|
ODE Social Science Newsletter February 2023
|
|
 Photo by Amy Humphries on Unsplash
Happy February. I hope you find these new lessons, videos, and readings in support of Black History Month helpful for your planning. Please see the previous social science newsletter for additional resources on teaching Black History, especially for K-5.
This newsletter also includes resources for important classroom conversations following violence and trauma in the news as well as new professional development opportunities for February and information on a student writing competition.
Thank you,
Amit Kobrowski
Social Science Specialist.
|
|
Responding to Violence and Trauma in the News
Last Friday a video of Tyre Nichols’s death was released to the press. ODE Director and Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, Colt Gill sent a message to Oregon school leaders with helpful resources for teachers when discussing traumatic current events with students.
As Director Gill noted, "schools are important places for students to learn how to have respectful, informed dialog about important issues of our times. It's where we learn how to be in this world together, to learn that violence erodes our humanity. It's how students become prepared to create a better future, and feel a sense of hope even in moments that reveal what is broken that needs healing and repair. Silence can be harmful, but it takes preparation and learning to prepare for emotional conversations about hurt and violence in the news."
Classroom Law Project & Center For Civics Education
Free professional development for educators in Oregon! No-cost materials and training are available to teachers of high-needs students grades 4-8. Learn more about eligibility, benefits, and stipends HERE. If you have questions about this or other CLP programs for your students, Contact Classroom Law's Beth Cook
Classroom Law Project is inviting teachers to register their high school students for the return of the Law Day Conference. The expanded program includes opportunities for students in Portland, Medford, Eugene, and Bend! Dates are in mid-May and vary by region. Please contact the Program Manager in your region for more information about the Law Day Conference in your area. Register now!
|
LEARN TO TEACH BY THE CASE METHOD WITH HARVARD PROFESSOR DAVID MOSS
Available at no charge to high school teachers in U.S. history, government, and civics
The Case Method Institute partners with high school teachers nationwide to help deliver a singularly engaging educational experience to students in U.S. history, government, and civics classrooms. The Institute offers training in the case method—the core pedagogy used at many leading professional schools—along with access to 22 original cases from Professor Moss's acclaimed course at Harvard, “History of American Democracy.”
Each case presents students with a historically rich narrative, leading up to a key decision point and posing the perennial question: “What would you do?” Led by a teacher’s use of carefully designed questions, students engage in rigorous, evidence-based discussion and debate to draw out key concepts from the case. All U.S. history, government, and civics teachers with students in grades 9-12 are invited to apply here for an upcoming workshop, held monthly (with limited spots available). Everything—including the workshop, curriculum, and supporting resources—is entirely free of charge
Reserve your spot for the 2022-23 school year here!
|
The History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict and Peace Process
Join the Institute for Curriculum Studies for an online course on the History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict & Peace Process. This self-paced, online course uses primary sources, videos, and engaging learning tools to trace the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Register for the cohort running from Feb 24 – March 31, 2023
Contact Dori Gerber with questions
|
Western States Civics Coalition Presents: The State of and Support for Civics Education
Recent polling suggests that support for civic education is strong, and bipartisan. A clear majority of voters across the political spectrum are in favor of increasing focus on civics in the classroom. In a new, free, online web series, the Western States Civics Coalition will explore this majority desire to see more and better civic education, why civic education is important, and delve into effective classroom practices. Join us on February 23, 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. PT for the initial foundation setting session on the current state of civics education and trending support for civics programs.
REGISTER >
|
Oregon Historical Society
Mark O. Hatfield 2022-23 Lecture Series
In-Person Tickets Available for series or individual events.
Virtual-only single lecture tickets will are available and sold exclusively through the Oregon Historical Society. Follow the links below to purchase virtual tickets.
Nina Totenberg, February 2: Buy Virtual Tickets
Mae Ngai, March 28: Buy Virtual Tickets
Douglas Brinkley, April 18: Buy Virtual Tickets
Peniel E. Joseph, May 23: Buy Virtual Tickets
Nina Totenberg is National Public Radio’s award-winning legal affairs correspondent. The first radio journalist to win the “Broadcaster of the Year” award, Totenberg shines a light on the inner workings of the nation’s highest court and helps audiences understand the impact of major judicial cases on America’s future.
EDUCATORS & STUDENTS: Educator and Student pricing is available beginning January 19. Enter the promo code you received on January 12 in the OHS Educator Newsletter with details on how to access this pricing. Discount will appear on the final payment page. If you are not subscribed to the Educator Newsletter, please contact education@ohs.org
|
Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
Art and Writing Competition
The 2023 Jakob and Sala Kryszek Art and Writing Competition prompt has been released. Open to Oregon and Southwest Washington students in grades 6-12, the competition encourages students to evaluate history, foster an awareness of the Holocaust, and make relevant connections to their life. The two Grand Prize winners — one for art and the other for writing — will win a trip to Washington D.C. to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for themselves, a caretaker, and their teacher!
Prompt
Choose one of the following: listen to an oral history of an Oregon survivor of the Holocaust, read one of their memoirs or experience summaries, or listen to a speaker as part of a school program.
Select a specific word, phrase, or part of the survivor’s story that had an effect on you. Then create a piece of writing or visual artwork that represents why it is meaningful to you and how you will carry this into the future.
Submissions are due April 28, 2023.
|
For 9-12 U.S. History: American Midnight by Adam Hochschild
In American Midnight, Adam Hochschild reveals evidence for a different narrative from the typical U.S. History textbook account of the early 20th century. As indicated by the title, this is a dark history, and Hochschild's vivid illumination of the abuses of power and violations of civil rights requires a thoughtful reevaluation of the era. Teachers looking for source material to assist in implementing the 2021 Social Science Standards will appreciate Hochschild's examples and analysis.
President Wilson is the primary national political figure facing severe reassessment throughout this book. Any willingness to hold on to Wilson as a heroic statesman offering the world a chance for perpetual peace with The League of Nations melts away in his despicable acts of racism and hostility to civil liberties. Wilson's unwillingness to compromise with Republicans at home, even as he capitulates to the vengeful victors of Europe, tarnishes any remaining accolades for his diplomatic and political acumen.
More revelatory and valuable for teaching "a more complete history" of the United States is the compelling biographical accounts of three women of the era. Emma Goldman, Katie Richards O'Hare, and most surprisingly, Marie Euqi. Equi moved to Oregon from Massachusetts, lived openly as a lesbian, became one of the first female doctors in Oregon, and worked tirelessly as a labor activist. Equi's medical expertise led her to co-author pamphlets on birth control and women's health, as well as organize medical relief for survivors of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. An early critic of the Great War, she gave numerous anti-war and anti-draft speeches, including from atop a telephone poll to delay arrest. Equi, O'Hare, and Goldman were all jailed for violating the Espionage Act. The resilience of these women as activists insisting on a more just society makes excerpts of American Midnight a valuable addition to a high school U.S. history course providing plenty of connections to the social science standards.
Throughout American Midnight, we also learn about the pervasive xenophobic and racist thinking plaguing American politics. Foreign-born Americans, especially from Southern and Eastern Europe, were treated with suspicion and targeted by mob violence. The racism and physical violence towards Black Americans during this period are covered more in-depth elsewhere. Hochschild provides vivid descriptions of racial discrimination allowing for an comparions of the excess of the Red Scare and the depravity of the Red Summer. At a time when students are living through intense debates about democracy, free speech, immigration, social and racial justice, American Midnight is a helpful reminder that we have been here before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
