Apply to Become a State and National School of Character

Character.org has been certifying schools for 20+ years based on their implementation of The 11 Principles of Effective Character. In that time, more than 800 National Schools of Character, State Schools of Character, Districts of Character,  Mexico Schools of Character and China Schools of Character have been certified. More than 3 million educators, students, parents and other community members have improved their lives and the lives of those around them by fostering character development through Character.org’s Schools of Character and resources. The deadline to apply is December 6, 2019.  

Contact Justyn.Knox@dpi.nc.gov if your school needs assistance in this process or if you are interested in learning more. 

Get Started 

Learn about more  Character Education opportunities HERE

2020 North Carolina Service-Learning Summit

The North Carolina Service-Learning Coalition (NCSLC) is pleased to announce that registration for our 2020 North Carolina Service-Learning Summit is now open!

The NCSLC is excited to head to Fayetteville to host service-learning supporters and experts at Fayetteville State University as they share practices and valuable trainings surrounding how to start or enhance your students' service-learning experiences in an all-day conference open to teachers, students, nonprofit partners, community groups, and service-learning rookies and experts.

The theme of this year's summit is "Strengthening Communities through Service-Learning". There will be sessions for K-12 educators, Higher Ed, and Community Groups/Non-Profits. We invite interested presenters to submit session proposals here.

More Information

Register Here

English Learner Advisory Council

The NCDPI EL Team has opened its application for membership to the English Learner Advisory Council. Becoming an advisor for this committee provides you with the opportunity to share your expertise and collaborate with the NCDPI EL Team and other Education experts across the state.  The main purpose of the advisory committee is to provide feedback and guidance on a number of topics and resources related to EL policy, guidance, curriculum, and instruction. Please see the scope of work for more information. 

 If you are interested in serving on ELAC, please complete the application by January 15, 2020.  

Application

Scope of Work

Global Education Related Opportunities

Consortium Middle East Speaker’s Bureau 

Interested in bringing a guest speaker into your classroom this spring? The consortium faculty, advanced graduate students, and staff are available as speakers on a variety of topics related to the Middle East and Islam. Just email harver@email.unc.edu to request a speaker! They try their best to find a match, depending on timing and availability.

Free Online Course: Global Education 101 from the U.S. Department of State

Global Education 101 is an introductory course designed to support educators across the country to begin to understand global competence, how to grow as globally competent educators, and learn practical strategies for incorporating it into your classroom. This U.S. Department of State course is self-paced and online. Teachers who successfully complete the course will receive a U.S. Department of State Global Educator badge and certificate noting five hours of independent professional learning: PD: Global Education 101.

Asia Society’s New Online Certificate in Teaching for Global Competence

Check out the new certificate program for educators in partnership with EdPlus at Arizona State University. The program offers certificates in The Essentials of Global Competence, Project-Based Learning in a Global Classroom, and Classroom Assessment of Global Competence. To earn each certificate, educators take three online courses comprised of short videos, interactive learning objects, and competency-based assessments, as well as readings and reflective activities. The certificates are designed for any K-12 education professional interested in learning how to incorporate best-practices in global competence education. You can find more information here.

Access the  NC Global Education Newsletter  for more great opportunities and updates

Law and Justice: The Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1819–2019

Nov. 15, 2019, through May 31, 2020

The newest temporary exhibit at the NC Museum of History, Law and Justice: The Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1819–2019, is filled with stories, court cases, artifacts, and images. The timely exhibit celebrates the state supreme court during its bicentennial anniversary and reveals an untold narrative, from its founding until the present day.

For more resources about the Supreme Court of North Carolina, visit their website!

NK360° C3 Hub

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, C3 Teachers is proud to bring you our newest C3 Hub. NK360° provides educational materials and teacher training that incorporate Native narratives, more comprehensive histories, and accurate information to enlighten and inform teaching and learning about Native America. NK360° challenges common assumptions about Native peoples—their cultures, their roles in United States and world history, and their contributions to the arts, sciences, and literature. NK360° offers a view that includes not only the past but also the richness and vibrancy of Native peoples and cultures today. Bring Native perspectives into your classroom and explore our online inquiries below that reveal rich and diverse cultures, histories, and contemporary lives of Native peoples.

Access the Inquiry here:  https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360

More from C3

Explore identity, religion, and community through an inquiry about Sikh Culture.  

• What do my clothes say about me? See this elementary inquiry on cultural diversity
• How Do Religious Communities Respond to Challenges and Opportunities? Read about this middle and high school inquiry on exploring religious communities  

CHECK OUT THE HUB HERE

Beyond the Exhibits: Carolina Cover to Cover

History is all around us—especially in books!

BEYOND The Exhibits is pleased to present the newest addition to the free programming and resources for Social Studies teachers, Carolina Cover to Cover, for use with students in Kindergarten through Third Grade. Each month Carolina Cover to Cover will feature a book and story guide that connects to topics in North Carolina history. Educators may then check out the featured book from their school or local library and use the Carolina Cover to Cover guide to share lessons from that book. Each story guide will provide a historical overview to provide context, a list of vocabulary words, discussion questions to explore, and activities that students can complete.   

See Book Selections for 2019-2020 and Sign Up!

