Geographic Connection
News of the California Geographic Alliance
October 2014- Vol 6, Issue 10
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Welcome New CGA Members!
| | We're excited that you've joined us. Each month, check your newsletter for resources, professional development opportunities, and travel ideas. Don't forget to Like us on Facebook too!
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CGA Email Address and Phone Number
| Contact us via our new email address at cga@geography.sdsu.edu
Need to get in touch with us by phone?
Call:
619-594-7932
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Share Resources for AP Human Geography
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Are you looking for a place to share resources for AP Human Geography? Do you have questions about the best way to teach certain units in AP Human Geography?
You can also join the APHG 9th Grade Teachers group on Facebook. This group is specifically aimed at supporting those teachers who are working with high school freshmen.
Where else do you go to learn more about AP Human Geography? Let us know on our Facebook page. |
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Geography Awareness Week
November 16-22, 2014
The Future of Food
Geography Awareness Week is a great way to engage your school and local communities in the study of our planet. This year's theme, The Future of Food, is linked to a year-long series in National Geographic Magazine. Make this November one to remember with a dynamic study of our favorite subject.
National Geographic Education Foundation has collected a series of resources about food near and far. Check out their page with activities for all levels. Several divisions of National Geographic have been involved in this year's GAW theme, so be sure to check out their interactive features here. Do you have students who want changes to their school lunches? Try the School Lunch Issue Guide. Nat Geo's website also has a series of infographics on food that invite study.
Our friends at the Geography Collective have several activities in their Mission: Explore series related to the geography of food. Don't forget that Wednesday, November 19 is GIS Day. Learn more here.
Finally, catch up with Geography Awareness Week on Social Media. Visit Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to get even more ideas to celebrate the week!
Do you have fantastic ideas planned for GAW? Take photos and write up a quick summary to be featured in a future newsletter. We'd love to share your great work with others. Email us at cga@geography.sdsu.edu.
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Got Geo Resources?
If you are in the need of resources let us know. We have a variety of types available for FREE. These resources are best suited for K-12 teachers and students.
If you'd like some of these sent to you, please send an email to us at cga@geography.sdsu.edu. Include which resources and how many you need as well as your mailing address. If you have a specific project associated with the request, we'd love to hear about how you will use the resources too!
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Geography of Halloween
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Video clips can be a useful tool to help students learn about a topic. Try short clips such as this one from National Geographic about the history of Halloween.
Do you have a favorite resource to teach students about the history and geography of Halloween? Let us know by sending us a message or posting it to our Facebook page.
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Superintendent Invites Public Comment on the History-Social Science Curriculum Framework
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 State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced on September 23, 2014, that California is moving forward to improve the way educators teach history and social science by gathering public comment on a new framework.
The comment period will remain open until November 25, 2014.
All public comments received during the field review survey will be presented to the Instructional Quality Commission this winter for review and possible inclusion into the final Framework. There will be a second public review in the spring of 2015. The State Board of Education is scheduled to take action on the final Framework by May 2015.
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New CCSS Professional Learning Module Available from the CDE
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The CDE is pleased to announce the release of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) English/Language Arts (ELA): Content Literacy in History/Social Studies, Grades Six through Twelve, online professional learning module. This module provides secondary history/social studies teachers with resources to implement the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy to deepen students' understanding of historical/social studies content, improve critical thinking, and develop literacy. The module contains information, strategies, lessons, videos, and resources to aid teachers in integrating reading and other literacy activities into history/social studies instruction to support all students' success. Additional professional learning modules will be available in the coming months. For more information, please visit the CDE CCSS Professional Learning Modules for Educators Web page. |
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2015-2016 Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching (DA) Program
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Just 5 days left to apply!
From the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Online Application for K-12 teachers!
You may be eligible to participate in a unique international professional development opportunity for 3-6 months through the Fulbright Program! By conducting educational research abroad, U.S. teachers gain new skills, learn new instructional methods and assessment methodologies and share best practices with international colleagues and students. Teachers also have the opportunity to expand their understanding of other cultures and international education systems that will enrich their U.S. schools and local communities with global perspectives.
Teachers may travel to: Botswana, Finland, India, Israel, Mexico, Palestinian Territories, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. *Additional countries are still pending and will be added to the website in the coming weeks.
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ArcGIS Online Organization available now
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ESRI announced last summer that ArcGIS Online Organization subscriptions will be available at NO COST to schools around the country. This subscription level service offers much more than the basic public account, including "more control of sharing, access to more data, engaging much more powerful analyses, supporting apps like Collector or Explorer, integrating with ArcMap and Microsoft Office, enabling login to Community Analyst, and lots more."
For more information and to get the latest materials, including the ArcGIS Online Skillbuilder, visit http://connected.esri.com. |
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AP� "Bell-Ringers" Now Offered to Non-Members!
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The National Council for Geographic Education's weekly scheduled "Bell-Ringers" have resumed and will now be offered to non-members. "Bell-Ringers" are daily questions for your Advanced Placement Human Geography classes delivered to your inbox! You don't need to sign up to receive the "Bell-Ringers" if you have previously signed up within the last year. You will be directed to the NCGE online store; click on "APHG Bell-Ringers" in the Featured Products section. You will be directed to the log-in page, and once you are logged in, you will proceed to the "check-out" to complete your registration. Use the link below to get started!
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Resources for the classroom
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From the CALIFORNIA HISTORY-SOCIAL SCIENCE PROJECT (CHSSP)
Current Context: California Drought
Check out CHSSP's newest free teaching resource, Current Context: California Drought, which includes a short background article, a map, a timeline of important events, and links to more great resources.
Current Context: Boko Haram/Nigeria Are you looking for a resource that helps you put current events in their historical context for your students? Check out their newest free teaching resource, Current Context, which includes a short background article, a map, a timeline of important events, and links to more great resources. Their recent edition, Boko Haram/Nigeria, is ready for download here. Check back for more resources in this occasional series, and let them know what topics you'd like covered in future installments!
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Upcoming Events
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California Council for the Social Studies
Annual Conference
Oakland Marriott Convention Center
Oakland, CA
March 6-8, 2015
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Reconstructing the history of the CGA!
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The new leadership team at SDSU is extremely excited about our work with the CGA, and we are hard at work creating a revamped website, an electronic version of the California atlas, and plans for the future.
However, we are missing information about the CGA's history that we would like to include on the website. If you have been involved in coordinating the alliance in the past, or you can help us rebuild the sequence of host institutions and coordinators since Kit Salter's creation of the CGA at UCLA, we want to hear from you. Sent Tom Herman an email therman@mail.sdsu.edu with your story. Thanks! |
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General Contact Information
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Operations Manager:
Thomas Herman
Communications Coordinator
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This Halloween why not incorporate the geography of the holiday into your day? Check out NatGeo's Quiz on