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Announcements Note: If you have non-commercial announcements that would be of value to GCSS members, please submit them to the webmaster.
Primary Source (http://www.primarysource.org) is a 501(c3) non-profit organization that promotes history and humanities education by connecting educators to people and cultures throughout the world.will offer global education summer institutes open to all K-12 educators. Teachers are encouraged to participate this summer in Boston in a week of engaging lectures and hands-on workshops and come away with new knowledge and practical resources to globalize their classrooms.
Teaching for Global Understanding in the 21st Century
Educators are increasingly aware that the challenges of our changing world will require students to think and learn in new ways. In addition to teaching core academic content, our schools need to cultivate key skills: global awareness, critical thinking, media literacy, collaboration, intercultural communication, technological ability, and civic engagement. This course will explore the importance of such skills and will build a case for re-envisioning how we prepare students for an interconnected world. Participants will examine the global economy, the environment, health, social justice, and peace & conflict resolution. Interested participants should be willing to take on a leadership role in their districts and to be advocates for global education across disciplines and grade levels.
Open to all K-12 teachers and administrators.
To register or for more information, email registration@primarysource.org
Cultural Proficiency for Today's Diverse Schools: A Multidisciplinary Approach
How are new patterns of immigration, residence, and family structure reshaping the nation's demographics and those of local schools and communities? What do "culturally proficient" schools and classrooms look like in this shifting context? In an institute designed for teachers, administrators, and other school staff, we'll take a multidisciplinary and thematic approach as we discuss cultural and racial diversity in schools today. Focal themes will include religion, culture, and language; student and school culture and peer relationships; families, parents, and school involvement; and the legal and socioeconomic challenges facing refugee and immigrant youth and communities. Drawing insights from education research, social policy, and the law, as well as literature, history, the arts, and global studies, we'll gain a deeper understanding of students within their home and community worlds, and develop ideas about how better to connect with them. Classroom practices and school policies that promote achievement for students of all backgrounds will be foregrounded throughout the institute. A field site visit and small team research assignment will be key components of the course.
Open to all K-12 teachers and administrators.
To register or for more information, email registration@primarysource.org.
For more information about all of our summer institutes, please visit http://primarysource.org/summerinstitutes.
The Clarice Smith National Teacher Institutes Core subject teachers for grades 6-12 may apply as individuals or as part of a team. Priority will be given to social studies and English/language arts teachers. Registration Fee: $200 per participant For more information and the application visit: http://americanart.si.edu/education/dev/cs/ Graduate credits, scholarships, and low-cost housing accommodations are available. For more information, please contact us at AmericanArtClariceSmithInitiative@si.edu. The Clarice Smith American Art Education Initiative is supported by a generous gift from The Robert H. Smith Family Foundation.
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) are collaborating on two programs in the summer of 2012 to Peru and Turkey. The NCSS wanted to offer a program where their members could travel together at discounted prices. They chose to work with GEEO on these programs because of shared values, flexibility and innovative post-trip curriculum. This program is limited to NCSS members and their guests. The program is discounted by an additional $66 for NCSS members. Anybody can become an NCSS member for $66 so this program is certainly not limited to Social Studies teachers. To join the NCSS please visit http://www.socialstudies.org/membership/join_or_renew.
The Lovett School in Atlanta will offer an American Studies Institute 2012 teacher workshop, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised? American Culture: 1970-present." Scheduled for June 7-8, 2012, the workshop offers sessions on recent revolutions in American art, literature, politics, music, economics, media, and more. Speakers include Emory University's Merle Black and Jeff Rosensweig; National Public Radio's Mary Louise Kelly; and Rutgers University's Jelani Cobb; and many more. The workshop is geared toward secondary school teachers who want to encourage their students to learn about America from an interdisciplinary perspective, but all educators and graduate students are welcomed. Participants who successfully complete this workshop will earn one PLU. As always, All conference materials and meals are included with the price.
An early-bird registration discount for Lovett's American Studies Institute Summer 2012 Workshop ends March 30, 2012. Special rates are available for schools sending more than one teacher and for graduate students. For more information, including a brochure and registration, visit the workshop's website at http://www.lovett.org/asi or contact Bernadette May-Beaver at bmay@lovett.org.
National History Education Clearinghouse Resources
Teachinghistory.org is an online outreach initiative designed to help K–12 history teachers access resources and materials to improve U.S. history education in the classroom. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the Center for History and New Media (CHNM) at George Mason University has created Teachinghistory.org with the goal of making history content, teaching strategies, resources, and research accessible. To view the extensive information and assistance available from CHNM, check out the Teachinghistory.org website.
Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Free Online Program
The Library of Congress is offering free online professional development assistance for its Teaching with Primary Sources program. Designed specifically for educational leaders, participants complete independent assignments and five one-hour voice chat discussion sessions. TPS:BASICS models inquiry teaching and learning, incorporating primary sources at each stage of the inquiry cycle, classroom-ready model activities and time-tested practices. Working individually and collaborating with colleagues, participants complete and develop inquiry-based learning activities.
