New Standards: New Opportunities
On May 11, 2017, the State Board of Education adopted new social studies standards. You can view the standards by going to the Social Studies Standards. Full implementation of these standards is not required until 2020. You can view the implementation plan here and the FAQ document here. You can always check out several resources on our Iowa Core Social Studies webpage here.
Professional development opportunities will be available throughout the three-year implementation window in every AEA around the state for both elementary and secondary social studies teachers. This year's professional development will be a two-day workshop for both elementary and secondary teachers. Please contact your AEA social studies contact for questions about the dates of this professional development.
Additionally, we have developed a 1/2 day workshop for administrators that we hope to offer in many AEAs. STay tuned for more details on this. Several external organizations such as the Iowa Council for Economic Education, TS Institute, the Geographic Alliance of Iowa, and Iowa Council for the Social Studies, etc. are also planning to provide additional support, resources, and professional development. Please stay tuned for additional information.
Finally, check out the latest Iowa Core blog which discusses the new standards and one teacher's thinking about implementing them.
Save the Date- 2018 Best Practices Institute
The 2018 Best Practices in Social Studies Institute is taking place June 20-21, 2018 at the State Historical Museum in Des Moines. Registration information will be coming later this spring.
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Iowa Council for the Social Studies Conference
The 2017 Iowa Council for the Social Studies Conference is taking place October 2, 2017 at the Prairie Meadows Events Center. This year's conference includes several breakout sessions around the theme- Meeting the Challenge: Bringing the Standards to Life. Mary Beth Tinker, the lead plaintiff in Tinker v. Des Moines Public Schools will serve as the keynote speaker. The Tinker case is known throughout the country as the landmark Supreme Court case that defined student rights. In addition, the Iowa History 101 RV and the "Giganto" traveling map of Iowa will also be at the conference. Go to https://iowasocialstudies.org/conference for session information or to register.
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Anniversary of 9/11
As a part of our commitment to education, the 9/11 Memorial Museum invites teachers and students from across the country to participate in an interactive webinar on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 to commemorate the 16th anniversary of 9/11. This FREE program, broadcast live from the Museum throughout the day, connects students and teachers with Museum staff and guest speakers to learn about the attacks and the importance of commemoration.
Speakers include:
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Alison Crowther, mother of Welles Crowther, who gave his life helping others escape on 9/11 and later became known as "the man in the red bandana,”
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Bill Spade, retired FDNY firefighter from Rescue 5 in Staten Island who responded to the World Trade Center on 9/11, and;
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Tom Canavan, a securities specialist working in the North Tower on 9/11 who survived the collapse and now works with Strength to Strength, an organization that brings victims of terrorism and their families together from around the world.
The 35-minute program will be broadcast on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 throughout the day. The webinar will be interpreted in American Sign Language and captioned.
REGISTER HERE.
For more information, see: 911memorial.org/webinar or contact the Education Programs Staff at: anniversaryintheschools@911memorial.org
Celebrate Constitution Day
Constitution Day is September 17, 2017. The Department of Education, in conjunction with the Iowa Supreme Court, and the Iowa Bar Association will hosting several school districts on September 20th to hear live oral arguments at the Iowa Supreme Court. You can view the oral arguments livestreamed here. Check out additional resources you can use to celebrate Constitution Day:
Geography Awareness Week
Geography Awareness Week is November 12-18, 2017. The featured theme for this week is Civil Rights. Learn more about this upcoming week here. In addition, the Geographic Alliance of Iowa has already created some resources about Iowa's unique civil rights history. Check them out at:
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Rebecca Helland Named 2018 Iowa History Teacher of the Year
Rebecca Helland, a 5th grade social studies teacher for Pella Community Schools, has been named the 2018 Iowa History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The Gilder Lehrman Institute selects one teacher in each state across the country and from that pool of candidates then selects the National History Teacher of the Year. To see all of the state winners go here.
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State Historical Museum Launches Primary Source Sets in Iowa History
As part of a $300,000 grant from the Teaching with Primary Sources Program from the Library of Congress, the State Historical Museum launched primary source sets to support Iowa's new social studies standards. Topics include immigration, Buxton, Iowa geography, the underground railroad in Iowa, the Cold War, and many more. More sets will be launched the next two years. You can check out the sets here.
NEH Announces $39.3 Million for 245 Projects Nationwide... Including Iowa
The National Endowment for the Humanities recently announced recipients of $39.3 million in funding for humanities projects nationwide. One of these projects will support a project by the Iowa Museum Association and their work to create resources for the teaching and learning of Iowa history. Check out the full list here.
Iowa AEAs Purchase Freedom Flix for Statewide Use
Freedom Flix, a series of e-books offers students a behind-the-scenes look at the people, places, and ideas that have shaped our world. Check it out at http://www.iowaaeaonline.org/.
Winners of World of 7 Billion Video Contest
The winners of the 2016 – 2017 World of 7 Billion video contest have been announced! You can watch all of the winning videos and learn more about the winning student filmmakers, online now. This year, over 5,500 students participated and we received 2,913 video submissions from schools in 45 countries and 48 U.S. states and territories.
Religious Studies Supplement Added to the C3 Framework
The National Council for the Social Studies has added a religious studies framework to the C3 Framework. See page 91-91 of the document here.
Iowa Participates in National History Day Competition
Several Iowa students participated in the National History Day competition this past June. You can watch the awards ceremony, view photos (password is NHD2017), see examples of winning projects and see the list of award winners. This year's theme is Conflict and Compromise. See the 2018 theme book here.
Several Resources from Iowa Legislative Services
The Iowa Legislature has a number of resources for social studies teachers. They have created this guide to help point out resources on their website that might be helpful. These resources include a virtual tour of the Iowa Capitol, resources on the legislative process, videos, and more. Check out the website at https://www.legis.iowa.gov/.
Hurricane Harvey Interactive Map
Check out this map that shows details and images of Hurricane Harvey.
Sign-up for Free Ken Burns, The Vietnam War Classroom Resource Kit
In anticipation of the upcoming premier of The Vietnam War, the new 10-part PBS series by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, the producers are offering a limited number of free comprehensive companion teaching material sets to be available in the 2017-2018 academic year, featuring educational DVDs, activity packs, posters, and supplemental resources. Regional teacher training seminars will familiarize educators with the materials and maximize their effectiveness in the classroom. If you would like to be included in a list of Iowa high schools to be considered for this free resource, please complete this Iowa Public Television form by 4pm September 8, 2017.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/pbs-vietnam-kit
American History Toolkits
Are you teaching U.S. history? If so, check out these resource toolkits put together by TeachingAmericanHistory.org. They are organized into eras such as the Founding Era, Expansion, Civil War, Civil Rights, etc.
National History Club
Looking to involve your students in history outside the classroom to further engage their passion for the subject? Then consider forming a history club at your school and joining the National History Club (NHC)! Since 2002, schools in 44 states have joined the NHC and there are over 16,000 student members. The NHC’s main goal is to bring together students and teachers with a love for history, helping history clubs learn from each other’s ideas, experiences, and stories, which are distributed through the organization’s tri-annual newsletter, monthly eUpdates, and other communication methods. Clubs can participate in award programs such as the “History Student of the Year”, the National History Scholars Society, and the Lessons of Leadership contest to further engage and reward their student members. For more information including how to join, please visit: www.nationalhistoryclub.org. Check out a past issue of their newsletter here.
WWI Centennial Resources
There are hundreds of resources that have been curated for teaching about WWI. Check out the extensive list here. You can also check out this YouTube channel called The Great War for additional videos and this webinar series from the Library of Congress.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Now Online
The Library of Congress has nearly 25,000 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps online which depict the structure and use of buildings in U.S. cities and towns. More maps will be added monthly until 2020. Click here to learn more.
The Clio
Clio guides the public to thousands of historical and cultural sites within the United States by picking up the user's location with GPS. Clio offers maps and navigation as well as useful information on locations. Use Clio for free!
State Facts for Students
The U.S. Census Bureau's Statistics in Schools Program has a tool called “State Facts for Students” that helps students collect and analyze information about their state. Visit this website for a variety of educational activities!
Preview The Vietnam War PBS Documentary
The Vietnam War tells an epic story of America's history. This movie premiers Sunday September 17, 2017 at 8/7 Central on PBS. To learn more and watch a preview of the upcoming movie, go here.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund Resources
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund provides FREE curriculum on the Vietnam War and era. Download the resources here.
Podcast Resources to Flip Your Classroom
There are several great podcasts for use in a social studies classroom. A few examples include: Your Weekly Constitutional, Presidential, Stuff You Missed in History, Live from America's Town Hall, We the People.
