Resources 

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

History-Social Science Content Standards K- 12

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

California Council for the Social Studies (CCSS)

California Council for History Education (CCHE)

California Council on Economic Education (CCEE)

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

20 Ways to Teach About the Disaster in Japan Across the Curriculum Using the New York Time

Since the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, The New York Times has been updating a list of teaching and learning resources, including articles, interactive features, past lessons, photo galleries and videos. The link to find twenty ideas for ways to use The New York Times to teach about what’s happening as the story continues to unfold.

History Club

The National History Club (NHC) inspires students and teachers to start History Club chapters at high schools, middle schools, and within other student and community programs. Members of local history club chapters participate in local and national programs, and create their own projects and activities. The NHC also provides chapters with resources and services that will help them increase the activity and impact of their history club. To date, more than 400 schools in 43 states have started chapters and joined the NHC. More information or email  

CDE on iTunes U

The California Department of Education’s dedicated area on iTunes is available. The collection will be accepting high quality podcasts, videos and documents on a continuous basis. More information about CDE on iTunes U, including frequently asked questions and the process for submitting materials.
Questions can be directed to Jim Long, Education Programs Consultant, at 916-323-4583 or at jlong@cde.ca.gov or to Barbara Murchison, Education Programs Consultant, at 916-319-0440 or bmurchison@cde.ca.gov

How to Turn Teenagers Into Global Citizens

For the first time, students throughout North America have the opportunity to edit National-Geographic-quality raw footage to create their own documentaries and shorts. Take 2, a youth media nonprofit, is offering issue-specific footage that places students in the center of global hotspots like Sudan and Cuba. Each module has over five hours of hi-definition footage that comes with a comprehensive curriculum and teaching tools that meet the state and national curricular standards for social studies, economics, government, science, media, or literature. Teachers do not need to have any video or editing skills – teaching tools are available in the supporting materials. Each module is comprehensive enough to cover a full-semester course, but can be scaled down to a 2-week after-school project.

By learning to understand and ultimately to empathize with people living under dramatically different circumstances, students are themselves changed as they craft stories about issues far outside their daily experience.  When they’re done, students may submit their documentaries to festivals, put them on the web, or take them on the road to educate the public and practice their newfound leadership and global citizenship.

More information, or contact its director, Karin Muller, at Karin@karinmuller.com The educational licensing fee is $75/classroom/year. 

National Council for the Social Studies Revised National Standards

The National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: A Framework for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment is a companion to social studies curriculum standards. The revised standards continue to be structured around the ten themes of social studies, but offer new sections that provide a sharper focus on purposes, questions for exploration, knowledge: what learners need to understand, processes, and how learners demonstrate understanding. “This is one of the best frameworks for preparing your students to be college, career and citizenship ready.”

Stanford History Education Group on Reading Like a Historian: Primary Source History Curriculum: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past

The Reading Like a Historian Curriculum features dozens of document-based lessons that teach the skills of historical thinking while improving students' reading comprehension. It is a primary source history curriculum that improves literacy with research-based adapted documents for English Language Learners. The 75 classroom-ready lessons are downloadable free at: http://sheg.stanford.edu  

Check out the Library of Congress's The Teaching with Primary Sources Program
and read the article Project-Based Learning with Primary Sources by Kathleen Ferenz

C-SPAN Constitution Clips and StudentCam 2011

C-SPAN would like to share with you the launching of two additions to its Web site, Constitution Clips and StudentCam 2011. Constitution Clips is our newest, interactive, teaching tool that demonstrates the U.S. Constitution in action by linking its text to video clips of elected officials, journalists, and political experts referencing key points. Teachers can access this resource, by becoming a member (registration is free), and clicking on the yellow tab on the homepage. Members also have access to a variety of educational resources in addition to unique opportunities to collaborate with C-SPAN’s Education Department.
StudentCam is our annual national video documentary competition for middle and high school students, grades 6-12. This year’s theme is: “Washington, DC – Through My Lens” – Tell us about an issue, event, or topic that helped you better understand the role of the federal government in your life or community. Students are asked to select a topic and create a 5 to 8 minute documentary that presents multiple views and includes C-SPAN video. We are awarding a total of $50,000 in prizes. More information
Pam McGorry, C-SPAN Education Programs Specialist, at pmcgorry@c-span.org

Gilder Lehrman Podcasts

Since 1996, the Gilder Lehrman Institute has presented eminent historians discussing major topics in American history. Now you can hear these lectures on your computer or a portable media player. The archive of more than 100 podcasts is available free, simply by registering and signing in on the Web site. Full list of available podcasts

FREE Resources from Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Affiliate School Program

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has received a challenge grant from the NEH to substantially increase their Affiliate School Program over the next 5 years to provide FREE resources to schools. Each Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School receives access to an affiliate school web portal with lesson plans, teachable documents, special video podcasts, toolkits and more.

To register for free, as an Affiliate School

NBC News Archives on Demand is a collection of premier online video and document resource featuring thousands of historic NBC News broadcasts and original documentaries. As well as rare and important documents from the New York Times and Washington Post. Please visit the Web site.

Free texts for History-Social Science Teachers: elementary, middle, high school

The Center for Civic Education offers free supplementary textbooks on the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights for History-Social Science classes in grades 5, 8 and 12.  We the People is directed by the Center for Civic Education and funded by the U.S. Department of Education by Act of Congress.

These approved texts are designed for a wide range of achievement levels and complement existing curriculum materials; they are aligned with state and national standards. Grade levels are not indicated on these materials, so that all reading needs can be met at any grade.

Each set consists of 30 student copies, a teacher’s edition, tests and other support materials.
New editions of the high school edition are now available; if you have been using older editions, now is the time to order new materials for elementary and middle schools. See sample lessons and learn more.

Since books are distributed by congressional district, please contact the coordinator for Congressional District #12 to order your books or request further information.
Anna Bolla, Coordinator, Congressional District #12
(415) 665-3812           acbolla@sbcglobal.net

The National History Education Clearinghouse

New videos, including What is Historical Thinking and introductory tours of the Web site for elementary, middle, and high school teachers will be available. You will also find exciting new content, including Beyond the Textbook, a feature designed to look at how textbooks cover specific topics, what historians have to say, and what perspectives we uncover when looking at related primary sources.
   
New Economics Teacher Web site

This Web site is sponsored by the Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation. The purpose of EconEdReviews is for K-12 teachers to review free on-line economics lessons they have used in their classes so that other teachers can find lessons that may work for their classrooms.

OTHER

History Day 2012:  April 27 – 29, 2012, at the Riverside Convention Center


American Experience – Freedom Riders

Facing History and Ourselves, in partnership with PBS’s flagship history series, American Experience, is pleased to offer a free study guide and resource-rich website to accompany Freedom Riders, the harrowing and ultimately inspirational film about more than 400 black and white college students who risked their lives in 1961 by simply traveling together on a journey through the Deep South. The film airs on PBS May 16th, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides. Democracy in Action: A study guide to accompany the film Freedom Riders is filled with primary source readings, historic photographs, and questions to stimulate classroom discussions.  The study guide prompts students to consider the relationship between the political context in which the Freedom Rides took place and the stories and motivations of those who became Freedom Riders. You can also find the study guide, film clips, and more on our Web Site for the film. 

 

Facing History will host workshops in eight U.S. cities throughout the 2011-2012 school year to assist teachers in planning creative lessons and units around the guide.

CCSS Curriculum Committee Survey

The CCSS Curriculum Committee is attempting to find out information about how to best serve our history social-science teachers in California. Please participate

News and Updates from iCivics!

Two new games from iCivics!, are now available.  Immigration Nation teaches students about the paths to American naturalization and citizenship

Argument Wars has been updated with the pending Supreme Court case Snyder v. Phelps

A Revolutionary Way to Teach History – New Resource
 
This resource is provided with major funding by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and additional funding provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Three C-s Education Petition Campaign: Preparing students for College, Career and CITIZENSHIP

The Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools is sponsoring a petition campaign to remind all policymakers of the essential and historic role schools play in providing the knowledge, skills and disposition for informed and engaged citizenship. The goal of education is more than preparing students for higher education and a successful career; equally important is the role schools play in providing civic participation skills. We are calling this the "Three C-s of Education Petition Campaign."