Additional Resources:

1. Beyond the Exhibits Newsletter with a lesson on American Indians and their Book of the Month
2. LIVE!Stream Event
3. Distance Learning Enrichment Class
4. Video on Demand

Distance Learning On Demand from Beyond Exhibits

Take your students on a journey to explore the fascinating history and contemporary culture of North Carolina's American Indian communities. Students will learn and share information about the state's tribes through small group activities, video clips, and class discussion. Focus I includes closer examination of the Coharie Tribe, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Sappony, and the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe. Focus II emphasizes the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the Meherrin Indian Tribe, and the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. Grades 3–5. 

• Focus 1 
• Focus 2

Click Watch Now to access this and other distance learning opportunities.

Friends in Liberty: North Carolina in the American Revolution

Through the eyes of 14-year-old Hugh McDonald and his friend, Anne Taylor, we learn about North Carolina during the American Revolution. This film is based on entries in McDonald’s actual journal—a primary source!—that describes his experiences with the Continental army.

For additional resources related to Friends in Liberty, check out the teacher supplement and click to

Watch.

K-12 Social Studies
Google Sites

Google Sites now serves as a central hub for Social Studies educators, administrators, institutions of higher education, and other interested parties. This hub houses the repositories, communications, and recommended resources related to the implementation of the North Carolina Social Studies Standard Course of Study (SCoS). Social Studies educators are encouraged to browse, reference, download, share, discuss, and adapt resources. Use the navigation menu to access information and resources.

REMEMBER, K-12 Social Studies resources and information can also be found on the shelves of our current LiveBinders.  Click this K-12 SS LiveBinders hyperlink to access all social studies materials!

Standards Revision Videos

The standards revision process has begun. Teams of writers from across the state are currently working on revising the K-12 social studies standards. Our goal is to provide the best standards we can for the students of our state for the next 7-10 years.  

Please visit our Google Sites for Social Studies Standards Revision Process: Information Videos to learn more.

NCCSS Conference, TOY and Scholarship

The North Carolina Council for the Social Studies is looking for the Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year, Student Teacher of the Year,  and applicants for the teacher grants they offer. If you know teachers or student-teachers that should be recognized for what they are doing in the classroom, nominate them for this recognition.

 Visit the council’s site to learn about student scholarships and to  register to attend the Social Studies Conference on February 20-21, 2019  in Greensboro.

CCES Internship for Preservice Teachers

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) would like to invite undergraduate and graduate students in the field of education to serve as interns for the 2020 Connecting Communities of Education Stakeholders (CCES) Conference in April.  See invitation to apply.  The application window will close on January 17, 2020.

Please feel free to reach out to the CCES Internship Coordinator at stacy.daniel@dpi.nc.gov should you have any questions.  

2020 Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Amy King on being selected as the 2019 North Carolina Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year. She is a history teacher at Chatham Central High School in Chatham County. 

The  2020 Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year award will honor exceptional elementary and secondary school American history teachers (including state and local history). National winner receives a $10,000 prize presented at an award ceremony in their honor in New York City. State winners receive a $1,000 prize, an archive of classroom resources, and recognition at a ceremony in their state.

For more information, visit the Gilder Lehrman website or visit the eligibility page.

Learning Abroad  and Cultural Exchange Opportunities

Virtual Cultural Exchange Opportunities with Individuals Displaced by Conflict through NaTakallam

NaTakallam partners with schools to bring real-life conversations, language learning, and cultural exchange to the classroom.  Students work with Conversation Partners (CPs) – all of the individuals displaced by conflict — improving their speaking skills and learning about their partner’s culture and story. In partnership with QFI, NaTakallam is able to offer scholarship funds to interested K-12 schools.

For more information, contact schools@natakallam.com or sign-up today.

QFI and MEOC Educator Book Grant Program

QFI, in partnership with the Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC), is pleased to offer its Educator Book Program which will provide K-12 educators with the opportunity to obtain up to three classroom sets of books recognized by the Middle East Annual Book Awards. Grant applications will be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year and are open to K-12 educators in public and public charter schools. To view the full grant announcement including application requirements and grant conditions, please click here.

Apply for Global Intersections Fieldwork for Teachers Fellowship  (GIFT) from the University of Illinois

Each year, the UI College of Education Office of International Programs arranges the travel for pre-service and in-service teachers to a number of destinations. The GIFT fellowship allows for these experiences to be had at a reduced cost. These Global Fieldwork programs designed specifically for teachers to experience classrooms around the world, build collaborative partnerships with local teachers in each destination, and work directly with University of Illinois Education faculty to develop global competency for teachers and their students. Additionally, the College of Education recognizes the value of practicing teachers in our community and across the U.S., and offers current, licensed K-12 teachers the opportunity to receive funding for an Education Abroad program of their choice. GIFT applicants may request up to $1,500 in study abroad funding. Scheduled 2019-2020 programs include a winter break trip to Morocco and Summer trip to Jordan. More information and apply here. Contact international@education.illinois.edu with questions.

Funded Educator Travel to Bahrain The Kingdom of Bahrain is offering a FREE teachers’ program to visit that country in March 2020. Applications are now open! The Bilateral US-Arab Chamber’s annual Teachers Educating Across Cultures in Harmony (TEACH) Fellowship Program was conceived to encourage cross-cultural understanding and develop best practices between educators in the United States and the Arab world. You have to submit a $25 application fee when you apply, and if you are accepted, you pay $250 (non-refundable). Otherwise, international airfare, hotels, local transportation, and most meals are covered. The Fellowship is open to all U.S. education professionals regardless of discipline. In order to receive full consideration, applications must be submitted on or prior to Friday, December 13, 2019 at 11:59 PM. For more info, and a link to the application, visit here.