Learn More About Character Education

Are you eager to create a culture of character in your classroom, school, and district using the 11 Principles of Character Education? NCDPI has professional learning opportunities to assist your school or district with your character education journey. If your school or district is interested in hosting a Character Education Professional Learning Opportunity, please take a moment to complete this survey to help our NCDPI team understand your needs.

Please contact Justyn Burgess, State Coordinator for Character Education, if you have questions. 

In Case You Missed It: Recording of Literacy in Social Studies

Are you looking for ways to enhance social studies and incorporate the Literacy Instruction Standards (LIS)?

We would like to remind you about the webinar recording for the LIS Learning Series session, "Literacy in Social Studies". In this engaging webinar, educators will be able to:

• Grasp how the LIS aligns with the Social Studies Standard Course of Study (SCOS)
• Discover creative ideas for developing high-quality, engaging tasks that seamlessly integrate LIS into Social Studies lessons.
• See practical examples and explanations of LIS in a Social Studies classroom

Access the Literacy in Social Studies: Recording & Slide Deck!

In Case You Missed It: Catch Up on the On-Demand Social Studies Professional Learning Sessions!

Summer is a great time to catch up on any on-demand professional development recordings you may have missed. These videos can serve as a refresher and offer new ideas for strengthening social studies planning, instruction, implementation, and students' social studies and literacy skills.

Using the link provided will allow educators to access all on-demand opportunities, including the ones listed.

 Some of the SS On-Demand PD Sessions

K-12

• One-Stop Shop: Refresher on the SS Standards & Supports and Onboarding Materials
• Integrating the Inquiry/Skills Indicators
• Social Studies and ELA Integration Part One: Building the Case for Social Studies 
• World History Webinar Series
• Teaching Social Studies with Primary Sources
• Understanding the Standards and Using the Unpacking Documents
• Understanding the ECS and OCS Standards requirements for Social Studies
• ELD & SS Webinar - Addressing the Needs of English Language Learners

Elementary

• Social Studies and ELA Integration  Part One: Building the Case for Social Studies 

Middle

• World History Webinar Series

High

• Spotlight on EPF featuring Guilford County Schools, and NGPF
• Teaching the Standards for Founding Principles: Civic Literacy
• American History
• World History Webinar Series

Unless otherwise noted, each session has certificates for contact hours towards CEUs. You can access all of the on-demand sessions by clicking on the appropriate link in the title of the folder tab and then using the link in the title of the session. The password is the same for every on-demand video: Socialstudies!1

Access all available Professional Learning Sessions Today!

Belfer National Conference for Educators: Free Virtual Professional Learning Opportunity

June 24-26, 2024

Registration is open for this year’s Belfer National Conference for Educators. This free, virtual conference is designed to support accurate, meaningful teaching about the Holocaust. The conference will feature many new sessions and invites educators to:

• Engage with current historical research and instructional best practices.
• Engage with leading experts in real time through multiple live interactive sessions.

Many of you may be traveling or just enjoying your family vacation time and are thinking that you cannot attend. NOT TRUE! If you are unable to attend the live virtual sessions June 24-26, you will be able to do the following, but you MUST register to attend in order to be able to do so:

• Watch all sessions at your convenience on demand following the conference.
• Access historically accurate, classroom-ready lessons and resources based on the Museum’s extensive collections.
• Get a first look at the Museum’s newest teaching tools.
• Hear directly from Holocaust survivors and experienced educators.
• Connect in real time with a community of educators dedicated to teaching and learning about the Holocaust

Learn more and Register

New Materials for Global Education Recognitions

The NCDPI Global Education Steering Committee has been working to clarify and streamline how students, educators, schools, and districts earn the Global Education Recognitions. At the May 2024 meeting of the State Board of Education, changes to the Global Educator Digital Badge (GEDB) process were approved. In addition, new materials and information for the GEDB and the Global Ready designations for schools and districts have been released.

Please see the NCDPI Global Education webpage at https://go.ncdpi.gov/NCGlobalEd, as well as the Global Education Recognitions information, to start planning for the 2024 - 2025 school year.

 Re-Engage 2024" - A Free, Two-Day Seminar on Local Government!

