The California Council for the Social Studies (CCSS) held its 53rd Annual Conference from March 7 to 9, 2014! The theme, “CCSS Wants You: Dig in for the Challenge,” commemorated the 100th anniversary of the “Great War.” Thanks to the conference planning committee for a successful and well-organized conference.
Among the highlights included keynote speakers: Lalo Alcarez, Cartoonist; Sylvia Mendez, Presidential Medal of Freedom; Major General Patrick Brady (Ret); Mary Beth Tinker, Free Speech Activist; and Mike McGalliard, Imagination Foundation’s Executive Director. Other highlights included the Common Core 2.0 Boot Camp, which included topics such as “Historical Thinking and the Common Core State Standards,” “Close Reading of Historical Documents,” and “Common Core and English Language Learners.”
My presentation was entitled “Technology Matters.” It explored teaching strategies and digital resources in social studies and technology to support the Common Core Standards. The session showed how to captivate student interest and enhance historical inquiry by analyzing primary and secondary sources.” Thanks to Simmi Kher (The Tony Blair Faith Foundation) for the positive “tweet” and to the teacher colleagues for attending the session. Twitter at gn_teach. Would love to share and hear about how you use technology in your classrooms.
How wonderful it was to see Dr. Priscilla Porter (Senior Author of Reflections Social Studies textbook series for K-6 at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Textbook Publishers), Matt Hayes (San Diego County of Education), and Micheline Wagner (San Diego Unified School District), who have influenced my passion for social studies and literacy. Visit Dr. Priscilla Porter’s website, http://porterroom.csusb.edu/, at California State University, San Bernardino.
Thanks to Children’s Book Author Alexis O’Neill who donated promotional posters and her historical-fiction book, THE KITE THAT BRIDGED TWO NATIONS: HOMAN WALSH AND THE FIRST NIAGARA SUSPENSION BRIDGE, for my “Technology Matters” presentation. View the book trailer for THE KITE THAT BRIDGED TWO NATIONS at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRsPLVlt6yU. Visit Alexis O’Neill’s website at http://www.alexisoneill.com/.
Also, thanks to The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators ( http://www.scbwi.org/)and the following children’s book authors who contributed to the historical-fiction and non-fiction resources list handed out at the presentation: Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan (http://virginialoh.com/); Edith Hope Fine (http://www.edithfine.com/); Carolyn Marsden (http://www.carolynmarsden.com/); Andrea Zimmerman (http://www.andreaanddavid.com/); Nancy Johnson (http://www.nancy-johnson.com/); Susan Traugh (http://www.susantraugh.com/); Debbie Vilardi (http://www.debbievilardi.com/) and Selene Castrovilla’s (http://selenecastrovilla.com/) .
Visit http://www.teachingseasons.com/historical-fiction-page-1/.
The Library of Congress ( http://www.loc.gov/) bookmarks in the handouts were provided by Meg Steele. I also handed them out at “The Teaching with Primary Sources Session” at the San Diego County of Education where I co-presented with Dr. Nicole Gilbertson and Matt Hayes.
The California Council for the Social Studies (CCSS) is an affiliate of the National Council for the Social Studies. Visit http://ccss.org/.