Chat sessions will be held Wednesdays, September 14th through October 12th, from 1:00-2:00 pm or 5:30-6:30 pm.
Georgia Women of Achievement Website
The mission of Georgia Women of Achievement is to recognize and honor women native to or clearly identified with the State of Georgia, who have made extraordinary contributions within their fields of endeavor, and who will thus inspire future generations to utilize their own talents. Visit our online list of honorees along with biographical information on each honoree at http://www.georgiawomen.org/honorees/ to learn about these amazing women!
Stone Mountain Park Educational Field Trips
There is so much history and education to choose from at Stone Mountain Park. The Memorial Hall Museum features a large Civil War collection along with many other artifacts and stories that span 12,000 years of Stone Mountain history. In addition to exhibits, the museum shows two educational films on the history of the carving and Sherman’s march.
The park also features an Antebellum Plantation that has a collection of 18 original historic buildings built between 1783 and 1875 that were relocated from around the state. The Thornton House is part of this collection and is the oldest restored colonial style house in the state of Georgia.
Three programs on Georgia’s colonial, antebellum, and Civil War history are offered in a unique setting of buildings and artifacts. Here students can experience Georgia history with live, interactive demonstrations that depict the daily activities and lives of the people who lived in each era.
Stone Mountain Park also offers a very popular WWII Ride the Ducks educational program featuring Rosie the Riveter and the park’s amphibious DUKWs. Students will not only learn a little bit about WWII but also experience a land and water tour first hand.
Every year in the fall, Stone Mountain Park offers the Indian Festival and Pow Wow. This educational 4 day event is the largest celebration of Native American culture in the state. On-going activities include: a living history tipi village, life skills, East-meets-West native culture demonstrations, dance and drum exhibitions, wildlife, and more.
Teachers are encouraged to bring their classrooms to the great outdoors and make Stone Mountain Park their next education destination! For information on school programs visit www.stonemountainpark.com and click on school programs. All of the park’s educational programs align with Georgia Performance Standards.
For more information, contact: Maureen Slawitschka, Stone Mountain Park Education Coordinator E-mail: mslawitschka@stonemountainpark.com Phone: 770-413-5066
Seminars for Teaching About East Asia
The National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA), funded by the Freeman Foundation, is a multi-year initiative to encourage and facilitate teaching and learning about East Asia in elementary and secondary schools nationwide.
Launched in October 1998, this nationwide program is a collaboration of the East Asian Studies programs of seven institutions: the University of Washington, the University of Southern California, the University of Colorado, Indiana University, University or Pittsburgh, Columbia University, and the Five College Center for East Asian Studies at Smith. Since its inception NCTA has conducted introductory seminars for over 13,000 teachers in 48 states.
NCTA seminars serve more than 1,000 teachers yearly. Participants interact with East Asia specialists, receive extensive readings and other materials, and discuss effective strategies for bringing East Asia into their classrooms. Each seminar leader or team facilitates a seminar on East Asia that incorporates primary-source selections from the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditions. NCTA offers seminars in different delivery methods to accommodate the different needs, schedules and preferences of teachers. Seminars can be taken in a face-to-face setting, online, or in a blended format.
NCTA targets teachers of world history, world geography, other social studies courses, and language arts/world literature as the primary audience of its programs. Teachers of Asian languages, media specialists, librarians, and art teachers who play a key role in teaching Asian studies content also are eligible for NCTA programs. NCTA seeks to develop a community of inquiry among educators interested in East Asian studies that serves as a forum for collegial discussion of issues relevant to the teaching of East Asia.
Participant Benefits
National website: http://www.NCTAsia.org
For more information, contact: Lynn Kalinauskas - Administrative Consultant
New Revised GPS Guides Now on GCSS Web Site
Newly revised GPS guides aligned with the Social Studies Precision Review conducted by the Georgia Department of Education have been posted to the GCSS web site. To view these guides, click here.
Instant Grants for School Field Trips to Georgia Nature Center
World Environmental Organization is awarding Instant Grants up to $1,500 toward environmental-related field trips to the Georgia Nature Center, located at 3001 Salem Road, Watkinsville, Georgia, near Athens.
Most schools have reduced or eliminated budgets for field trips this year, or have limitations on how far buses can travel. Given the importance of hands-on environmental education, the Georgia Nature Center (GNC) has developed programs to address these challenges so students can still take engaging field trips. All GNC programs correlate to K-12 GPS Standards. :earn about school field trips to the GNC at: http://FieldTrips.NatureCenter.com.
INSTANT GRANTS - If your budget is limited, receive an instant grant up to $1,500 toward a school field trip. View details at http://Grants.NatureCenter.com.
DISCOUNT CHARTER BUSES - If your county limits how far school buses can travel, you can arrange an affordable Deluxe Charter Bus Package. Instant grants can even be applied toward the cost of charter packages. Details are at: http://Buses.NatureCenter.com.
SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES - If your school is unable to travel at all, GNC staff can bring the nature center to you! Learn about in-school programs here: http://Assembly.NatureCenter.com.