K-12 educators are invited to "Re-Engage 2024," a free, two-day experiential seminar on local government, hosted by the NC City & County Managers Association, Carolina K-12, and the NC Department of Natural & Cultural Resources’ America 250 NC Initiative. Attending the seminar will help you to strengthen your understanding of local government and inspire your students to become active, informed community members.

Seminar Highlights:

• Explore the structure, services, and impact of local government.
• Engage with elected officials, participate in site visits, and take part in interactive simulations.
• Gain strategies to teach civic education and cultivate informed, responsible citizens.
• Receive ready-to-use lesson plans and classroom simulations.
  
  Benefits for Attendees:
• $150 stipend
• Free hotel accommodations for eligible distances
• 1.5 CEUs
• Access to local government officials and agencies

Limited Spaces Available - Register Now!

If you have any questions, or receive a space and do not have access to a credit card, please contact Paul Bonnici at bonnici@unc.edu or 919.962.1544.

Learn more and apply!

Access NCDPI & OER Professional Development Recordings 

Throughout the current school year, NCDPI and the OER Project offered free professional development sessions that were focused on social studies skills. These included geography skills, historical thinking skills, and historical inquiry skills. Accessing the recordings of these sessions will prepare teachers and other social studies educators for the upcoming school year.

Session Topics and Related Social Studies Skills

• Charting Horizons (Geography Skill)
• Contextualization And The Power Of Time And Place (Historical Thinking Skill)
• Continuities and Changes Over Time (CCOT) (Historical Thinking Skill)
• Comparison (Historical Thinking Skill)
• Causation (Historical Thinking Skill)
• Historical Inquiry (relates to the skills from the Inquiry Strand in the Standards)

Access all of the recordings today!

Economics and Personal Finance Legislation and Required Professional Development from NCCEE

According to House Bill 924/Senate Law 2019-82, Economics and Personal Finance (EPF) teachers and prospective Economics and Personal Finance (EPF) teachers are required to receive professional development provided by the North Carolina Council on Economic Education (NCCEE). "When practicable, teachers shall complete the EPF professional development course prior to teaching the EPF course in public schools. If necessary, teachers may begin teaching the EPF course in public schools while awaiting the next possible opportunity to complete a session of the EPF professional development course". 

To learn more about the EPF legislation, the EPF course, and EPF required PD, please 
view this updated informational slideshow.

NCCEE: Register for EPF Summer Professional Development Institutes

Space is limited! 

NCCEE is offering multiple opportunities for teachers to attend the EPF Institute...the required PD for the Economics and Personal Finance Course.

Seated in-person and virtual options are available. Evaluations have shown that the seated in-person sessions are most enjoyable and effective. Virtual is an option for those who cannot attend a session in person.

Who should attend:

• Current high school teachers of the EPF course who have NOT attended training previously
•  High school teachers slated to teach the course in the fall
•  High school teachers who would like to teach the course but need to complete the professional development to be eligible

What's Included:

•  40 hours of high-quality professional development covering content and pedagogy
•  Strategies addressing all standards of the EPF course
•  $500 stipend
•  Lunch daily
•  Access to hundreds of lesson plans, activities, simulations and resources
•  Ongoing support for EPF teachers

Watch this video to see what teachers are saying about this PD and then visit NCCEE's event site to register for the session that works best with your schedule.

Growing Success for MLs Summer Conference

Make plans now to join experts from across the state and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) for the ML/Title III Growing Success for Multilingual Learners (MLs) Summer Conference. This year's conference theme, "Unlocking the Power of Multilingual Learners for Academic Success," promises to be an inspiring and transformative experience. Engage in thought-provoking discussions led by experts in the field and DPI. The carefully curated sessions cover a range of topics, from best practices and collaboration techniques to effective engagement with schools, families, and communities.

Multiple Formats: There are two face-to-face locations and a virtual option. Whether you prefer the collaborative energy of in-person events or the flexibility of virtual participation, you're covered!

Don't miss this opportunity to connect with fellow educators, exchange ideas, and build a supportive professional network!

Locations:

West - Buncombe County in Asheville

In-person June 25th - 27th at Martin L. Nesbitt Discovery Academy

East - Pender County near Topsail Beach

In-person July 23rd - July 25th at Topsail High School

Virtual Setting: July 29th - 30th

View the 2024 Growing Success for MLs Summer Conference brochure for additional details, including free registration.

