 Temperance and Good Citizenship Day is January 16, 2020. Get your #FutureVoter Toolkit now!
A #FutureVoter is “a United States citizen and Washington state resident, age 16 or 17, who wishes to provide information related to voter registration to the appropriate state agencies.” #FutureVoter requires that all schools provide seniors in high school the opportunity to register to vote during their social studies class.
Please visit k12.wa.us/futurevoter or sos.wa.gov/elections/future-voter-program.aspx to download the #FutureVoter toolkit, including:
- A QR code and instructions directing students to the Secretary of State’s electronic voter registration page and printable voter registration forms for students who require paper copies.
- Elections Lesson Plans.
- Resources such as instructional webcasts, videos, and lessons about voter registration and elections, including the importance of voting and civic participation.
For questions regarding this bulletin, please contact Jerry Price, Social Studies Program Supervisor, at 360-725-6351 or email jerry.price@k12.wa.us. You may also contact Katrina Osborn, Voter Education and Outreach Specialist, at 360-725-5791 or email katrina.osborn@sos.wa.gov. The OSPI TTY number is 360-664-3631.
 The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 20, 2020, marks the 25th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy. Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. The Corporation for National and Community service has been charged to lead this effort for the last quarter century. Visit https://www.nationalservice.gov/serve-your-community/mlk-day-service for more information.
Location and Date
February 1st, 2020 | 8:30AM-3PM
Brightwater Environmental Education and Community Center
22505 WA-9
Woodinville, WA 98072
Democracy only works when all citizens understand their rights and duties as citizens. The skills to be a functional citizen are complex and need to be practiced from an early age. Students need to understand government and how it works. They need to understand the power of their own voice, be able to use it and to listen to a variety of opinions. They need to check for and understand the difference between fact and opinion. They need to practice these skills in order to be informed active citizens.
Conference Registration - Now Open!
Attend the K8 Conference in Woodinville, WA! Admittance to the K8 Conference, a great lunch, one year of membership to the WSCSS, and six clock hours are provided with this registration.
Registration is $60 for most attendees; $20 for pre-service teachers.
There is no walk-in registration for the K8 conference this year. If you have any registration questions or concerns including cancellation, please contact the Conference Chair at oraleekramer@earthlink.net
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Join Holocaust Center for Humanity staff for one of three live, interactive and free info sessions. We will discuss new Washington State legislation that supports Holocaust education passed earlier this year, Holocaust Center resources, and local connections to the Holocaust. Meet our Executive Director, the Education Department, and a local Holocaust survivor.
Register for Thursday, January 23 | 4pm-5pm
Simple registration and log-in with Zoom!
Open to all: teachers, administrators, and parents are welcome.
Questions? Contact Julia: Julia@HolocaustCenterSeattle.org
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You are invited to sign up for one of the upcoming "Librarians Supporting the New Social Studies Standards” workshops that are being offered at a variety of locations at no cost around the state during 2019-20. Although this free 6-hour workshop is primarily designed to provide Teacher-Librarians with strategies to support student learning using the state’s updated Social Studies Learning Standards (https://www.k12.wa.us/student-success/resources-subject-area/social-studies/learning-standards), it is open to other interested educators as well. Participants will gain a general understanding of the standards, and ideas for implementing them at all levels. This training is sponsored by the WA State Library, WLA, and OSPI, and 6 free clock hours will be available to attendees.
These workshop dates and times have already been identified, and you can sign up via pdEnroller for these sessions:
Camas SD
Feb.1, 2020 from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/99434
Central Valley SD
March 28, 2020 from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/98776
Longview SD
Feb.29, 2020 from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/98840
Tacoma SD
April 25, 2020 from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/98846
NCESD (Wenatchee)
April 25, 2020 from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/98869
We are also working on finalizing trainings in Mount Vernon, Auburn, Vancouver, South Kitsap, and Seattle, and will send out registration information on those when it is available.
