April 2021

• Monthly Virtual Meetings
• Geography Lessons
• Oklahoma City National Memorial Webinar
• Ideals of Democracy Webinar
• Teaching the Legislative Process Webinar
• Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center 2021 Virtual Summer Institute
• Drawing for Dollars
• Personal Financial Literacy Summer Academies
• April is National Poetry Month

Monthly Virtual Meetings

• Join other social studies educators in our monthly meet-ups the first Tuesday of every month at 4:00 p.m. The next meeting will be on May 4, 2021. This meeting is a recurring meeting so this Zoom link will work for all meetings. The password is 981251.
• Geography teachers - all monthly geography virtual meeting recordings are now posted on the OKAGE YouTube channel. 

Geography Lessons

The Oklahoma Public School Resource Center and National Geographic will be hosting a virtual training to present lesson plans written by Oklahoma educators over the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Geography. The virtual session will be Thursday, April 15, 2021 from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Here is the zoom link.

Oklahoma City National Memorial Webinar

Supporting Students During Ever-Changing Times - a virtual workshop with Dr. Robin Gurwitch Dr. Robin Gurwitch is an internationally recognized expert on the impact of trauma and disaster on children and ways to increase resilience. She has responded to disasters around the world, including the Oklahoma City bombing. The past year has been filled with uncertainty, new stressors, and many challenges for students, education personnel, and families. The intersection of COVID, social injustice movement, insurrection, and other tragedies has resulted in the need to strengthen existing strategies and create new ones as we help students cope, increase learning potential, and serve as a resource for families. This presentation will discuss ideas to accomplish these goals. We have also been impacted by the numerous events of the past year. Our own self-care is important as we continue to help others and a new framework for this essential action will be shared. April 21, 2021 (Two sessions offered) 9:00 - 10:00 am CT/Elementary 10:30-11:30 am CT/Middle/High School Register Here

Ideals of Democracy Webinar

Calling all Oklahoma high school social studies teachers! Teachers are on the front lines of helping the next generation analyze the past, make sense of the present, and prepare for the future. Thanks to a grant from the Sumners Foundation, Constitutional Rights Foundation is partnering with Oklahoma City Public Schools to offer free resources and training to enrich your social studies classroom teaching. Join us on April 28, 2021 at 2:45 p.m. for a virtual professional development webinar. All Oklahoma teachers are welcome to attend. Participating teachers will receive: Free, ready-to-use standards-based resources that focus on the ideals of democracy as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. Strategies to engage students in examining the historical and current-day context of those ideals. We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please contact Laura Wesley at Laura@crf-usa.org or 714-334-246                    REGISTER NOW!

Teaching the Legislative Process Webinar

The Lou Frey Institute will be hosting a webinar with Dr. Charles Flanagan, Outreach Supervisor at the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives. During this webinar you will learn how to engage your students in a hands-on collaborative board game activity focused on the process of how a bill becomes a law. Throughout the activity, students analyze historic, congressional documents illustrating each step of the legislative process.  Free lessons and resources will be shared during the webinar! May 20, 2021 at 2:00 pm CT Register here

Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center 2021 Virtual Summer Institute

Teachers will begin an investigation into the history of the Holocaust through this introductory institute. Participants will become familiar with content, literacy-based teaching methods, and resources to teach Holocaust history. The course will include primary source readings, multimedia presentations, and guest speakers. Apply here

Drawing for Dollars

Happy Financial Literacy Month! It's a great time to talk about personal financial literacy and the Drawing for Dollars Contest is a great way to do that! Help your students understand the economic world in which they live in by engaging their imagination, creativity, and critical thinking skills. Ask your students to create an 8.5 x 11 piece of art that depicts an economic and/or personal finance concept. Deadline is Friday, April 23rd. Mail in or virtually submit your class artwork for prizes.  Rules and Information

Personal Financial Literacy Summer Academies

The Oklahoma State Department of Education is excited to partner with the Oklahoma Council on Economic Education to offer two free summer workshops for educators responsible for providing instruction on Personal Financial Literacy.

PFL Summer Academy I                                                                                                                        June 15-17, 2021                                                                                                                                  Register here                                                                                                                                          Sessions will be organized around state standards and focus on interactive learning. Middle and High School teachers will explore a variety of free high quality resources. This academy is designed for teachers new to teaching PFL.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PFL Summer Academy II                                                                                                                      June 22-24, 2021                                                                                                                                  Register here                                                                                                                                            This academy is designed for educators who have been teaching personal financial literacy for 3 or more years and/or have attended a summer academy. Participants will discuss, review and reflect on interactive learning strategies with industry leaders at both the state and national level and will also develop a lesson plan.

April is National Poetry Month

April is national poetry month. Check out these ideas for using poetry in social studies: Poetry lesson plansfor social studies classes Getting Poetic in Social Studies Teaching with Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb"