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This year, I have had an opportunity to visit several schools and attend their history-social science department meetings. In speaking with the teachers, I heard from multiple people that an area they wanted to focus on with their students this year is improving the level of civil discourse. As history-social science teachers, they believe that there is plenty of opportunity to work on this skill. Discussions around current events provide one such opportunity. However, the curriculum provides multiple entry points for teachers to help their students engage in civil discourse. Students can weigh multiple perspectives when analyzing primary sources, they can engage in a structured academic controversy
when discussing interpretations of historical events, or they can develop a sense of global connectedness through the study of geography. Check out the different ideas for teaching civil discourse in the Resources section below.
History-Social Science Coordinator, SDCOE
858-292-3820
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History
-Social Science Instructional Materials Adoption Update
Ten reviewer panels of approximately 80 teachers, administrators, and community members came together July 25 to 28 to deliberate and write a report of findings for each of the 12 programs submitted for consideration of adoption by the State Board of Education. The panels recommended the adoption of all 12 programs. The reports of findings are posted on the
California Department of Education website
. The next step in the process was an Instructional Quality Commission public comment meeting Aug. 17. The commission made recommendations for the State Board of Education at the commission's Sept. 27 to 28 meeting. The recommendations will be presented to the state board on Nov. 8 and 9, when the board will take final action on the programs.
The Framework Launch Conference Comes to San Diego
The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) is pleased to announce that a Framework Launch Conference is coming to San Diego. This event will be held in conjunction with the California Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference in March. The SDCOE event will provide the perfect opportunity for educators to learn about the new History-Social Science Framework.
Learn more and register today
.
- Dec. 13 at CSU East Bay
- Jan. 30 at CSU Fresno
- March 22 at the Town and Country Hotel
- April 16 at the San Joaquin County Office of Education
- May 24 at the Sequoia Conference Center in Humboldt County
- Aug. 2 at the Shasta County Office of Education
Review the full framework and find additional insight
here
.
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San Diego Serves as Host City for Statewide Social Studies Conference
This event brings together hundreds of teachers, scholars, and content experts from all over the state in order to stay up-to-date on the latest teaching and learning practices. Over the course of this three-day event, participants will have the opportunity to attend breakout sessions, hear from featured speakers, and speak with representatives from social studies education organizations. The theme of this year's conference is Tearing Down Walls: Building Connections, Collaboration, and Civil Discourse.
Please note, the local San Diego County History-Social Science Conference will not be held this year. We encourage San Diego area teachers to attend the California Council for the Social Studies conference to take advantage of this opportunity to meet and network with teachers from across the state.
Facing History and Ourselves: The Holocaust and Human Behavior
In today's world, questions of how to best build and maintain democratic societies that are pluralistic, open, and resilient to violence are more relevant than ever. Studying the Holocaust allows students to wrestle with profound moral questions and fosters their skills in ethical reasoning, critical thinking, empathy, and civic engagement -- all of which are critical for sustaining democracy. In this one-day workshop -- featuring the fully revised, digital edition of
Holocaust and Human Behavior
-- teachers will:
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Learn current scholarship on the history of the Holocaust and new research focused on human behavior, group dynamics, and bias
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Increase their ability to facilitate respectful classroom discussions on difficult issues such as racism, antisemitism, and other forms of exclusion in a way that invites personal reflection and critical analysis
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Learn a new way of structuring curriculum to help students connect history to their own lives and the choices they make
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Engage with classroom-ready multimedia resources and learn how to build a customized unit that meets their curriculum objectives
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Discover new teaching strategies that help students interrogate text, think critically, and discuss controversial issues respectfully
This event is scheduled for Jan. 24 at the San Diego County Office of Education. Register and pay before Dec. 15 to receive a special discounted price.
Facing History and Ourselves: The Armenian Genocide and International Justice
The new California History-Social Science Framework includes expanded coverage of the Armenian genocide at the high school level. This Facing History and Ourselves workshop will help teachers prepare lessons to cover this topic and to help students answer significant questions such as: What is the responsibility of the international community when mass murder and genocide occurs? Participants will examine the events leading up to the systematic murder of more than 1 million Armenians, the American response as a nation and as a people, the role of justice and judgment in the aftermath of such atrocity, and the legacies today in terms of how we evaluate and seek justice in the United States and around the world.