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More FREE Workshops for Teacher-Librarians, Other Educators
"Makerspace Your School Library Workshop” workshops are being offered at a variety of locations at no cost around the state during 2019-20. Although this free 6-hour workshop is primarily designed to provide Teacher-Librarians with strategies to support student learning using Makerspaces, it is open to other interested educators as well. Participants will gain a general understanding of the relevant learning standards that support Makerspaces, and ideas for initiating or implementing Makerspaces at all levels. This training is sponsored by the WA State Library, WLA, and OSPI, and 6 free STEM clock hours will be available to attendees.
These workshop dates and times have already been identified, and you can sign up via pdEnroller for these sessions:
Bethel SD
Jan. 11, 2020 from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/99862
ESD 105 (Yakima)
March 21, 2020 from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/98802
Renton SD
March 28, 2020 from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/99698
Longview SD
April 25, 2020 from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/99749
Quilcene SD
April 25, 2020 from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/99748
Richland SD
May 9, 2020 from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/98818
NCESD (Wenatchee)
May 16, 2020 from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM
https://www.pdenroller.org/ospi/Catalog/Event/99622
We are also working on finalizing trainings in Colville, Seattle, Mount Vernon, Lake Washington, and possibly Lake Stevens, and will send out registration information on those when it is available.
"Students’ knowledge of civics is bleak. As evidenced by National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) civics assessment data, only 23 percent of students performed at or above the proficient level on the 2014 civics assessment. Whether eroded by the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) or the ever-shrinking footprint of social studies in K-12 schooling, educators across the political and pedagogical spectrum agree that students’ lack of civic knowledge is problematic."
To learn more, click here.
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In 1996 the International Peace Arch Association (IPAA) mailed out free OSPI-approved Portal of Peace teacher packets and curricula to over 1,575 Washington State schools in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the International Peace Arch.
The association is currently working on the centennial of the monument to take place in 2021 and are updating their Portal of Peace curricula, which will be online for the 2020-2021 school year. This includes an online commemoration and education activities (free download) to help promote their use in Washington State Schools.
The curricula should be available in June/July 2020.
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OSPI is a proud sponsor of the Ahead of the Curve Exhibit, which highlights Washington women who were pioneers of their time. One notable woman, Josephine Corliss-Preston, aspired to become the first female statewide elected official as Superintendent of Public Instruction of Washington, and served sixteen years to our public school system! Check out The Josephine Corliss-Preston Story and other amazing stories. |
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Legacy Washington, a program of the Office of the Secretary of State, is conducting a writing, art, and podcast contest starting January 2020 for Washington state middle and high school students.
The contest is a part of a project called Ahead of the Curve, Washington Women Lead the Way. It celebrates the national suffrage centennial with an exhibit, lesson plans and profiles. We invite students to explore who is ahead of the curve in their own communities by creating an essay, poem, artwork or podcast. Projects are due no later than April 30, 2020. Finalists will be invited to a special reception in June 2020, receive gift card prizes, and have their works published on the Secretary of State’s website.
Please see the attached PDF for contest details, rules and entry form. These materials may also be downloaded online. To request a poster set of the Ahead of the Curve exhibit panels, please email info@sos.wa.gov. Corresponding lesson plans are also available online.
For more information about the contest, contact Laura Mott at laura.mott@sos.wa.gov or (360) 902-4171.
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Washington State Library (WSL) has recorded the first of hopefully many Washington State Library Web Courses. Housed at Niche Academy – Web Courses, these new programs are designed to provide on-demand continuing education opportunities on a variety of subjects of interest to library staff. The first course offered is by Dr. Robert Bittner, Serving LGBTQIA+ Youth Your Library. Let Tami Masenhimer, WSL’s Training Coordinator and Consultant, know what you think of this new service.
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Portraits of America: Democracy on Film is FREE to all teachers who register at www.storyofmovies.org.
The Film Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is the protection and restoration of film. The education outreach program challenges students to read film not simply for its narrative elements but also as historical and cultural documents.
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We are excited to announce a free training opportunity for legislatively funded Microsoft certification resources! 6 STEM clock hours will be offered for this training.
Join us to take a first look at the Microsoft Imagine Academy 2019 MOS curriculum as well as understanding all of the legislatively funded curriculum, exams, software and support. There will be an opportunity to take Microsoft certification exams and learn about the new Compass testing platform as well as certification reporting.
Dates & Locations - 9am to 4pm all locations:
Tues, Jan 7, 2020 | Spokane | ESD 101, 4202 S Regal St, Panorama Room
Wed, Jan 8, 2020 | Yakima | ESD 105, 33 South 2nd Avenue, Yakima Room
Thu, Jan 9, 2020 | Tumwater | Tumwater SD Office, 621 Linwood Avenue SW, Board Room
Fri, Jan 10, 2020 | Seattle | JSCEE Prof Learning Ctr, 2445 3rd Ave S 98134, Room 2700
There are only 30 seats available for each training location so register now!
Online Registration (Free) You are free to attend multiple sessions, multiple days.
6 STEM Clock hours are available – all resources are legislatively funded.
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Math: The Most Powerful Civics Lesson You've Never Had is an article written by Stephen Sawchuk of Education Week.
Elections are all about numbers, sometimes hinging on miniscule percentage-point differences in turnouts. Math teacher Alison Strole’s middle school students know this better than your average American, because they’ve actually had to wrestle with the data.
Strole, who teaches in the Hamilton Southeastern district in Fishers, Ind., requires students to analyze 20 years of exit-poll results—including the 2008 and 2016 presidential elections, where swing states twice reshaped the national balance of political power. Officially, this is part of her math unit on data analysis and how to read and interpret two-way data tables, part of 7th and 8th grade algebra. In practice it’s also a powerful civics lesson.
Read more...
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Students are confused about how to evaluate online information. We all are. The new Civic Online Reasoning (COR) curriculum, developed by the Stanford History Education Group, provides free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world.
Our approach rests on our peer-reviewed research. Based on observations of professional fact checkers at the nation’s leading news outlets, we identified a set of questions and strategies that should guide online evaluation: Who's behind the information? What's the evidence? What do other sources say? Access free COR materials at our new website, cor.stanford.edu.
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Who's Behind the Information? In this lesson, students learn a strategy for investigating who's behind an unfamiliar online source called lateral reading—leaving the webpage and opening a new browser tab to see what trusted websites say about the unknown source.
View lesson
What's the Evidence? For many students, seeing is believing. This assessment gauges whether students can tell if an online video actually provides evidence to substantiate a claim.
View assessment
What Do Other Sources Say? This lesson introduces students to click restraint, a strategy that involves resisting the urge to immediately click on the first search result. Instead, students scan the results to make a more informed choice about where to go first.
View lesson
OSPI is still accepting applications for the Daniel J. Evans Civic Education Award for the 2019-20 school year. If you are interested in nominating one or more of your students, please complete this survey and attach the student’s OSPI-developed assessment when prompted.
Established by the Washington State Legislature in 2003, this award is named after former Washington State Governor Daniel J. Evans, who served from 1965 to 1977. It recognizes four students, two from Western Washington and two from Eastern Washington, for their civic leadership and academic achievement in social studies.
Any student in grades 3–12 who has successfully completed an OSPI-Developed Civics Assessment and who is a civic leader in his/her classroom, school, and/or community is eligible for this award.
Teachers, principals, counselors, or other school personnel may nominate students online. The deadline to nominate is June 30 each year.
Winners are selected by a statewide committee of social studies teacher leaders. Two students from each side of the state receive recognition.
Awards are presented to the students in their home districts, often at a school assembly or school board meeting.
For more information, please go to: OSPI DJ Evans award.
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