Social Science Back To School 2024
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Dear Educators,
Welcome back! We trust that summer provided you with well-deserved relaxation and fresh perspectives. As we transition from vacation mode back to the classroom, the significance of social science teaching takes center stage. With the presidential election approaching, our social science learning often draws relevance from current events related to the election. The next few months offer many opportunities to analyze electoral maps, examine the Constitutional process of selecting a President, evaluate the feasibility of campaign promises, and understand the historical context of current events. Students can learn about and discuss the impact of social movements, interpret polling data, and dissect campaign rhetoric – all while honing critical thinking skills essential for informed citizenship. It is a great time to teach social science.
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This month’s topics:
- Social Science Instructional Materials Criteria Committee
- Recruitment For Panel On Social Science Professional Learning
- Hispanic Heritage Month and Veteran Day Materials
- Student Scholarship
- Civil Discourse Resources
- Classroom Resources
- Learning Opportunities
- Hatfield History lectures
Welcome back, and here's to a year of meaningful and transformative teaching and learning!
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Social Science Instructional Materials Panel
The Oregon Department of Education is now accepting applications for the 2025 Social Sciences Instructional Materials Criteria Committee. Individuals on this committee will be responsible for co-creating adoption criteria for K-12 Social Sciences instructional materials.
District administrators and supervisors are highly encouraged to share the application with teachers, curriculum specialists, or other experienced professionals with expertise in K-12 Social Sciences.
The application form details what committee member participation will require. Interested candidates should be prepared to share their qualifications and experience as part of the application process.
The application is open through September 20, 2024. For more information or questions, contact Jenna Montgomery, Instructional Materials Coordinator: jenna.montgomery@ode.state.or.us or (971) 208-0571.
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Social Science Professional Learning
In June, the State Board of Education adopted the 2024 Social Science Standards. The standards are available now and are required for the 2026-2027 school year. ODE and WestEd are constructing Professional Learning opportunities across the state during the spring of 2025. We’re Looking for K–12 Teachers, Principals, and District Leaders to review and provide input on the following:
- Digital learning modules for asynchronous educator professional learning;
- Model curricular units and lesson plans; and
- Social science standards implementation framework.
Benefits include:
- Influence the future of social science education in Oregon.
- Collaborate with passionate educators across the state.
- Earn a $500 stipend from WestEd.
Additional information and Application
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Resources for National Hispanic Heritage Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15 and ends on October 15. National Hispanic Heritage Month is a dedicated time to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic-American champions who have inspired others to achieve success. Hispanic Heritage Week was first celebrated under President Lyndon Johnson and expanded to a full month by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The dates were chosen because September 15 is the anniversary of independence for the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.
Heritage months are a good reminder for the teaching of a more inclusive curriculum, but there is no reason to limit the inclusion to a single month. Explore additional resources on Oregon Open Learning.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Library of Congress
The National Archives
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Student Scholarship
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) administers the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) for the State of Oregon. The U.S. Senate Youth Program is an annual scholarship competition funded by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and endorsed by the U.S. Senate. Every year, each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity select two high school juniors or seniors to participate in the program.
All high school juniors and seniors must be nominated by their high school principal or designated school official in order to apply for the program. Nominated students must be active in elected or appointed leadership positions that relate to government, public affairs, education and/or community service.
This year, the delegates will each receive a $10,000 college scholarship and attend an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., on March 1-8, 2025.
Full information is available the ODE website.
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Civil Discourse Resources
These resources offer practical strategies and guidance on how to create a classroom environment that is conducive to respectful student discourse around elections and other current events:
5 simple strategies for classroom civil discourse
- Create and revise class discussion norms with your students.
- Share norms and topics with caregivers to build a strong home-to-school connection.
- Post discussion sentence frames and healthy discussion norms.
- Conduct a survey on experiences with civil discourse in the school and social media.
- Encourage students to generate ideas for civic discourse for future discussions.
Oregon Open Learning - Debate and Discussion Protocols
PBS “Let's Vote” and How to Talk About Voting and the Election K-5
Learning For Justice My Voice, My Voter’s Guide 3-5
Sphere Middle School Toolkit
Learning for Justice
Solution Tree - Discussing Values
Facing History - Civil Discourse
Council on Foreign Relations
Civic Learning Project
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Lessons examine Oregon's constitution, voter eligibility, ballot measures, definitions relating to elections, the history of voting rights, and more.
Israel/Palestine
This summer has seen stalled efforts to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. With the humanitarian crisis growing in Gaza and regional tensions escalating, these resources from the Council for Foreign Relations and Solution not Sides can help your students understand the history of the conflict and the prospects for peace.