In this seminar, participants will:
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Discover new interdisciplinary teaching strategies that reinforce historical and literacy skills aligned with state standards and the newly adopted History Framework
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Explore topics in global education that help students become informed citizens such as: racism, prejudice, international justice, international human rights, journalism in the digital age, and civic participation
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Receive a free copy of
Crimes Against Humanity and Civilization: The Genocide of the Armenians
Join colleagues from across the county at the San Diego County Office of Education on Feb. 22 and 23 as they learn about this important topic and discuss methods for teaching it to students.
Register
today and pay before Jan. 15 to receive a special discount.
The UCI History Project Hosts Workshops for 7th Grade History-Social Science Teachers
As most 7th grade teachers are aware, the new California History-Social Science Framework includes significant changes to content and pedagogy for the Medieval World History course. The UCI History Project is conducting workshops where educators learn about history-social science content aligned to the state standards and the framework. Each session will include a content presentation by an expert in the field, lessons aligned to the new framework, literacy strategies, and time to discuss implementation with colleagues. Teachers will also receive
free parking, breakfast, lessons, standards-aligned texts, technological resources, and access to all materials online. Teachers who attend the series can apply for credit. The cost is $125 for each workshop or $300 for all three in the series. Each workshop will be from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. at UC Irvine. See below for dates and topics:
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Civil Discourse
The following resources provide information, guidance, and lesson ideas for helping your students engage in civil discourse and for having conversations around difficult subjects:
Civic Learning Award for California Public Schools
The
Civic Learning Award
celebrates public schools' efforts to engage students in civic learning. The award program also identifies models that can be replicated in other schools. Co-sponsored by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, award winners are announced in February.
The Civic Learning Award program has three levels: awards of excellence, distinction, and merit. Winners are selected from each grade span by a panel of experts based on the depth and breadth of their civic learning classes, clubs, and programs. Award of Excellence winners receive a personal visit from Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye; Award of Distinction winners are visited by an appellate court justice; and superior court judicial officers provide recognition to schools receiving the Award of Merit. The winners in the two top categories will also receive a plaque and be invited to a California Gold Ribbon Schools Award banquet hosted by the California Department of Education.
The deadline to apply is Jan. 19.
Voice of Democracy Scholarship Contest for High School Students
The
Voice of Democracy
is a scholarship program offered through the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Each year, nearly 40,000 high school students compete at the local, state, and national levels for more than $2 million in scholarships and incentives. Scholarship amounts range from $1,000 to $16,000, and the national first-place winner receives $30,000.
Students in grades 9 to 12 can compete by writing and recording an audio essay based on this year's theme, American History: Our Hope for the Future. The deadline for entries is Oct. 31.
U.S. Federal Courts for the 9th District Announces Its 2017-18 Civics Contest
The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is participating in the 2018 Ninth Circuit Civics Contest, an essay and video competition for high school students in the western United States. The topic for the 2018 contest is 150 Years after Ratification of the 14th Amendment: What Does Equal Protection Mean to Students? Please see the
attached flier
for additional information.
The contest is open to all high school students. The contest website will be available beginning Jan. 2.
Walking with the Enemy
Engage your students in one of the most important topics of our time: the Holocaust. Hear from one of the remaining survivors, Rose Schindler, as she shares her story of being sent to the Auschwitz death camp. Her story of perseverance and triumph will grip your students as they learn why history should never repeat itself. A free screening of the movie
Walking with the Enemy
(rated PG-13), which focuses on Jewish resistance in Hungary to the Nazi occupation, is available as a prelude to Schindler's story. If interested in scheduling this experience with your students, please contact either
Catherine McCullough
or
Simon Weinberg
.
New Resources Being Developed
The California Historical Society and the California History-Social Science Project received a
$5 million grant
to develop online, open-access resources to support the implementation of the History-Social Science Framework. These resources are expected to be available to teachers by
July 1, 2019.
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Get up-to-the-minute information about what's happening at
SDCOE and in our districts across the county.
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