Resources for Teaching about Difficult Topics
More than 500,000 Historical Video Clips
The publication of more than one million minutes of archival footage on YouTube was recently announced. Most of the videos are under 2 minutes long and are good supporting material to add to a lesson. View the recently published article here. Visit the archival footage on YouTube here.
Stanford History Education Group Resources
The Stanford History Education Group, with the help of the Library of Congress, created twelve new Reading Like a Historian lessons. In addition, there are twelve new Beyond the Bubble assessments. Browse a complete list of these new FREE materials here.
Teaching with NCSS Notable Trade Books
Each year the National Council for the Social Studies releases a list of "notable trade books in social studies." Check out these resources from the Geographic Alliance of Iowa on using these resources.
Iowans Return to Freedom Summer
In the summer of 1964, hundreds of predominantly white college students answered the call from civil rights leaders to participate in Freedom Summer. Did you know that several iowans participated in this effort? View resources about the role Iowans played in Freedom Summer here. Check out the full documentary here.
Resources from the United States Holocaust Museum
- Video: The Path to Nazi Genocide
- History Unfolded Project: The U.S. Holocaust Museum has a relatively new program called History Unfolded. The project asks students, and the general public, to help them crowdsource information about what local communities in the United States knew about the Holocaust in the 1930s and 40s based off what local newspapers were reporting. Go here for more information.
If I Was Teaching Social Studies Today....
Check out this extensive blog from Scott Mcleod entitled, "If I Was Teaching Social Studies Today." Mcleod outlines the extensive amount of resources available to teach social studies.
Teach Geography?
If you teach geography, there are several resources from the National Council for Geographic Education. Check out the resources here. If you teach AP Human Geography here is an example course outline and a series of bellringers.
Alexander Hamilton Papers Now Online
The Library of Congress recently announced digital access to the Alexander Hamilton papers in their collection. You can access the collection here.
OER Resources in Social Studies
There are two resources now available for free and open social studies curricula. Check out Front Row and New Visions curriculum here.
Global Awareness Map
The Veterans National Education Program (V-NEP) offers several resources for social studies including the Global Awareness Map and several videos for teaching the Holocaust, Vietnam, Korea, and others.
Want to Help the Library of Congress Archive the Internet?
The K-12 Web Archiving program engages middle and high school students to archive the internet. The program is accepting applications through September 17th. Go here to apply and learn more.
C-SPAN Resources
Ideas for Teaching and Learning about Fake News
Check out this extensive resource from the New York Times on teaching about fake news and why it's important. The New York Times also has over 50 activity sheets for analyzing the news. Check them out here. NPR has also put together a fake news quiz. Check out that here. Finally, iCivics has developed several resources for teaching about media literacy. Check them out here.
Teaching about the Refugee Crisis
Bringing the World Into Your Classroom
ASCD Express recently published a special edition entitled the World in Your Classroom. Check out the topics they address below:
Sign Up for Constitution Weekly
Want to stay up to date on all things Constitution? Check out the weekly newsletter from the National Constitution Center. Sign up here.
New Geo-Inquiries from ESRI
ESRI has created several geo-inquiries that would optimal if you are teaching geography, global studies, U.S. history, etc. Check them out here.
Native Knowledge
Native Knowledge 360 is a new resource from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. It includes extensive resources on teaching about Native American history, cultures, and contemporary lives.
Hear a Holocaust Survivor
Hear Celina Karp Biniaz, the daughter of Irvin and Phyllis Karp and one of the last living survivors from Schindler's List, tell her personal story-her family's life in the ghetto and the forced labor camp, her family's inclusion on Oskar Schindler's list of workers for his new munitions factory; the "accidental" diversion of the train carrying Celina and Phyllis to Auschwitz instead of Schindler's factory in Czechoslovakia; Celina's terrifying encounter with the "Angel of Death" Dr. Joseph Mengele; liberation and immigration to Des Moines; and building a life in the US. See more information here. Details:
- Sunday, September 10 at 2 p.m.
- FREE admission, first come, first seated
- Staplin Performing Arts Center Valley High School 3650 Woodland Ave. West Des Moines
IPTV to Host In-person Event Featuring Veterans of the Vietnam War and Preview of New Ken Burns Documentary
On Sunday, September 10, Iowa Public Television invites teachers and students to attend The Iowa Experience: Vietnam, a special in-person event in honor of veterans of the Vietnam war. The event begins at 1 p.m. at IPTV studios in Johnston, and includes a 30-minute preview of The Vietnam War, the new 10-part series by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, followed by a panel discussion featuring Iowa’s veterans, who will share their diverse experiences of life before, during and after the war. IPTV's Dean Borg will moderate the panel. The event is free and open to the public, although advanced registration is required and seating is limited. Contact 800.728.2828 or register online at Iptv.org/events.
