Save the Date: NCCSS Annual Social Studies Conference

Join us in Winston-Salem on February 26–27, 2026, for the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference: Remembering the Past and Inspiring the Future of Social Studies.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate with fellow educators from across the state.

Early Bird Registration special rate is available only through January 31, 2026—register early to lock in the savings!

More details available at nccss26.sched.com

Join our "Spotlight" webinar series for the 2025-2026 school year, where we will focus on increasing economic and financial understanding under the theme of “Making it Relevant”. Virtually attending these sessions will provide a valuable opportunity for educators who teach or make curriculum decisions about the Economics and Personal Finance (EPF) course to increase their knowledge, skills, and understanding of the course and its impact on students, teachers, parents, and the community.

The first session, on September 18, 2025, from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm. The webinar will highlight the importance of financial literacy in NC public schools and showcase practical, real-world strategies for making EPF engaging and relevant to students. Attendees will hear from guest presenters, Crystal M. Shue, EPF Specialist from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and Gretchyn Bedard, veteran EPF teacher from Iredell-Statesville Schools. Both will share how to…

• Connect course content to students’ lives
• Use and analyze course-related data, and
• Build strong partnerships with parents and the community.

Whether you are a new or experienced EPF educator, you’ll leave with ideas, resources, and inspiration to help your students thrive in and beyond the classroom.

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Learning with the Bill of Rights Institute: Free Workshop

Event: Government & Politics: Civics for the American Experiment 

Date: September 29, 2025

Registration: Bill of Rights Institute Event Page

Questions: Contact Dr. Tim Hall, Vance County K-12 SS Instructional Coordinator 

This workshop is designed to inspire teachers to cultivate informed citizens. It will:

1. Dive into the foundational principles of American democracy
2. Explore contemporary political issues
3. Introduce innovative teaching strategies to make civics education engaging and relevant
4. Provide ready-made lesson plans, scholar-written essays, videos, and game-based learning activities
5. Offer simulation games to deepen students’ understanding of the U.S. government

Participants will leave with practical tools and resources to bring civics education to life and connect students with the constitutional principles that support and promote American ideals.

This program is presented in partnership with the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies and Vance County Schools Center for Innovation.

The Financial Skills Challenge - A fun way to build financial know-how!

Give your students the gift of financial literacy with the Financial Skills Challenge!

The Fall semester session of the Financial Skills Challenge is now open for grades 5-12. In this simulation, your students experience the challenge and reward of successfully managing their finances, first as college students with part-time jobs, then as graduates with their first full-time job.

They’ll learn about sharing rent and bills with roommates, and see what it’s like to have health insurance and student loans to pay! As they navigate the simulation, they’ll learn how to balance their savings goals with their fixed, variable (and unexpected!) expenses, build their emergency savings, set and hit financial goals, build their credit, and live a life! 

The game takes about six hours to play, and your whole class can play over the course of a semester (about half an hour each month). Along the way, they’ll learn valuable real-world lessons that will pay off for the rest of their lives. Players learn to:

• Budget and pay bills on time
• Build savings, an emergency fund, and a credit score
• Manage emergency expenses
• Make sound financial decisions by experiencing real-life benefits and consequences

This fun, gamified tool is offered at no cost to schools, universities, nonprofits, and other organizations.

If you’re interested in finding out more, SIGN UP for an information session by reaching out to financialskillschallenge@bofa.com

America 250 Field Trip Guide

A new America 250 NC Field Trip Guide is NOW available online through the America 250 NC website and the NC Historic Sites website! This free resource is designed primarily for 4th-grade students but can also be adapted for middle school learners.

The America 250 NC Field Trip Guide is flexible for use at any historic site—local or state—and includes engaging activities to enhance students' learning experiences. The first section provides pre-visit classroom activities, while the second half is designed for on-site exploration. Educators can easily print the guide to share.

Bring history to life for your students! Access the guide TODAY!

Apply to the Learning Happens Here Field Trip Fund!

Plan a Spring Field Trip to North Carolina’s Most Inspiring Destinations!