This petition is designed to remind policymakers and the public of the essential civic mission of schools. The petition drive was launched at the annual conference of the National Council for the Social Studies where well over 1,500 signatures were gathered. This petition will be presented to local, state and federal education policymakers in 2011. More information.  You can add your name to the petition page.

Service Learning and Civic Education Grants

ING Unsung Heroes (Deadline: April 30)

Are you an educator with a class project that is short on funding but long on potential? Do you know a teacher looking for grant dollars? ING Unsung Heroes® could help you turn great ideas into reality for students.

For 15 years, and with nearly $3.5 million in awarded grants, ING Unsung Heroes has proven to be an A+ program with educators. The program's "alumni" have inspired success in the classroom and impacted countless numbers of students. Each year, 100 educators are selected to receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative class projects. Three of those are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000. Applications for the 2012 awards are now available. The application deadline is April 30, 2012.

Everyday Young Hero Award (Deadline: Ongoing)

Each week, YSA features an Everyday Young Hero in the National Service Briefing. Everyday Young Heroes are youth leaders, ages 5-25, who identify a need in their community, address it through service, mobilize their peers and community partners, and engage the media and elected officials. Everyday Young Hero Award winners receive a certificate and award letter, and will be featured on YSA's website and in the National Service Briefing. Youth selected as Everyday Young Heroes are also considered for YSA's other awards, including YSA Service Stars and the Harris Wofford Award.
To nominate a young person who has improved their community through service
 

Ben & Jerry's Foundation National Grassroots Grant Program (Deadline: Ongoing)

Through the National Grassroots Grant Program, Ben & Jerry's Foundations 
supports nonprofit community organizations throughout the United States that bring about progressive social change by addressing the underlying conditions of societal and environmental problems. The broad goals of the program are to further social justice, protect the environment, and support sustainable food systems. Grants of up to $15,000 are provided to grassroots, constituent-led organizations that are using community organizing strategies to accomplish their goals as well as organizations that provide technical support and/or resources to such groups. The Foundation does not make grants to support social service programs. Letters of interest may be submitted at any time.

Do Something Seed Grants (Deadline: Ongoing)
Are you working to start a community action project or program? Do you need money to put your ideas into action? If you answered, "YES!", you are eligible to apply for a Do Something Seed Grant. We give out a $500 Do Something Seed Grant every week to help young people just like YOU!  Do Something Seed Grants are targeted towards project ideas and programs that are just getting started. These grants can be used to jump-start your program or to realize your ideas for the first time. These are grants for all types of community action projects around causes that you care about and are important in your community! Deadlines: Rolling- Apply now! You will be notified whether or not you have won within 2-3 months after submission.

James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation offers History-Social Science and government secondary teachers an opportunity to participate in graduate studies on topics related to the U.S. Constitution. More information and an application for this fellowship opportunity are available at the Foundation's web site

The Stock Market Game 2011-2012

NO COST to teachers and students, Grades 4-12 in California!
· On-line stock simulation that gives students in grades 4-12 to work in teams as they work to grow a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio.   

· InvestWrite essay competition as a culminating activity. It is a practical way for students to prepare for California's writing sample.   
· Curriculum that is correlated to CA state standards in six core subject areas.   
· Weekly webinar training series to help teachers get started.   
· Ongoing teacher support throughout the game windows.   
· Prizes and awards for both students and teachers for The Stock Market Game and InvestWrite.  

Register Online
Maria Suggett, Western Region Director, The Stock Market Game
120 Broadway, 35th Floor, New York, NY  10271
P: 646-942-3853     F: 212-968-0901      msuggett@sifma.org

Museum of Craft and Folk Art
In-class Workshops

The Museum's Education Program offers year-round culture- and curriculum-based hands-on workshops integrating slide shows, artifacts, and hands-on activities to complement a guided tour at the Museum or your own Social Studies, Math, Science, or Language Arts units, or just for FUN. Our educators travel to many Bay Area locations, including libraries, camps, enrichment programs, schools, community centers, and more.

The National History Club

The National History Club Inc. (NHC) inspires students and teachers to start history club chapters at high schools, middle schools, and within other student and community programs. Members of local history club chapters participate in local and national programs, and create their own projects and activities. The NHC also provides chapters with resources and services that will help them increase the activity and impact of their history club.