NCMA Art and Science Online Course

Earn CEUs from home and dive into five science-centered topics: Art and the Science of Looking, Art and Systems, Art and Physics, Art and Ecology, and Art and Nature.

Participants explore topics through inquiry-based learning in an online community while gaining valuable classroom connections. The course is self-paced, and each topic should take around three hours to complete (15 hours for the entire course).

The course is available Tuesday, May 7, through Tuesday, August 6. It is open to educators of all disciplines and audiences. The NCMA can provide a certificate of participation for up to 15 hours if all five topics are completed (0.3–1.5 CEU, with approval from your local school system).

Watch the Video to Learn More

Save the Date for the 2025 NC Council for the Social Studies Conference!

The North Carolina Council for the Social Studies is an organization that serves its members and provides support to social studies educators. Each year, NCCSS invites K-16 educators from across North Carolina to come to their conference. The conference is two days of amazing sessions, fun networking opportunities, and more! 

The 2025 NCCSS Annual Conference will be on February 20-21, 2025 in Greensboro, North Carolina.  The theme of the conference will be "Engaging the World with Social Studies". Conference proposals will open in August.

Visit the NCCSS website or follow NCCSS on Facebook  and Twitter to learn more about:

• Registering for the state social studies conference
• Presenting a session at the conference
• Nominating yourself or a colleague to serve on the NCCSS Board
• Applying for awards, grants, and scholarships

Don't forget to mark your calendars to attend and join the INFORMATIVE, AMAZING & ENGAGING sessions NCCSS is planning!

NCMA Explore: Engage Your Students With New Tech Resources about Ancient Civilizations

NCMA Explore reimagines how students engage with ancient civilizations through immersive, gamified, object-based learning. Use NCMA Explore tools to enhance your lessons on Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Peru, and Mexico. 

NCMA Explore includes:

• 5 immersive scavenger hunts in simulated archaeological sites to find 3D collection objects from around the globe. 
• 43 objects from the NCMA’s collection in 3D that can be investigated on Sketchfab, in Augmented Reality (AR) through the free Zappar App, or printed using a 3D printer. 
• 5 minigames to extend learning through fun challenges that connect thematically to the featured objects.
• E- and post-activities and pacing guides to support the integration of NCMA Explore tools in the social studies classroom.

NCMA recently developed 5-day pacing guides for using NCMA Explore tools to teach about Ancient Peru and Mexico. Please contact Camille Tewell, NCMA Explore Project Manager, for questions or to let her know how you plan on using NCMA Explore and the Pacing Guides next school year. 

Get Resources to Prepare Your Students for 2024 National History Day (NHD)

Are you considering having your Middle or High School students participate in National History Day (NHD) next school year?

The N.C. History Day team is busy preparing free resources for the 2024-25 school year for students to explore the annual theme of “Rights & Responsibilities in History.” NHD works well as a classroom project, independent study, or school club activity and can focus on any geographical location or period of history. With NHD, students take the lead in discovering history by selecting a topic to research using primary and secondary sources, analyzing their findings, and presenting in one of five creative categories (exhibit, website, documentary, paper, or performance).

An optional part of NHD is competing in one of eight regional contests across the state each spring semester. If you are interested in learning more or would like an N.C. History Day team member to visit your school for a meeting or workshop day this spring or summer, please contact Karen Ipock at nchistoryday@dncr.nc.gov.

Resources for K-12 Educators at The UNC Center for Middle East & Islamic Studies

The Center for Middle East & Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides resources for K-12 educators through the outreach program coordinated by the North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies. They have connected with thousands of educators through workshops, conferences, curriculum consultation, classroom visits, and public events.

To receive regular Teacher Updates, subscribe to our listservs: NCTeachMideast for K-12 educators or NCTeachMideastCC for community college educators. Email the Manager of Consortium Outreach, Alaa Hammouda at alaah@email.unc.edu to be added to either listserv.

On the Consortium website, you will find the following:

• Professional Development (e.g. Webinars, Teacher Fellows Program, Study Tours)
• Classroom Resources (e.g., Culture Kits)
• Partnerships
• Student Engagement

There are several upcoming summer professional development opportunities that you don’t want to miss. Please contact Alaa Hammouda, Director of Outreach, to learn more.