Are you planning a field trip to one of the 100+ incredible locations managed by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) this spring? If so, don't miss out on the Learning Happens Here Field Trip Fund, which is a fantastic opportunity for NC Public Schools to receive financial support to cover upcoming trip expenses!

This fund is designed to help reimburse schools for the costs of visiting DNCR locations around the state. By taking advantage of this opportunity, students can explore North Carolina’s rich history, culture, and natural beauty, all while making lasting connections with our state’s heritage. It’s a unique chance to inspire young minds and help foster the next generation of leaders and innovators.

Important note: This funding is available for trips that have not yet been taken.

The NC DNCR team is here to assist you throughout the application process, ensuring a smooth and successful experience. Don’t miss out on this chance to enrich your students’ learning with a hands-on adventure in North Carolina!

We are pleased to share that Valencia Abbott, an accomplished educator and Social Studies Department Chair at Rockingham Early College High School in Wentworth, North Carolina, has been named the 2025 Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year for North Carolina.

With more than 21 years of classroom experience, Ms. Abbott is recognized for creating engaging, inquiry-based learning experiences that help students develop critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of the past. Her work emphasizes the importance of local and state history and encourages students to make meaningful connections between historical content and the world around them.

Valencia's academic background includes a BA in Political Science-Pre Law, a master’s degree in Liberal Studies, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in African American Studies from UNC Greensboro, and Add-On Licensure in Academically and Intellectually Gifted Education from Duke University.

Ms. Abbott has contributed her expertise to several professional and community organizations, including the National Council for the Social Studies Carter G. Woodson Book Award Committee, the National Council for History Education Teacher Advisory Council, the Dan River Basin Association, and the NAACP. Valencia also serves as a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow and is a member of the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust.

Valencia Abbott continues to demonstrate excellence in teaching and leadership, enriching the educational experience for students across North Carolina.

Breaking News!!

Valencia has also been selected as one of only ten finalists for the National History Teacher of the Year from the Gilder Lehrman Institute. It has been several years since a winner from North Carolina has reached the top 10. If you have a moment, please join us in congratulating her on these extraordinary achievements.

Thomas Wolfe Memorial Writing Contest

Calling All Young Writers Grades 4-12!

Each fall, the Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Asheville holds the annual Student Writing Competition for students across North Carolina. This year’s chosen short story by Thomas Wolfe is “The Sun and the Rain.” Accompanying lesson plans are available that are adaptable to both classroom and online learning environments.

The competition is open to students in grades 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12, with cash prizes awarded to the first, second, and third place winners in each category. Teachers of first-place winners will also receive a cash donation from our foundation to assist with classroom needs and materials. Submissions are due on Saturday, September 27th. 

If you have any questions, please email bonnie.showfety@dncr.nc.gov or call the Memorial at 828-253-8304.

Join the "Apples for Schools" Program from Horne Creek Farm!

Help preserve the South’s agricultural heritage and create a “living classroom” for your students. Apply for an "Apples for Schools" grant and receive four heirloom apple trees for your school.

Applications due by October 21, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.

Why Participate?

• Connect students with agriculture and healthy eating.
• Hands-on learning in history, science, language arts, and math.
• Minimal maintenance with long-term benefits.

Educational Benefits:

• Learn Apple cultivation history and science.
• Engage in STEAM activities like mapping and studying pollination.
• Foster a connection to nature and sustainability.

 Apply Now! Submit your application to Horne Creek Farm by mail, email, or hand delivery. For more details, contact lisa.turney@dncr.nc.gov.

EMPOWER STUDENTS TO BECOME ACTIVE CITIZENS!- We the People Program

The We the People Program is a social studies curriculum support that immerses students in the U.S. Constitution and the principles of democracy. The program culminates in a simulated congressional hearing, where students present and defend their knowledge before a panel of judges acting as members of Congress. Students will build research, collaboration, and public speaking skills along with content. The winning high school team from NC will advance to the National Finals in Washington, D.C. this spring!

Want to find out more?

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact Jenny Morris at morrisjf1@appstate.edu.

NC History Day

Each year, hundreds of middle and high school students across North Carolina engage in deep historical inquiry through NC History Day, the state affiliate of National History Day® (NHD). This year’s theme—“Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History”—invites students to explore transformative moments and movements.

NC History Day is a free, flexible program for students in grades 6–12 that integrates into Social Studies curricula, regardless of geographic focus or historical period. Through NHD, students become researchers, writers, filmmakers, web designers, playwrights, and exhibit creators—all while building critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills.

For educators, it’s a powerful project-based learning model that can be done as an in-class project, independent study, school club, or after-school activity. We can also offer free access to WeVideo for Schools to support students and teachers with online video editing tools!

Participation in the optional spring contest season gives students the opportunity to present their work, sharpen interview skills, earn recognition, and compete for awards and unique academic opportunities on the local, state, or national level.

To learn more and access free classroom resources, visit nchistoryday.org or email nchistoryday@dncr.nc.gov. NC History Day is proudly managed by the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Unlock the Power of Writing for Multilingual Learners

Two 2-Day Workshops | Elementary & Secondary Tracks

Join us for this dynamic 2-day workshop designed to spark powerful writing growth for multilingual learners! Using the Teaching and Learning Cycle, we’ll explore how writing instruction can do more than prepare students for academic success—it can empower them to share their voices, connect with others, and advocate for what matters most to them.

Designed for both elementary and secondary contexts, the workshops focus on how intentional, language-rich instruction empowers multilingual learners—not just to succeed in academic writing, but to use writing as a powerful tool to understand the world, express themselves, learn from one another, and advocate for what matters most.

Both workshops guide participants through a pedagogical approach that apprentices students into academic genres, showing how authentic, content-based writing tasks foster deep understanding of how language works in written form. Educators will leave with ready-to-use strategies that support multilingual learners in becoming confident, capable writers across disciplines.

Elementary Track: September 29th and 30th in Winston Salem: 

• Explore writing instruction grounded in science content with applications across subjects.
• Learn how to build knowledge, analyze mentor texts, co-construct writing, and guide students’ independent practice.
• Engage students in reflection and revision cycles to strengthen writing skills and voice.

Secondary Track: October 2nd and 3rd in Bladen County:

• Centered on social studies writing, with connections to ELA and science.
• Focus on disciplinary genres that prepare students for secondary-level academic demands.
• Emphasis on building background knowledge, unpacking mentor texts, co-writing with students, and supporting independent application.
• Includes cycles of review and revision to refine student writing.
• Note: This workshop focuses on disciplinary writing and does not address foundational literacy for SIFE/SLIFE students.

Key Outcomes for All Participants:

• Build background knowledge so students can write with confidence.
• Use mentor texts to uncover the language of specific genres.
• Co-create writing with students as a scaffold for success.
• Guide students in applying language strategies independently.
• Foster reflection and revision to grow student voice and effectiveness.

Register to attend one of these sessions by completing this form.  The ML/Title III team will contact you via email to confirm your reservation or inform you that you are on a waitlist. Please email ESLTitleIII@dpi.nc.gov with any questions.

Global Scholars Program

Interested in growing student and teacher global competencies? This program is free of charge and enables teachers and students to connect with other classrooms worldwide. They provide training, a virtual platform, and supplemental curriculum. Teachers who participate in the Global Scholars program will be eligible to earn micro-credentials toward the Global Educator Digital Badge.

1. Global Scholars Program Information: Global Cities emphasizes direct peer-to-peer exchange as an essential component of global competency development. The video at the top of this page will help you understand how the Global Scholars Program, operated by Global Cities, makes this exchange possible.
2. Spotlight NYC: This video demonstrates the potential impact of GS on schools and student learning.
3. Spotlight Miami: Great example of how Global Scholars educators are finding ways to apply their learning to incorporate global competency education in their core curricula.
4. Additional Free Workshops

District leaders, please contact Kelly Schultz @ kelly.schultz@dpi.nc.gov to express your interest and connect you with the program.

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