Resources for Adults:
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Classroom Resources
The Woodson Center’s K-12 Black History and Excellence lessons tell the stories of Black Americans whose tenacity and resilience enabled them to overcome adversity and make invaluable contributions to our country. These lessons in Black American excellence are free and publicly available for all.
The Woodson Center’s K-12 Black History and Excellence lessons received high marks in a review by the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Education Policy. Since their debut in 2020, they have been downloaded more than 185,000 times. Each lesson package includes educator-designed presentation decks, discussion activities, assessments, learning standards, and other supporting documents and can be used to supplement History, Civics, Language Arts, and social/emotional learning curricula.
The Woodson Center partnered with Oregon via the OER Commons platform to offer resources on 25 topics with versions for both high school and K-8 classrooms.
FRONTLINE from PBS contains numerous resources that may help you bring impactful stories of current events, history, government, and public policy into the classroom. In particular, you may want to check out FRONTLINE’s shorter, curriculum-aligned videos and other media.
OHS
The Oregon Historical Society is expanding its curriculum offerings to include Document-Based Questions (DBQs)! Written for grades 6–12, DBQs teach Oregon history — with connections to broader themes in U.S. and world history — through the analysis of primary and secondary sources. Each DBQ is a comprehensive unit that includes a background essay adapted from scholarly articles, a set of eight to twelve primary sources, detailed instructions, and an optional writing assessment.
DBQs available starting September 1. Make sure to visit OHS.org, for more DBQs throughout the school year.
- Chinese Diaspora in Oregon
- Early Black Oregonians
- Oregon’s Anti-Indian Immigrant Riot
- Valley Migrant League
- Hood River Nikkei in the 1920s
- Measure 9 (available later this fall)
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Learning Opportunities
OHS
Fall Educator Workshop
October 11: Fall Educator Workshop
9:30am-1pm
RSVP Here
Educators are invited to join OHS’s Fall Educator Workshop to learn about the many resources for K–12 educators, tour exhibitions, and collaborate with colleagues.
Pacific Northwest History Conference
Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19, 2024
The 2024 Pacific Northwest History Conference will feature sessions highlighting new scholarship on events related to public health, racial injustice, climate disruption, and the fragility of democratic institutions, from a Pacific Northwest history lens. Oregon educators can learn more about stipend eligibility and can register for the conference here: Oregon Educator Registration. Non-Oregon educators receive a discounted ticket price of $90 and can register here: Non-Oregon Educator Registration.
Civic Learning Project and Lane ESD
Civil Discourse Professional Development on Civil Discourse
Oct 3, 4pm - 6:30pm at Lane ESD
Register Today!
Nominate the Civic Educator of the Year!
Nominate yourself or your favorite civics teacher today!
Courthouse Experience Tours
Tour courthouses statewide with your student groups! Hear 9th circuit oral arguments, attend
Register Today!
Portland Area Outside Portland
Oct 21 - 25 and Dec 2 - 6 Registration opens soon! See Website on Sept 10
Register or View Our Flyer!
Oregon Civics Conference-Hosted by Civics Learning Project
Dec 6th, 2024 in Salem
Do not miss this year's expert-led sessions providing rich, engaging experiences for educators!
ADL
ADL is launching a series of webinars for educators and the broader community on topics related to anti-bias education, combatting antisemitism, and Holocaust education for school communities. The first program begins on September 12 from 1-2 PM PT. Registration for ADL’s signature anti-bias initiative, No Place for Hate, is open now and free for all K-12 schools nationwide. ADL also has a host of new programs and resources to address rising antisemitism, including Awareness to Action for middle and high schoolers. Please reach out to ADL PNW Director of Education Laurie Lynch to learn more about these offerings and get involved today at llynch@adl.org.
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Citizen Nation -A new documentary featuring CLP’s We the People
Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. PT on OPB! Retro Report traversed the country following students, teachers, and teams competing in the “We The People” civics competition. The result is the creation of “Citizen Nation.” If you want to learn more about the We the People program in Oregon, please contact Civics Learning Project's Abby Laufman at alaufman@civicslearning.org for more information about curriculum and volunteering!
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Hatfield Lecture Series
Bringing together the nation’s top historians and award-winning authors for thought provoking-evenings of history. The 2025 Hatfield Lecture Series speakers will feature Nikole Hannah-Jones, Lindsay Chervinksy, Steve Inskeep, and Hampton Sides, and the 2025 Hatfield Lecture Series Fall Kick-Off on September 17 will feature Heather Cox Richardson speaking about her new book, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America.
OHS is offering a limited number of discounted in-person and virtual tickets for teachers ($10) and students ($5) to the 2025 Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series. Learn more and purchase tickets by visiting OHS.org.
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