GIFTED STUDENTS - For schools lucky enough to have special funding for gifted students, GNC has one- and two-day EcoCamp programs available at: http://www.EcoCamp.Org.
FREE CARNIVOROUS PLANTS - Reserve a field trip or school assembly within the next 4 weeks, and receive $80 worth of free carnivorous plants.
So what happens during a visit to Georgia Nature Center? First, a GNC valet will meet you, and transport lunches and coolers from your buses to our covered picnic area. The tour begins with a demonstration of a hybrid car. From there, a GNC naturalist will lead students on a 20-minute walk through "Tornado Alley" -- the only nature trail in the Southeast where students can view firsthand the destructive force of a 900-foot wide tornado. Along this walk, students will learn how weather impacts the ecology of a hardwood forest. Next, students learn about, and even get to touch thousands of rare carnivorous pitcher plants, some as tall as 3-feet.
From here, students begin a presentation at the GNC solar-powered stage where they will learn about clean energy and wind power. Solar kits are passed around so students can see up close how these technologies work. Students are shown even more carnivorous plants including rare Sundews and Venus Flytraps. Several free plants are given away. Additionally, the Center has an educational shop where students can purchase live carnivorous plants during lunch for as little as $3 each.
Next, students go on another nature walk to a geothermal earth tubes exhibit, and then walk along Greenbrier Creek to visit an organic farm. From here, students pass by an animal rescue area and the solar-powered Next Generation Home, the only home of its kind in the world. This usually wraps up the 1- to 3-hour educational program customized to GPS standards; the length of the program is based upon how much time your school has to visit.
Students then proceed to the Nature Center's picnic area, where they enjoy a bag lunch before heading back to the buses and returning to school.
If this sounds like a fun educational experience, don't miss your chance to receive a grant up to $1,500 to attend this program. If you have any questions, please call GNC founder Jeff Gold at 1-800-800-2SUN or check the GNC website.
New "Presidents and The Constitution" Curriculum Launched by the Bill of Rights Institute
The Bill of Rights Institute has released its latest curriculum, Presidents and The Constitution, Vol. I, to help students understand the powers delegated to the executive branch by the Constitution. Spanning over 200 years, Vol. I helps students explore how various presidents understood and exercised their constitutional powers.
Each of the 15 lessons is tied to national civics, history, and social studies standards, containing content-rich background essays and research-based teaching strategies. Presidents and The Constitution, Volume I includes a complete answer key, critical thinking questions for students, thematic essays that introduce each unit, and additional educational resources.
The Immortal 600: New Civil War Educational Package Announced
The Archaeology Unit of the Georgia Department of Transportation and representatives of other agencies and organizations have teamed up to produce an educational package that examines a group of 600 Confederate POWs that were left on the battlefield and exposed to cannon fire from both Confederate and Union forces. Entitled "The Immortal 600," the package contains historical information, a downloadable curriculum, teacher's guide, and access to a video. Georgia Public Broadcasting has added a link to the material on its "Georgia Stories" website at www.gpb.org/georgiastories/story/immortal_six_hundred.
For more information, call Eric Duff, Archaeology Unit Manager, Georgia Department of Transportation at 404-699-4406 or e-mail to eduff@dot.ga.gov.
National History Club
The National History Club is an initiative in partnership with The History Channel to encourage high school students across America to become involved in history-related programs through creation of school-based history clubs. Much more information can be found on the NHC's online newsletter (click here to view the Fall 2008 issue). A link to the NHC website has been added to the Useful Social Studies Web Links page.
Bill of Rights Institute Announces New Teaching Material on Property Rights
The Bill of Rights Institute announces the release of Property Rights in America: Yours, Mine, or Ours?, a new resource that provides teachers with a week of lesson plans to educate students about the foundations and on-going importance of property rights. The 40-page book will help students understand some of the rights that serve as the foundation of so many other rights enjoyed by Americans.
Property Rights in America provides teachers with fresh, exciting materials that connect the Constitution to students' lives. Lesson content focuses on economic philosophy, the Founding documents, Supreme Court cases, intellectual property, and ways technologies like the Internet can challenge property rights.
Students analyze various primary sources, including the Magna Carta, Second Treatise of Civil Government, by John Locke, Property, by James Madison, The Rights of the Colonists, by Samuel Adams, and numerous Supreme Court Cases. These lessons develop the skills necessary for future study and research on the history of America.
The creation of Property Rights in America was made possible through generous grants from the Philip M. McKenna Foundation and the Aequus Institute.
For more information, contact Rachel Bezanson (703) 894-1776 (extension 25) or e-mail to RBezanson@BillofRightsInstitute.org.
Georgia Historical Society Online Educational Resources for Teachers
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) has a new online resource for Georgia teachers and researchers. From Tomochichi to Juliette Gordon Low to Charles Herty, the new online resources highlight past GHS's Georgia Days honorees and feature brief biographical sketches and suggestions for further reading and research. Each entry also provides references to corresponding materials from the collection of the GHS. To view the online educational resources, access www.georgiahistory.com and follow the Georgia Days link.
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