The Lincoln Forum
Each November, The Lincoln Forum awards scholarships to educators currently teaching U.S. History in elementary, middle, or high school in the United States. Learn more about this scholarship here. Apply for the scholarship here.
Heartland AEA Technology and Integration Sessions
Each year Heartland AEA offers technology sessions that are content-specific. The social studies session takes place January 30, 2018. Check out more information or sign up here.
There are 4 places where Iowa history content is being distributed for teachers from Iowa AEA Online. This content resides:
OER Commons
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OER Commons AEA PD Online Hub https://www.oercommons.org/hubs/aeaonline
- Scroll down to “AEA Learning Online OER”
- Click on AEA Community Content
- Click on “Iowa History” icon
- Find the content to access and click on the title of the content (see collections from Softchalk, Image collections and other Iowa History Resources) as well as teacher instructional guide.
Student Personalized Learning System
- Student Personalized Learning System http://learning.aeak12online.org/
- This is for teachers in the State of Iowa to use with students (assign for work)
- Log in with username and password used in the Teacher Training system where they take mandatory reporting, etc..
- Click on Modules
- Click on Social Studies
- See Iowa's Unsung Prairie Transformation to Farms and One Room Schools 1870-1900 Part 1; Iowa's Unsung Prairie Transformation to Farms and One Room Schools 1870-1900 Part 2; Iowa History: Settlement and Education; Iowa History Book: Collections of the Iowa Rural Schools Museum of Odebolt 1870-1950
- View click on the icon to the far right of the title
- To use with students contact Denise Krefting (dkrefting@aealearningonline.org)
Teacher Training System
- Teacher Training System http://training.aeapdonline.org/
- For teaching in the State of Iowa: Instructional Guide for the Iowa Unsung Prairie Transformation to Farms and One Room Schools Tall Grass and Settlement content
- Click on Catalog
- Enter search Iowa History
- Click Register to view
Direct Links
Video and more: Iowa Unsung Prairie Transformation to Farms and One Room Schools Tall Grass and Settlement
Book: Iowa History of the One Room School 1870-1950
Index pictures of related museum artifacts and primary sources for instruction from Iowa Rural Schools Museum
C-SPAN’s 2018 StudentCam Competition
C-SPAN’s annual video competition invited all students grades 6-12 to create a 5-7 minute documentary based on the theme: “The Constitution & You”. Learn more here.
Enter for a Chance to Win a Travel Package to the National WWI Museum
Know a teacher who needs a vacation? We are offering the chance to send a teacher on an adventure to the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri. Nominate yourself, a colleague, or any educator who has positively affected the lives of students! Between Tuesday, Aug. 22 and Friday, Sept. 8, enter the teacher of your choice to win an adventure that includes airfare, hotel accommodations and admission to the National World War I Museum and Memorial for two, where they can meet with Museum collections and education staff and enjoy a personalized Museum experience. Additional prizes include gift cards and swag bags of educational content. Go here for more information.
Hoover Uncommon Student Award
Every year the Hoover Presidential Foundation awards scholarships to juniors in high school. Go to http://www.hooverpresidentialfoundation.org/uncommon-student.php for more information.
United States Senate Youth Program
The United States Senate Youth Program is a unique educational experience for outstanding high school students interested in pursuing careers in public service. Established in 1962, the annual program will be held in Washington, D.C., from March 3-10. Two student leaders from each state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity will gather for an intensive week-long study of government and those who lead it. In addition, each selected delegate receives a $10,000 scholarship. The overall mission of the program is to help instill knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service. Oct. 2 is the first deadline for application to the program. Additional program information, including the student application, is available here or by accessing the United States Senate Youth Program website here. For questions, contact Stefanie wager at 515-725-7842 or stefanie.wager@iowa.gov.
Stefanie Rosenberg Wager
Social Studies Consultant
21st Century Skills- Civic and Financial Literacy
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
400 E. 14th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
Phone: 515-725-7842
Email: stefanie.wager@iowa.gov
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