [email protected] or (614) 485-3506. Ohio YMCA Youth & Government program is gearing up for its 69th high school program year The Ohio YMCA Youth & Government Program is gearing up for its 69th high school program year and fifth year for middle school. OYG gives teens the chance to build leadership skills, gain self-confidence and discover how the government operates. Through this program, students debate techniques and earn community service hours, scholarship opportunities and an experience to remember at the Statehouse in Columbus. At the Statehouse, students learn responsible leadership in the American democratic process and experience law-making through five program areas: Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Lobbyist and the Press Corps. The student-driven program allows students to learn legislative protocol, formulate arguments and practice debate techniques by learning to debate ideas instead of people. In the weeks leading up the State Assembly, students will learn to draft, research and present a bill in order for it to become a state law. Then, the students will have the opportunity to travel to Columbus to present their authored bills in front of their peers. Nearly 900 Ohio students experienced the program this school year. For more information, visit the program’s website or contact State Director Charlie Myers at (419) 632-1000 or at [email protected]. The organization will come to the school to assist students in preparing for the next conference. Federal Reserve Educator Night The 2019 Federal Reserve Educator Appreciation Night is an open house for educators of all subjects and grade levels to learn about the free resources and programs available from the Cleveland Fed’s Education & Outreach department. Throughout the evening, participants will have the opportunity to: • Explore the free resources and participate in hands-on activities; • Tour the Cash Processing Operations (Cincinnati) or visit the Money Museum (Cleveland); • Learn about field trip options and travelling exhibits; and, • Receive a complementary swag bag of classroom resources. The event will take place in Cincinnati on Sept. 18 and in Cleveland on Sept. 24. Both events take place 5 – 6:30 p.m. Advanced registration is required by Tuesday, Sept. 17. Holocaust & Humanity Center to host last living Nuremberg prosecutor • Last living Nuremberg prosecutor to speak. The last living Nuremberg prosecutor, Ben Ferencz, will join Holocaust & Humanity Center for a Skype discussion following a screening of the documentary film Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz. As a war crimes investigator, Ferencz witnessed Nazi concentration camps shortly after liberation. He became the Chief Prosecutor for the United States Army in the Einsatzgruppen case at the Nuremberg trials. He went on to advocate for restitution for Holocaust victims and the establishment of the International Criminal Court. The event takes place Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. in Reakirt Auditorium at the Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45203. It is free and open to the public. Participants may tour the center’s museum at no charge from 6 – 7 p.m. For questions, contact Sarah Schneider at [email protected] or (513) 487-3055. Register by Sept. 10. • School tour bookings for 2019-2020 now open. To book a tour for 15 or more, contact CMC guest services at (513) 287-7021, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. -.5 p.m. or fill out a field trip reservation form. Tours can be coordinated around our Holocaust Speaker Series for a more comprehensive experience. Speakers are scheduled on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. - noon. and Sundays from 2-3 p.m. Ohio Supreme Court launches new resource and offers field trip grants • Under Advisement: Ohio Supreme Court Cases On Demand is an engaging, new program created by the Supreme Court of Ohio in an effort to reach high school students across Ohio and strengthen their understanding of Ohio’s court system. Over three or four class sessions, teachers will lead students through an in-depth study of an already-decided Ohio Supreme Court case utilizing original materials, including video recordings of Supreme Court oral arguments and written documents on the Supreme Court’s online case docket. The lessons are free and are designed to align with Ohio’s Learning Standards for the High School American Government course. To provide a real-world connection to the legal profession and courtroom, the Court encourages teachers to contact a local judge or attorney to help teach some or all of the sessions. Information on contacting an attorney is included in the Educator Resource Guide. • Supreme Court field trip grants for Ohio schools will help defray the transportation cost to visit the Supreme Court of Ohio and Visitor Education Center during the 2019-2020 school year. The application window will be open from Sept. 11 to Sept.27. FinCamp in Ohio Next Gen Personal Finance is offering FinCamp for 50 teachers on Sept. 27 at the Cleveland Airport Marriott. FinCamp is built around best practices that will transform the classroom. It is designed to be collaborative, with participants meeting other teachers to find out what is working for them, curated, so teachers will find resources to use in the classroom, and content-driven, with teachers introduced to lessons, activities, projects and bell-ringers, as well as engaging content to bring back to the students. The workshop is for teachers of personal finance, economics, financial math, family and consumer science, special education or any other practical, real-life course.